front fans

susan · Post by **susan** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:20 pm

Can anyone help me in laymans terms please

i have just had my bongo re gassed,but my blowers dont seem to work to good in the front but they work a bit better in the back,the chap that did the job said that they should be working better than they are but,its the labour cost of removing the dash board ect to find the problem,as he hasent had to deal with this job before on a bongo

his words were they are not very popular

husband told him diffrent

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:25 pm

Plenty about this in previous posts.
The heater fan is reached under the bonnet - no need to remove dashboard

A blocked drain under the windscreen can cause water to overflow on to the heater motor - this then seizes up. Removing fan and lubricating it can usually bring it back to life.

susan · Post by **susan** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:35 pm

Thanks john ,did the first by getting rid of rubbish in the hole,sorry but where do i find the fan

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:07 pm

Remove the air intake pipe (big black thing on top - 2 clips at front) and all will be revealed, on the bulkhead at the back. I've not done it myself, but I believe you can reach in to check if fan turns easily.

susan · Post by **susan** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:17 pm

I think i have done that already,was it the fan behind the radiaoter in the front?if it is then have done that and the fan wheel moved freeley

so what elese do i need to do

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:28 pm

No No No

- the fans behind the radiator are the engine cooling fans, and nothing to do with your aircon/heater. I've just checked mine and if you remove the big, flat black tube, you'll see the white plastic heater fan (it looks like the sort of fan found in a fan heater, not a normal fan) inside the square hole - you can reach in with your hand to check if it turns easily.

susan · Post by **susan** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:56 pm

Ok just going out to do it

brorabongo · Post by **brorabongo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:17 pm

The fan is inside the black box bolted/screwed to the inner wheel arch as seen below

From memory

Its all just bolts and screws to remove all the ducting, oh and one wire with an eye on the end, for the selector (recycle/fresh air)
The fan itself is in the round box below the large square ducting (just below the brown looking pipe, from the header tank to the radiator, in photo)

I think it needs a clean, in there

susan · Post by **susan** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:35 pm

Thanks for photo,we have had a look at the black square with the foam like flap and found a fan wheel which turned fine,the back air vents seem to work better than front ones would that be of any help to anyone to answer.The round bit in the picture below the pipe is that the bit you are explaning that i need to remove to clean inside off?

brorabongo · Post by **brorabongo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:52 pm

That round black box is where the blower fan is hiding. if it is spinning ok then check the resistor under the cover which can be seen in the photo beside the fuse box. again screws to remove. I found that my resistor was corroded. the resistor is right below the drain hole for the gully along the bottom of the windscreen, hence you will always here folk say check and clean the drain hose regular.

picture of resistor cover, remove by clip/hook at front:-

resistor ( two screws):-

I tested first by trying to measure a resistance accross any of the pins but they where all open circuit. so replaced resistor. They can be repaired with a little time and a soldering iron. details on this site somewhere!

Just a thought, Is the flap flapping ok?

susan · Post by **susan** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:19 am

Thank you, having a look today,so why are my blowers working better in the back than the front

am i looking for a block in the front fans or pipe

as the chap that has just refilled the gas for me said he would try to repair as long as he had more info on how to do it,as he wasnt happy with the lack of air coming out of the front vents,but he seemed to think that he had to get under the dashboard by removing it all

and the flap seems to be working ok

RobnKathryn · Post by **RobnKathryn** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:03 am

Hi Susan

The vents in the back and front work from different fan motors. Problems with the front fan are common and due to the front fan motor or resistor as described in previous posts. The rear fan is usually very reliable. I guess this is why your rear vents are fine...it's because there's nothing wrong with them!

From what you say it sounds as if the front fan works at low speeds but not high speeds If this is the case then your front fan motor must be ok....so that leads to the resistor being faulty. You need to determine what speeds your front fan works on. To do this turn the ignition on but don't start the engine, then turn the front fan switch to setting 1. Can you hear the fan at this setting and feel a feeble flow of air at the vents? If so, turn to number 2...the fan sound should get a bit louder and the air flow should get stronger. Then to number 3 and 4, and it should get louder and stronger with each turn......if it doesn't then I think your resistor is the problem....if the fan sound gets louder but air flow doesn't get stronger then there may be a blockage in the intake pipe but this would be unusual.

Basically then....if your front fan doesn't work on any speeds then the motor is likely to be the problem (or possibly just the fuse), but if your front fan does work on some but not all settings, then it is your resistor.

You can buy a new resistor for around £50-60!!!! It's a simple 2 min job to fit a new one. Or try the repair described on the members factsheet....if you not familiar with using a soldering iron then maybe you know someone who is....or give the factsheet to your mechanic.

I've just re-read this post and it's way too long and perhaps has a patronising tone.....if so then I sincerely apologise...but I hope it's not confusing though!

Good luck.......Rob

btw: If you're not a member and can't get to the factsheets in the members area...then become a member for 1/5 of the cost of a fan speed resistor.....look at it that you're saving £45!

brorabongo · Post by **brorabongo** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:07 am

I could be wrong here ( won't be the first time), but is there a separate fan for the back? as air flow in the front and back can be individually controlled, which means controlling the fan speed?

RobnKathryn · Post by **RobnKathryn** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:09 am

Hey Susan, just noticed that you're in Portsmouth....why not bring it to the Lymington meet this weekend and we'll take a look at it?

susan · Post by **susan** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 4:35 pm

Thanks again for all your help,im going to christchurch saturday so i could try to get to the meet but where abouts is it going to be held?