Heater fan ... DEAD ?

MassExodus · Dec 3, 2007

O.K., I'm mechanically ignorant.
I've searched the threads to avoid a double post but I have an immediate need given this New England Weather ....

2000 Ranger 4.0 V6
Fan controlling the flow of Defrost / Heat / A.C. apparently has died.
Doesn't work at all.
Last week it kicked on after about 2 minutes of truck running, tonight - nadda.
No amount of turning on and off the fan with irrational hope seemed to change that. :temper:

Do the fans on these things just ... die ?
I read the manual and found that fuse #10 which also apparently controls turn signals etc is still intact.

What am I looking at?
Is this an expensive fix?

Any help would be appreciated,
John
New Hampshire

DanVB1 · Jan 1, 2008

I am amazed how little feedback there is on this website. Others that I have been involved were much more responsive...

The fan usually will make noise of even a smell before going out, like mine is doing now. It could possibly be the switch, maybe a relay or bad wires. Take a voltmeter to the connector to see if there are 12 volts. I will take a look at mine tomorrow and let you know.

MAKG · Jan 2, 2008

DanVB1 said:
I am amazed how little feedback there is on this website. Others that I have been involved were much more responsive...

It pisses me off TO NO END when users say this. This is a FREE SERVICE and none of us are paid. If it isn't fast enough for you, FOAD. Maybe pay someone if you want instant answers. Like a mechanic....

Yes, blower motors can die. It's not very much labor to replace -- often the airbox needs to come out and then the motor is bolted in directly behind it. It's also not too unusual for wiring to rot out and short (possibly blowing a fuse) or open, as most of the wiring is exposed to the elements.

The right way to isolate any dead DC circuit fault is a voltage drop test. Connect one lead of your voltmeter to the negative battery terminal and probe the other around the circuit until you locate the voltage drop. Whereever it is is the fault. It may be in the motor, but this will find it regardless of where it is.

shadetree · Jan 3, 2008

There is a heater resistor circuit that controls the fan speeds. It is located under the hood on the heater/ac air box. It is down low, you will see the connector. It has three wires. If this resistor circuit opens up, which is fairly common, then the fan will not work. The circuit is held to the box with two small screws. Remove the screws, and it should come right out.

This connector would also be the point to check for voltage also. If you don't have a voltmeter, or know how to use one, use a common test light. It will work just as well.

A lot of time these things fail due to trash getting into the air box from the cowl vents. Leaves, twigs, tampons, etc., fall down into the heater box where they collect moisture and damage the resistors. This has also been known to cause fires in the air box. Clean it out while you have the resistors out if you decide to go this route. shady

MAKG said:
It pisses me off TO NO END when users say this. This is a FREE SERVICE and none of us are paid. If it isn't fast enough for you, FOAD.

Why does it piss you off? You are not the only one to answer questions, paid or not. I assume DanVB1 was referring to the number of responses to the question from anyone, and if I am wrong he will correct me.

And, he is right, traffic on this board is relatively low compared to other sites. Since the site went down, the membership has not come back to prior levels. Jim is trying his best to get the membership back up, and in case you don't know it, your attitude turns people off, as I have told you many times before.

Jim doesn't need this right now. Part of being a genius is the ability to converse with others in a respectful manner in terms they can understand. shady

DanVB1 · Jan 3, 2008

MAKG:

I realize the site is free and am thankful for that. I am disappointed, however in the lack of responses, like Shadetree says, is low compared to other sites. The Ranger is a very common vehicle with millions of owners.

What am in seeking is some feedback from experience, not necessarily free advice be it good or bad. Certainly someone has had the same problem(s) and can offer their personal experience in dealing with it.

j15 · Jan 5, 2008

I have a 1989 Ranger with a similar heater fan problem. If my fan does not work I can lift the wires that are directly connected to the fan motor and the fan starts running.

I think the wire at the connection must be bad, does anyone know if I can just go to the Ford dealer and buy a new wire with the proper connectins on it or is there a better way to go about repairing this?

Thank you,
Joe

RobbieD · Jan 5, 2008

I know at one time the Ford dealerships did offer "pigtail" harness ends for just this type of repair. It's worth checking with one or more dealerships for it.

Otherwise your options are getting a better harness end from a junker; or, taking your connector apart, cleaning the corrosion from the terminals and reassembling it. Just cleaning it as it is, with emery board strips* and spray tuner cleaner, may make the fan work again.
* cut a finger nail polishing emery board, from the drug store, into thin strips.

Welcome to the forums.

j15 · Jan 5, 2008

Thanks RobbieD, I will try the clean up and if that does not work I will see if the pigtails are still available.

MAKG · Jan 5, 2008

Auto parts stores very often sell some OEM connectors these days. As well as the contacts from within them.

MassExodus · Jan 5, 2008

Wow

Amazing flurry of responses.
I appreciate it, albeit a week too late to do me much good.
I know how discussion Forum go.
Sometimes these are really clique places and I've not been an active member.
I didn't really expect much in the way of feedback.

That said, I AM thankful for everyones insight.
I did end up taking it to a mechanic who had to replace a bunch of stuff:resistors and blah blah blah.

Of course, when I got it back now my "Check Engine" light is on.
:c-n:

WTF ...
Having read the owners manual which suggested possible water in the gas tank, I've since put through three tanks of 93 octane gas plus injector cleaner etc.
No change.

Anyone care to weigh in on "check engine" light?
I'm gonna do a search for that now.

John Hubbard

RobbieD · Jan 5, 2008

John, honestly your best next step is to pull the codes from your system, the presence of which is why your CEL is on. Some auto parts stores will read them for free, and a code reader is only 20-30 bucks; they are well worth having.

My hope is that the mechanic simply unplugged something, unknowingly, or forgot to replug-in something. You might find something like this by taking a good look around the engine bay, although pulling the codes will put you on the right path quicker.

Don't take it too hard that you got a slow response first time around. A lot of times, it's simply luck of the draw. In my case, I only know the older trucks, therefore I'm hesitant to advise people on 1995-up problems. The last thing I want to do is to give somebody some bad tech advice.

Good luck with it, and don't hesitate to post for help.

MassExodus · Jan 6, 2008

Thanks!

Thanks Rob,
will do just what you suggest.
I have a feeling that there is likely some silly plug that my old mechanic friend neglected to plug back in, because it's so to co-oincidental that a CEL would be illuminated now.
Thanks again,
John

RobbieD · Jan 6, 2008

You're very welcome, and good luck!

shadetree · Jan 6, 2008

RobbieD said:
John, honestly your best next step is to pull the codes from your system, the presence of which is why your CEL is on. Some auto parts stores will read them for free, and a code reader is only 20-30 bucks; they are well worth having.

His truck is a 2000 4.0, and is OBD-II. I do not know of a code reader for these systems for 20-30 bucks. If the engine light was not on before the work was performed, then he is right , the mech left someting unplugged. Re-check, or have the mech re-check his work. shady

RobbieD · Jan 6, 2008

Thanks, Shady. I didn't know that the OBDII readers took more coin.

Heater fan ... DEAD ?

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

New Member

2.9l Mafia

New Member

New Member

New Member

2.9l Mafia

New Member

2.9l Mafia

New Member

2.9l Mafia

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Member & Vendor Upgrades

Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Amazon Deals