kopper69
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Hey guys,
Well this is my second of hopefully many how to guides. Again ive had another problem with my car so I have documented it and hopefully some of you will find it useful. The problem I have is that my interior fan will not operate on speed 1 or 2 but will quite happily blast out air on 3 or HI.
Im not sure how common this problem is, but if its happened to me chances are it will start happening to other people. Not a big deal, will cost you $50 to repair and about 1/2hour to an hour. You can even repair it for free if you want.
So whats the problem?? Well its actually known as a fan speed resistor. Basically it will control the fan speeds. It is constructed of fine wire windings which will become brittle over time.
Below is a picture of two fan speed resistors. The one on the left is the new one from Holden. I tried to source these from Repco but they did not sell them, so its either get one from Holden ($50) or wreakers if you want. Personally I would go Holden, although their price is ridiculously high for a resistor.
So the new one is on the left. The one on the right is the one you would have in your car at the moment. It does the job but is a poor design, and was replaced around 1998 i think the Holden dealer told me. The new one is far more reliable but both will do the same job.
.jpg)
So lets get to replacing this guy.
Lift your bonnet and take off the screws holding the windscreen washers on. I think from memory you will need a 13mm socket or spanner. You will also need to pull the rubber protector off, as shown below.
.jpg)
There are markings on the winscreen washer blades to make sure you put the right ones in the right place. The drivers side will be marked with a 'D' and the passenger with a 'P', as shown below. So now just pull the entire wiper blade off.
.jpg)
You will notice from the photo above that there is also a nut under the wiper blade. This will also need to be removed as we want to get under the black plastic protector.
The only other piece holding the black protector are 5 small clips. You will need something like a nail to push them off a little bit, then you should be able to pull them off with pliers. Sorry I didnt get a photo of these, you should notice them but let me know and I will get a photo if you get stuck. You should now be able to remove the plastic ready for the next part.
.jpg)
So the plastic is removed and you should now see this (Damn my car is dirty). The highlighted part in the photo above is the cover of the fan speed resistor. There are two screws holding this in place which will need to be remove. Phillips head, really easy.
.jpg)
You should now see this. This is the connector of the fan speed resistor. Simply pull the old one out. On inspection you will notice one of the wire coils will have a break in it. If you wanted to save yourself the $ simply open the metal cage and squeeze them back together, maybe even try soldering. Personally i wouldnt because it is fragile wire and even if you do repair it, it will probably give you troubles again in the future.
Just install your new one and you will be right to go. Everything should go back in the order that you took it off. There isnt much to take apart so you shouldnt have any problems.
As always just let me or one of the 'Just Commodores' hear your Q.
Good Luck
Well this is my second of hopefully many how to guides. Again ive had another problem with my car so I have documented it and hopefully some of you will find it useful. The problem I have is that my interior fan will not operate on speed 1 or 2 but will quite happily blast out air on 3 or HI.
Im not sure how common this problem is, but if its happened to me chances are it will start happening to other people. Not a big deal, will cost you $50 to repair and about 1/2hour to an hour. You can even repair it for free if you want.
So whats the problem?? Well its actually known as a fan speed resistor. Basically it will control the fan speeds. It is constructed of fine wire windings which will become brittle over time.
Below is a picture of two fan speed resistors. The one on the left is the new one from Holden. I tried to source these from Repco but they did not sell them, so its either get one from Holden ($50) or wreakers if you want. Personally I would go Holden, although their price is ridiculously high for a resistor.
So the new one is on the left. The one on the right is the one you would have in your car at the moment. It does the job but is a poor design, and was replaced around 1998 i think the Holden dealer told me. The new one is far more reliable but both will do the same job.
So lets get to replacing this guy.
Lift your bonnet and take off the screws holding the windscreen washers on. I think from memory you will need a 13mm socket or spanner. You will also need to pull the rubber protector off, as shown below.
There are markings on the winscreen washer blades to make sure you put the right ones in the right place. The drivers side will be marked with a 'D' and the passenger with a 'P', as shown below. So now just pull the entire wiper blade off.
You will notice from the photo above that there is also a nut under the wiper blade. This will also need to be removed as we want to get under the black plastic protector.
The only other piece holding the black protector are 5 small clips. You will need something like a nail to push them off a little bit, then you should be able to pull them off with pliers. Sorry I didnt get a photo of these, you should notice them but let me know and I will get a photo if you get stuck. You should now be able to remove the plastic ready for the next part.
So the plastic is removed and you should now see this (Damn my car is dirty). The highlighted part in the photo above is the cover of the fan speed resistor. There are two screws holding this in place which will need to be remove. Phillips head, really easy.
You should now see this. This is the connector of the fan speed resistor. Simply pull the old one out. On inspection you will notice one of the wire coils will have a break in it. If you wanted to save yourself the $ simply open the metal cage and squeeze them back together, maybe even try soldering. Personally i wouldnt because it is fragile wire and even if you do repair it, it will probably give you troubles again in the future.
Just install your new one and you will be right to go. Everything should go back in the order that you took it off. There isnt much to take apart so you shouldnt have any problems.
As always just let me or one of the 'Just Commodores' hear your Q.
Good Luck
