E90 Aircon/Heater fan not blowing air

[shaunbridgens]

Good Day

I trust someone can shed some light on my issues.
I have an E90 2007 318i. The Fan/blower for the Aircon/Heater stopped working all of a sudden.
Check all fuses and relays, no issues there.
After reading through other forums, the advide that it might be the blower underneath the passenger side dashboard.

Some insight would be appreciated please.
Thank you

 

[DarrylvanNiekerk]

There was a recall for the wiring for the blower on these cars if I remember correctly. I asked what it was about when mine was done and the service agent said the wiring connection was potentially prone to rust and thus a faulty connection leading to failure.

 

[shaunbridgens]

Thanks Daryl, so a replacement would then be in order here?
I have replaced all the fuses and relays already.

 

[ibs.patel]

Sometimes the blower can get "stuck" on older cars, especially if its old or on its way out. On my old 323i e90 the blower motor got "stuck". I had to find an opening behind the chubby or under the chubby and basically just pushed the fan blades and it started spinning again, it was make a sound whilst running so the fan was probably on its way out but if continued working after that.

 

[Gutrit]

I replaced my blower a week ago, had the same symptoms as you mentioned.
Mine started to make noise before it decided to seize up (gave it some Q20 to lube it up and it was fine for a while). You can have a look if you open the bonnet and remove the cabin filter. you should be able to see the blower through the vents. I took a long rod and tried to move the fan but it was stuck so I knew I need to replace it.

Went to Goldwagen and bought a replacement part for +-R1700.
Did the replacement myself with the help of a YouTube video in about 10 mins.

Just a hint if you are going to do it yourself, test the blower after you connected the new one before reinstalling it to ensure its not the resistor that is faulty.

Also check if your front windshield is not leaking and causing water to go into the blower causing it to rust up, I suspect it might be the case in my situation.

 

[DarrylvanNiekerk]

I replaced my blower a week ago, had the same symptoms as you mentioned.
Mine started to make noise before it decided to seize up (gave it some Q20 to lube it up and it was fine for a while). You can have a look if you open the bonnet and remove the cabin filter. you should be able to see the blower through the vents. I took a long rod and tried to move the fan but it was stuck so I knew I need to replace it.

Went to Goldwagen and bought a replacement part for +-R1700.
Did the replacement myself with the help of a YouTube video in about 10 mins.

Just a hint if you are going to do it yourself, test the blower after you connected the new one before reinstalling it to ensure its not the resistor that is faulty.

Also check if your front windshield is not leaking and causing water to go into the blower causing it to rust up, I suspect it might be the case in my situation.

Much better to go this route than trying to strip the dashboard.

 

[Gutrit]

There is no need to strip the dashboard, just remove the panel under the dash on the passenger side. I also removed the clip keeping that panel in place when re-installing the blower to make it easier to maneuver it.

Here is the link I used:

 

[shaunbridgens]

Thanks Guys, before I go out and spend a wopping R1700 on a new blower, net me try to loosen it first with a rod or an object, if not, I don't have a choice but to replace it.

 

[ibs.patel]

Let us know if you succeed!

 

[shaunbridgens]

Hi Guys, Great news. I removed the cover from inside the bonnet, located the fan through the squeezy vent, took a 6MM rod, rotated the fan a few times, sprayed some Q20 inside, allowed for 60 Secs, started up the car and switched on the fan ..... and walla, SHE CAN LIKE TO WORK LIKE A CHARM!!!! Thanks gusy!!!!!

 

[Gutrit]

Great news, I've read up a bit and they say its if you had your front windshield replaced before, they usually forget to replace some fitting on the windshield, which causes water to get in and causes the rust.

Maybe worth it to have a look if it is the case perhaps so you can find the solution.

The seizing fan is just a pre-warning that it is going to fail sometime.