E36 interior blower controls
Discussion
It's almost certainly the resistor bank. I have done this on an E30 car and it's not that complicated. Bentley manual ought to show what's what.
For some reason the resistor bank will sometimes develop an "open" and won't conduct at all. I changed mine and had no further problems. It's behind a hatch in the middle of the firewall on the E30, probably similar on the E36.
This does not require any special tools, a set of 1/4 inch drive sockets is nice but you probably could do this with the tool kit that comes with the car (not certain, but might be able to)
For some reason the resistor bank will sometimes develop an "open" and won't conduct at all. I changed mine and had no further problems. It's behind a hatch in the middle of the firewall on the E30, probably similar on the E36.
This does not require any special tools, a set of 1/4 inch drive sockets is nice but you probably could do this with the tool kit that comes with the car (not certain, but might be able to)
I have a very similar problem in an M3 EVO. The interior blower is not working at all. The display is working correctly and so do all the buttoms and functions. But no air flow in the cabin at all. Does anybody know where is this "resistor pack" we´re speaking about located in the M3?
Cheers.
Cheers.
full_chat said:
The blower switch on my 1992 320iSE only works when on position 4, so it's all or nothing with the fan! Anyone able to tell me what bit maybe broken and if it's a reasonable DIY fix?
Cheers,
Chris
I've got exactly that car and have exactly the same problem. I think the resistor pack is the problem as has already been mentioned but I also don't know where it lives. Would be nice to find out though!
ginge said:
The blower switch on my 1992 320iSE only works when on position 4, so it's all or nothing with the fan! Anyone able to tell me what bit maybe broken and if it's a reasonable DIY fix?
Cheers,
Chris
I've got exactly that car and have exactly the same problem. I think the resistor pack is the problem as has already been mentioned but I also don't know where it lives. Would be nice to find out though!
Look up by the glove box aera its usually there,or in that aera,well the last one i did was.
ginge said:
Ahh ok. Do you know what they look like? Last time I was in there I there were little boxes dotted all over the place. Hopefully it is a distinctive package!
Thanks again.
Its aluminim casting with wires connected to it,looks like a hedgehog if that gets you closer,it wont be a dash out job just get uder the dash and look.
Fixed mine at the weekend!
To get to the resistor bank on mine, undo the trim above the foot pedals (obviously drivers side, rhd car), only 2 screws to undo and a bit of jiggling with clips. The resistor pack is behind the heater controls and has 4 (I think) wires going into it (all of a green theme). Unclip these wires, and then with some skill and luck unclip and remove the resistor pack that the wires were plugged into. It is difficult as it's dark and there's not much room, but I got mine out without too much grazed knuckles and only 5 minutes of trying!
On mine the resistor pack consisted of a plastic and metal cage, with some curly wires in it (non-technical description!). It all looked intact, i.e. nothing broken or burnt out, so I simply gave it a soaking in WD40 and a bit of a brush an dried it off.
Refitting is as they say reversal of removal. And it then began working as it should, on all fan speeds!
I done this with some help help from the Haynes manual, although it only devoted about 4 sentances to this operation.
Looking at the wiring diagrams, the resistor pack is for fan speeds 1-3, and position 4 goes direct to the fan. So if the fan isn't working at all it doesn't point to the resistor pack. The Haynes manual does cover removal of the fan and fan switch so might be a worthwhile investment?
Hope this helps as I am writing from memory a couple of days after doing the job!
To get to the resistor bank on mine, undo the trim above the foot pedals (obviously drivers side, rhd car), only 2 screws to undo and a bit of jiggling with clips. The resistor pack is behind the heater controls and has 4 (I think) wires going into it (all of a green theme). Unclip these wires, and then with some skill and luck unclip and remove the resistor pack that the wires were plugged into. It is difficult as it's dark and there's not much room, but I got mine out without too much grazed knuckles and only 5 minutes of trying!
On mine the resistor pack consisted of a plastic and metal cage, with some curly wires in it (non-technical description!). It all looked intact, i.e. nothing broken or burnt out, so I simply gave it a soaking in WD40 and a bit of a brush an dried it off.
Refitting is as they say reversal of removal. And it then began working as it should, on all fan speeds!
I done this with some help help from the Haynes manual, although it only devoted about 4 sentances to this operation.
Looking at the wiring diagrams, the resistor pack is for fan speeds 1-3, and position 4 goes direct to the fan. So if the fan isn't working at all it doesn't point to the resistor pack. The Haynes manual does cover removal of the fan and fan switch so might be a worthwhile investment?
Hope this helps as I am writing from memory a couple of days after doing the job!
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