e36 Blower Motor Resistor...

[thesull]

Ok I have two different resistors???

The one that was in my car:


The one I am/will put in?:


Is this just a "newer" part??

I plugged it up without putting the screws in place just to see if this would fix it ;( nothing new...

Suppose it is my blower motor now? Or did I overlook something?

Thanks

[thesull]

Anything? Suggestions? Comments?

I followed the DIY section on the replacement but nothing new ;/

[bmwdirtracer]

Yes, this part is an update. It's correct, snd I therefore assume your E36 is a late model with automated climate control, because this is called a "final stage", although, indeed, it's a resistor.

Chances are that your problem lies somewhere besides the blower motor, as the motor is less prone to failure than the computerized controls. When this type of resistor/final stage fails, it's usually manifested by the blower operating only on high position. If the blower doesn't operate at all, I'd first check all the fuses involved with the a/c and heater system. If they're all good, it's not TOO much work to get to the blower motor, and feed it power from an external source (spare battery, two wires -give it a ground from THAT battery, too.)

You may find a mouse built a house in the blower, it happens all the time. If the above checks don't pan out, you're PROBABLY looking at a big bill somewhere, since everything else gets fairly complex, and control panels/modules are horrendously expensive.

[thesull]

Yes your correct mine is a 97 e36...

I have computerized controls but no BLOW heh.... ;/ It gets cold just when I am driving ;/ and it doesn't blow enough to keep the windows up... 90+ here

Ok, I am going to wake up and install the resistor... I attempted to remove windshield cover/cowl... and I found out mine was dry rotted ;/ So I stopped before I made as mess and didn't have one to replace it with...

I have read the DIY on replacement of the blower motor... seems like a solid 2 hours ;/

I got a volt tester with light, cranked car and found all fuses are working... touching both sides of each fuse...

Control panels/modules? Do explain?? Mine is the bigger digital control with ALL the buttons... yada yada... will post pictures tomorrow??

When doing this I realized I have a lose connection on my stero ;( I didn't install it and the door speakers were going in and out as I cleaned the interior of the car after getting frustrated with the "final stage" .....

Thanks man! I do appreciate your input!

Also, I do have a blower motor with fans on stand by I picked up for a deal

[bmwdirtracer]

Hang on!

Did the blower stop working at the same time work was done on the stereo? Maybe someone didn't plug something in?

Your electronic control panel is not only the buttons, it's also the IHKA computer module. It's hugely expensive, so let's hope that's not the problem. You might save yourself the difficult blower-test by first checking that there's power to the last point before going to the blower, like the fuses, and any relays involved. Those items are much more prone to failure than the blower.

I looked it up for you:

Check fuses # 20, 31, 23,, 39, 16, and 41. Oh, and for kicks, #48, a 40 amp fuse in the auxiliary fuse box, which powers the high speed relay, and so, the normal speed relay for the auxiliary fan which cools the engine. I'm not going to pour over whether any of the fuses has the capabilty to prevent blower operation, they're part of the system, so check them, key on.

Then check that power is coming out of the heater & ac blower relay; the easiest way to do this is to unplug the final stage plug, and put a test light into the hole representing the green wire with a brown stripe coming into that plug, with ignition on.

Got all that? Good luck, I await your test results.

[Garageaholic]

I would love to know how this turned out. Any updates? I know it's late.

[thesull]

Well, actually i NEVER got it to work...

I got a used final stage, I dunno if that was the problem. I replaced EVERY fuse. I replaced the Digital Climate control even...

Nothing.

Next thing is to buy a new final stage unit and try that.

Someone told me it could be the ABS block even?


Really pisses me off because I couldn't get the damn blower motor out so I tested it and it spun fast as a mofo..

Still in the same spot... got the AC to come on tho now but still no BLOW

[bmwdirtracer]

A used final stage resistor?

Digital climate controls (IHKA) need to be coded at the dealer, at least on newer models like the E46, not sure about the E36.

The ABS block? Not sure what that is, but ABS has absolutely nothing to do with your blower.

[fun2drive]

Do all your lights on your climate control unit light up?
If so then you might do this
swap the replay in position #9 and see if that helps
It is common 138 and you have others so swap and try
did you look under the driver's panel to see if the fuse 48 40A is blown or burned?

I did notice that there is a blower resistor no not the final stage resistor but a blower resistor which is supposed to be around or on the blower, see realoem.com for the breakout
I need to check fuse 48 and the blower itself to see if my blower resister is bad. It might be possible that realoem is not correct in this case about the blower resistor but who knows.

Post what you discover and I will do the same once I open up the driver's side again...

[bmwdirtracer]

There's no additional resistor; if you have a final stage, you don't have the other one. Check whether the final stage is getting power on the green/brown wire coming from the blower relay. Note that there are two green/brown wires at the final stage: terminal 6 is the input, 2 is the output. If you have no power at the output, but power at the input, replace final stage. If you have no power at the input, and fuse 20 is okay, replace blower relay.

[riznic]

hi all! (first post noob here)

i had the same probs - head unit ok, ability to change speeds, blower worked, but air only came out of the floor vent.

i changed the fsu w/ part # 64 11 6 923 204 -- but it did not fix my problem. air still only comes out of the floor vent. from what i understand, that may be the wrong part for the e36 and it's for e39 and e46. so, i'm going to change it out to #64-11-9-929-540 (supposedly the correct part for e36's?).

i don't know, but if the other fsu doesn't fix the prob, i'm going to need some help as i'm trying to avoid going to the dealership unless i really have to.

[bmwdirtracer]

Riznik: The final stage will not fix your issue. Air distribution is the function of other items, the final stage only regulates blower speed. You have one of three possibilities I can think of:
1) A purely "mechanical" issue, with dash ducts being disconnected from their air supply.
2) A failed control unit/module. (expensive, and needs coding, I believe)
3)A failed dash vent control motor, which I've never seen.

[riznic]

uh oh.. that's what i was afraid to hear.

so, i just may have to bite the bullet and take it to the dealer? if i can buy the control unit/module from any of the OEM sellers, will the dealer still accept it or will they not work on it unless i purchase from them? i guess i can go to a dealer to find out, but i was wondering if anyone here has already gone through this.

i guess the part number # is 64 11 8 379 521, but it comes in °C (at least the one on bavauto does). so i'm assuming dealer coding is to convert to °F? although i also found it much cheaper at another place it says it comes in °F. hmmmm...

[julia328i]

lurker here! dont mean to hijack your thread

The same thing has occured with my e36
before my car would blow but no cold air would come out at all
my bf recharged the ac system and from there my ac stopped working, we thought it was the blower motor resistor and it didnt work, mine does the same thing as the op is there a different way that needs to be followed for recharging the ac system?

[riznic]

thanks bmwdirtracer... i'll look into the new control unit and what the costs are.

[marksp]

Hang on!

Did the blower stop working at the same time work was done on the stereo? Maybe someone didn't plug something in?

Your electronic control panel is not only the buttons, it's also the IHKA computer module. It's hugely expensive, so let's hope that's not the problem. You might save yourself the difficult blower-test by first checking that there's power to the last point before going to the blower, like the fuses, and any relays involved. Those items are much more prone to failure than the blower.

I looked it up for you:

Check fuses # 20, 31, 23,, 39, 16, and 41. Oh, and for kicks, #48, a 40 amp fuse in the auxiliary fuse box, which powers the high speed relay, and so, the normal speed relay for the auxiliary fan which cools the engine. I'm not going to pour over whether any of the fuses has the capabilty to prevent blower operation, they're part of the system, so check them, key on.

Then check that power is coming out of the heater & ac blower relay; the easiest way to do this is to unplug the final stage plug, and put a test light into the hole representing the green wire with a brown stripe coming into that plug, with ignition on.

Got all that? Good luck, I await your test results.

I tested the green wire with the brown stripe with my test light and it did not light up. I also changed the relay to one that works. Any ideas what to do now?

[bmwdirtracer]

You "changed the relay to one that works"?

What made you think the relay wasn't working? What makes you think it is working now? Did the relay you swapped in have EXACTLY the same diagram on the side as the one you removed (and I do mean EXACTLY). Have you installed a new final stage resistor unit? And what was the problem, anyway?

You've picked up a three year old thread, and fixated on something I posted for a VERY specific situation. Start at the beginning. You've given no info specific to your car and situation.

[Manny G.]

Instead of creating a new thread about this, I'll just bump this old one with a question

Troubleshootting and issue with my buddies E36 M3 Convertible, the AC blows cold, but when setting the fan to max, the airflow is still pretty weak. I thought maybe something might be wrong with the blower motor or the FSU. He thought something was wrong with the digital IHKA.... Suggestions?

[guiltyexzo]

Instead of creating a new thread about this, I'll just bump this old one with a question

Troubleshootting and issue with my buddies E36 M3 Convertible, the AC blows cold, but when setting the fan to max, the airflow is still pretty weak. I thought maybe something might be wrong with the blower motor or the FSU. He thought something was wrong with the digital IHKA.... Suggestions?

try changin your cabin air filter. if it hasnt been touched since the lot then chances are its incredible dirty and damaged and packed with leaves and grime.