aaddpp

On occasion, what I believe is my front window defogger blower turns on for a period of 3-5 seconds. The ocurance seems random, or at lease I have not found the pattern yet.

Is this what is referred to a "magic blower" or am I dealing with something totally different. Beyond this I don't have any other electrical issues that I know of...yet.

Thanks for the help,
Dave

AO

Yep... magic blower. The resitor pack is on its way out.

My '87 has this, but I haven't dealt with it yet. One of these days.

auzivision

Mine has had that for years, only tends to kick on when I not running the ran.

WallyP

Possible causes for "Magic Blower Syndrome" (blower goes to high speed at random intervals):
- The little thermal strip has gotten maladjusted or overly sensitive.
Cure - take the resistor pack out and adjust the strip.
- The blower motor bearings have gotten dry and the motor is now pulling more current.
Cure - take the blower motor out and lubricate the bearings.

Cost for either - nil. You will need to do some research to know how to do the job.

fraggle

My magic blower has resistance issues, too. I was also hoping for a solution to he headaches that seem to come up all the time, but it seems the solution is as it always - you've got to spend some money on it.

aaddpp

Thanks all for the confirmation.

Wally, I took your advice an looked around. I found this thread with photos - https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...tor-fixed.html

Is the 6th pic down, showing the resistor pack and blower you mention in your post?

Thanks,
Dave

WallyP

Yes - the resistor pack is not too far from its actual location in the car.

aaddpp

Thanks, now I know what I am looking for.

Appreciated,
Dave

Tony H.

Get the new style Pack from Roger 928rus don't waist time fooling with the old one, it will happen again and again and it is pain to do, you need skinny hands and a long arm.

Take the rubber bot off inside under the rain sheild near the passenger side of the car, reach in and hold the pack near the center of the car loosen the 2 screws until they come out of the pack, quick lesson i learned the hard way lay a riag under the pack to catch the screws if you drop one by mistake I didn't and quess what???, you will ned to rewire the plug to fit the new style pack and there is a thread on it or Roger will tell you, then just put it back together in reverse, It is a pain but not a hard job.

Good luck

Tony H.

hernanca

Note: I wrote the following because, somehow in my searches before tackling my Magic Blower Syndrome, I had not found the following two threads which show similar pictures to mine (and includes a neat trick by PorKen):

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...yndrome-2.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...quick-fix.html

So, I am adding the links above, to this thread, as well as my two cents:

For those addressing the "Magic Blower Syndrome" here is a little detail that was not immediately obvious to me when I tackled this on my white 86.5 5-speed: When you are looking at the resistor pack from the outside of the tunnel, you are actually looking at the back of a 7-pin plug that connects to it. I know that some instructions allude to this. Some instructions tell you to unplug "the wiring" BEFORE undoing the two screws that hold the resistor pack to the tunnel. However, my unbeknownst-to-me 7-pin plug was on there pretty good, and I wanted to be sure of what I was dealing with, before I started prying on it hard to take it off. I had not found the pictures in the above linked threads, but through various hints in the instructions I did find, I figured I might have a 7-pin plug, and just needed to pull hard on it.

Below is a picture after I got it off. Note that I had already taken off the bottom right screw. That screw is a bear to get to anyway, but it is much easier AFTER unplugging the 7-pin plug.

Also, when plugging the 7-pin connector back, I heard a distinct "click", so there may be some sort of tab-slot fit that holds it securely, which is what may have caused resistance to my pulling it off. I did not look closely at it before putting it back on however (and was DONE with it by the time I got it plugged back in, so I didn't unplug it again).

Finally, I recommend NOT messing with the Blower Motor assembly, unless you have very clear access to it (i.e., the hood is off). I started going this route with my hood on, and dropped an 8mm socket in there, which took me a while to fish out. That is why I recommend against it! After that experience, I abandoned that route, and simply got a long needle-nosed plier and used it to grab the resistor pack after the last screw was off the front, and "hand it" to myself through the rubber boot gap (having pushed aside the rubber boot). Small hands (like mine) are helpful here, however.

When putting it back, do the reverse, and push the resistor pack carefully through the rubber boot gap, until you can grab it from outside the tunnel through the small rectangular opening it sits in. Another pair of hands would be very helpful here - I did it myself, but I was able to stick my hand into the tunnel to hold the resistor pack from inside while I pushed the plug on halfway, allowing me to leave it there while I got the screws and screw driver and was able to start the top left screw, then unplugged the plug to do the bottom right screw (again, quite difficult to get to), then plugged the 7-pin connector back on. Whew! (Maybe messing with the blower motor is worth the risk of more metal dropping down in those valleys...?).

Anyway, I hope my picture, below, and the links provided, helps others!

Bill Ball

No need for skinny hands and long arms or long hands and skinny arms or extra hands. In the picture above, note that open hole between the two pins on the resistor pack. Get a large sheetmetal screw, tie 3 or 4 feet of string to the screw and screw it into that hole until it is snug enough to stay attached. Then remove the other screws that hold the pack onto the airbox. Get a common parts grabber like this one: https://www.cornells.com/products/24...%7C406207.html. Peel the rubber boot from between the blower motor and airbox, peer into the airbox, see the resistor pack lying against the evaporator, snag it with the grabber and pull it out. Swap the screw onto the new pack and pull it into place on the airbox wall with the string and refasten it. Remove the sheet metal screw and string. Turns this into a 5 minute job.

Rob Edwards

My resistor in the GTS failed such that I only got the fan when set on setting #4, otherwise nothing. I pulled the old resistor, and was a bit disturbed to find that the resistance from any pin to any other pin on both the old 'dead' resistor and the new resistor were all about 7 to 8 ohms. I couldn't see any burnt-through sections in any of the resistor coils, but the new one works perfectly while the old one was indeed dead. Strange. The old one still looks pretty good. Can these be re-wound?



I have big fat hands, and found that getting the screws in and out is actually easier if one snakes their hand in from above the rear edge of the hood:



Pinout on the new blower resistor, and the big tapping screw to tie string to:



Pinout on the connector (surprisingly few pins used, only 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8)




I didn't have a parts grabber handy, but the blower resistor cage is steel, so a magnetic pickup works well to fish out the old resistor (so no need to screw a screw into it), and it helps guide the new resistor into place:

Alan

Kurt - actually - you are always running the fan... the "0" position is not "off" it is just very slow. At this time there is the biggest voltage drop across the resisitor unit...

Alan

Mads

thanks for the write up Rob.. really takes the pain out of resistor pack change..

Mads

MGW-Fla

+1, pics are always great!!