Page 4 of 14 FirstFirst 12345678910111213 ... LastLast
Results 76 to 100 of 333

Thread: Replacing Final Stage Blower Resistor pack

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    636
    My Cars
    e30M3,e36M3
    ChosenGSR, do you mean the difference between the resistor (comes in older cars) and the Final stage (newer cars), or the 2 part numbers for the Final Stage itself? if you mean the final stage itself, the old and new part numbers are pretty much the same item. My car had the new part number, i replaced it with an old part number final stage unit (from Bavauto recycling) and its fine. hope this helps..
    '10 GT3 Basalt Black
    91 Brilliantrot e30 M3- Restored to Factory
    F430 Spider Gated
    11 S63
    14 Raptor
    02 e46 M3 GTS3 track rat- SOLD!
    06 ZCP M3 Sunroof delete 6MT, 11k miles- SOLD!
    97 e36 M3 Hellrot on Black- SOLD!
    09 Carrera S PDK- SOLD and dearly missed!
    91 Spec Miata- SOLD

  2. #77
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Southeastern U.S.
    Posts
    8,057
    My Cars
    Yes
    Quote Originally Posted by ChosenGSR
    Does anyone know the difference between the listed "new" and "old" units?
    The old unit was made by Behr and was mostly cast metal. The new unit is made by Bosch, has a black plastic base, and has more and smaller "spikes." See the attached picture.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,361
    My Cars
    M3
    Thanks, guys! You both answered my question. I'll be replacing this soon on my M, hopefully it'll fix my issues

  4. #79
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,361
    My Cars
    M3
    Just wanted to let you guys know that I swapped mine today for another used unit from a 98' and my blower blows like there is no tomorrow! so far so good

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Glendale, CA
    Posts
    3,272
    My Cars
    2014 Porsche Cayman
    Thanks guys great thread. I swapped mine today as well and it was working properly right away. FINALLY my fan speed will actually adjust accordingly to the digital temp control unit instead of just blowing strong all the time.

    BTW I bought it from BAV Auto for $71.95
    P/N: 64 11 6 923 204
    I did talk to somebody at BavAuto and he told me that it will fit the E36 even though you wont see that number listed any where else. Its an ACM unit, made in Germany.

    Rule the Bends, Bend the Rules

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    London
    Posts
    6
    My Cars
    318i E36
    Thanks for the great intructions.

    However after replacing the FSU my blower fan still does not work. The digital display does not dim and all the buttons are operational. I can hear the A/C compressor come on when I turn on the A/C. But the blower fans do not operate. I have also checked the fuses and they are ok.

    Does anyone have any ideas what other problem could be causing this?

    My car is UK spec 1998 E36 318i.

    Thanks in advance.

  7. #82
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    MD
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    1994 E36

    94 318iS

    The blower in my 1994 318iS has stopped working. I have read this thread and am not sure it will apply to my car as it is older than the one talked about.

    The blower used to work if I went over a GOOD bump - it was just come on but then the next time I started the car it would not work again. Now it does not come on at all.

    I do have heat and ac and defrost, but no fan at all.

    Any help is appreciated!

    Thanks

  8. #83
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Vienna, VA
    Posts
    1,377
    My Cars
    '97 Estoril M3 Coupe
    Shit.

    Just dropped $1550 at the shop for a bunch of suspension / bushings and stuff not even a week ago and now my damn FSU dies. I knew it was just one of those things that was on its way. Already had to do the mini climate control unit resistor on the circuit board, and every other ticking time bomb thing with this car.
    |'97 M3 Coupe | Estoril Blue | http://www.************.com Phelps Sports | PMG Pictures
    [img]http://www.************.com/M301.jpg[/img]

  9. #84
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    27
    My Cars
    '98 M3 Convertible
    great thread. excellent instructions. thank you very much.
    my '98 m3 was a little different as far as removing the knee guard to access the duct and final stage blower resistor, but obviously, not a huge deal.

    another related issue has developed though...

    after replacing the final stage blower last month, and having an excellent
    and quiet fan, it has failed to work today. what causes this part
    to fail. i'm going to go back in tomorrow to fiddle with the wiring, but
    any thoughts on what could be causing this to fail in the first place
    would be appreciated.



  10. #85
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    27
    My Cars
    '98 M3 Convertible

    Question

    my previous post described how a fairly recent replacement of a
    final stage unit has ceased to operate.

    this morning i went in to check wiring harness connection. i pulled it out and even connected it to the original one i replaced last month. plugged
    it back into the replacement unit and still no blowing. again, this is
    a unit that was replaced a couple months ago at most. checked the fuses and there was nothing out of the ordinary.

    do i need to try a brand new unit? possible wiring problem?

    any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

    happy new year...

  11. #86
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Bloomfield Hills, MI
    Posts
    22
    My Cars
    '97 BMW 328i

    Thumbs up

    This is a first time post for me. First, a thank you to the author of this procedure. Google got me directly to this post.

    My symptoms were mild: fan runs for five minutes, off for a minute or so, then kind of random on and off. Head unit controls all behaved normally so I figured it was probably this resistor pack. '97 328i with 105k.

    The local dealer wanted $138.50 for the part so I got it from Bavauto for ~$80 with shipping. The new one is a bit different in design, with plastic for the housing with the ears. It has a forest of finer but shorter heat sink spikes

    I got it done in about 20 minutes but noticed a few differences that I'll note here:

    - I had three screws to remove in order to remove the kee bolster. In addition to the two described I had one underneath next to the console.

    - I found that I had to unseat the door seal along the left edge of the bolster to get the bolster free.

    - The right edge of the bolster was overlapped by the console trim so I had to push it forward to get out from underneath.

    That's about it.

    Thanks again.

    Carry on.
    Chris
    Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

  12. #87
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    176
    My Cars
    98 M3/4
    Oh SH I T! I just did this fix on a buddies 97 M3 and tried the blower in the key start position and it worked. We put the rest of the car back together and now the car wont start and no power to hvac control and blower wont work!! Battery isnt dead, and fuses look fine. We are taking it back apart right now to see if we knocked any wires for clutch etc are loose.

    Any ideas?
    M3 Sedan Club #8, 98M3/4 2005 One Lap Of America Completed in 1 piece UUC EVO3 ssk & clutch stop, UUC Sway barbarians, GC School/Track Coilovers, new OEM RTABs w/ GC shims, X brace
    One Lap Pics



  13. #88
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    176
    My Cars
    98 M3/4
    After a 3rd set of eyes on the fuses, we found #31 to be blown a 5amp fuse.

    And thanks to the author as well. We did it w/ just using the write up!
    M3 Sedan Club #8, 98M3/4 2005 One Lap Of America Completed in 1 piece UUC EVO3 ssk & clutch stop, UUC Sway barbarians, GC School/Track Coilovers, new OEM RTABs w/ GC shims, X brace
    One Lap Pics



  14. #89
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Tampa, Fl
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    1996 328i e36
    i have a similar problem, all the buttons and displays work but no air comes out. are there any visual indications that the final stage unit has failed?

  15. #90
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Bloomfield Hills, MI
    Posts
    22
    My Cars
    '97 BMW 328i

    Replacing Final Stage Resistor Pack

    No,

    The unit I removed looks perfectly good; the electronics are all potted in epoxy. My fan would work for up to 10 minutes at a time, then shut off for a few then come back magically. No "flickering" like a loose connection. As if it had a mind of its own.

    Chris
    Chris
    Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

  16. #91
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    39
    My Cars
    '99 323iS

    Let's get some details...

    For anyone who is thinking of replacing the FSU in a 96+ E36...

    I pay very close attention to detail, so check out my car's symptoms and see if yours matches. I don't see anyone else describing things in enough detail to perform a DIY diagnosis based on comparison.

    1999 E36 323iS

    First off, the problem occurs whether I use any setting (AC, heat, recirculate, etc...) and only applies to the ACTUAL fan speed (not the displayed CC setting). Everything else works as it should except the ACTUAL fan speed. AC is cold, heat is always right temp, climate control unit/display never changes or turns on/off on its own.

    Here is what the fan speed does in detail:

    If I set the fan to any speed of 60% or less, it blows at this speed as it should, no exceptions. When using AC OR heat, if the fan speed is MANUALLY set to 60% or less, the fan speed does not fluctuate at all.

    When the CC unit is set to 70% or higher (manually or by auto), it will sometimes blow at the proper speed, and sometimes blow at only 60%, and sometimes fluctuate periodically between the two.

    Example: Car is running, turn on defrost. Fan speed on display reads 100% (default for defrost) but fan may be doing one of three things:

    1)Blowing 100% as it should. Rarely happens, and if so, only for short duration.

    2)Blowing at only 60% (let's call this the 'failure' state). The actual speed at failure can be found by manually setting the CC to 100% (during the failure) and moving down incrementally (90%, 80%, 70%) until the ACTUAL fan speed starts to decrease. In my case, if I go all the way down to 50%, I notice the first change in speed, so my fan is blowing at 60% during failure. This is the 'failure' fan speed for my unit, and yours may vary. This is the most common state of my vehicle's fan speed when the CC is set to 70% or higher.

    3)Varying speeds between 100% and 60%. On occasion, the fan speed just kind of fluctuates between the two for a bit, then eventually goes back to failure at 60%. It never goes below 60% or off unless set to do so. This erratic variation in speed doesn't happen often, but it is the most noticeable sign of a problem, and is commonly reported as "mind of its own" behavior.

    The same results occur if the fan is manually set to 100% speed, or if the AC is on AUTO and set to 60 degrees on a hot day, for example (100% fan speed, of course).

    In other words, my fan speed operates as though it has a governor at about 60% speed, no matter what I use it for. Only sometimes will it go above 60%, and only for short periods of time. This is likely caused by a failing resistor pack, like the FSU.

    It is important to be as descriptive as possible with YOUR suspect-FSU concern if this is how you want to diagnose an issue. So when you check your car's symptoms, be as critical as possible, and don't leave any details behind.

    Also (see below), this may be unrelated, maybe not? No one has EVER mentioned this before on these FSU threads. One guy told me it was normal, but I dunno...?? I even asked a BMW master tech what it might be, and he had no idea just by listening to it. Check for this on your car:

    I have a periodic clunk (like clock-work actually, every 4-5 seconds maybe) behind my dash (where the blower should be- crap!), very faint, hardly noticeable, but definitely related to my CC/blower fan. If I turn off my CC and wait about 30 sec to a min, it stops. When I turn my CC back on, it starts happening again after another 30 sec to a min. What could it be?

    I am replacing my FSU today and praying it all goes away. I will update shortly. BTW, thanks for the great write-up on the replacement. Cheers!

  17. #92
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    39
    My Cars
    '99 323iS

    Update

    Well ladies and germs, I am proud to say I just completed the FSU replacement and my fan is back to proper working order. I tested it thoroughly for about 10 minutes and it is back in business baby! Oh and guess what else? THE CLUNK IS GONE! YAY!

    So if your symptoms are very similar to what I described in my last post, this is your fix. BTW, shop around, I got mine for about $60. Good luck!

  18. #93
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Phoenix, Az
    Posts
    304
    My Cars
    97 M3 Saloon
    I had the same symptoms a while back.
    I bought the FSU and installed it into the car. My blower did not start working again. I put the old FSU back in (blower still not working).

    Then I tore down to the actual blower which is accessed at the back of the engine compartment (or just rear of it). The blower motor was properly connected electrically. Yet apparently the connectivity had degraded over time to the point that current did not pass to the motor. Depending on which way I wiggled the wire, the motor would work or stop.

    The fix: loosen the screw that secures the wire to the motor. Wiggle it around a bit and then tighten the screw. The motor worked immediately and has ever since!

    Lesson learned: given the symptoms at the beginning of this thread, don't automatically assume that you have a bad FSU or blower motor.

    To fix my blower issue, it cost $0.00 and 1/2 hour of my time.

  19. #94
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    10
    My Cars
    '98 318i e36
    Quote Originally Posted by theimage View Post
    I had the same symptoms a while back.
    I bought the FSU and installed it into the car. My blower did not start working again. I put the old FSU back in (blower still not working).

    Then I tore down to the actual blower which is accessed at the back of the engine compartment (or just rear of it). The blower motor was properly connected electrically. Yet apparently the connectivity had degraded over time to the point that current did not pass to the motor. Depending on which way I wiggled the wire, the motor would work or stop.

    The fix: loosen the screw that secures the wire to the motor. Wiggle it around a bit and then tighten the screw. The motor worked immediately and has ever since!

    Lesson learned: given the symptoms at the beginning of this thread, don't automatically assume that you have a bad FSU or blower motor.

    To fix my blower issue, it cost $0.00 and 1/2 hour of my time.
    this just sounds like a wiring issue and not the blower.


    My blower just doesn't blow any air not matter what speed I set it to. I hear a faint tapping sound underneath the dash. When i turned off the a/c and tried to turn it back on, it wouldn't come back on. All the lights seem to work, when the a/c is on i can hear the compressor engaging but no air at any level speed. It appears that if you have a fluctuation of air speed than it's the FSU. Like the previous post from the guy above. Please be more detail in your description of the symptom so that us diy'ers can follow so we don't ask the same questions over and over.

    Thanks for posting this detailed instruction. I wish i had the time to fix this as i'm in the process of remodeling my kitchen and can't spare anytime fooling around with my car. So stupid me, i paid an independant bmw repair shop about $700 to replace my blower. which he said was the problem. He said he replaced the FSU and the blower was still not engaging. (is he blowing smoke?) who knows, if i would've taken the time and done it myself i would know. i will try to find out if he still has the part so i could take a look at it. good luck to everyone else. i'll keep everyone posted if i find anything.

  20. #95
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Kampen, Netherlands
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    318tds Touring
    Actually my Climate Control works almost all the time, only when I leave the car parked in the sunlight for a few hours (windows closed), the blower does not work.

    It has something to do with the interior temperature. Because when I drive around for about a hour, (windows open, pheww), the blower most of the time starts to work.

    Can it be the FSU? I dont think it is the capacitor because the cc unit works al the time correctly.

    Thanks in advance

  21. #96
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Scotts Valley, CA
    Posts
    230
    My Cars
    2000 Z3 M Coupe

    Exclamation Can't get past first step... (Knee bolster)

    98 M3/4

    There were three screws holding in the knee bolster. I can't get the damn thing off. The factory manual says to 'pull left and back to disengage' some clips. I'm afraid to pull any harder -- the whole dash will come out. It seems to be attached to a black plastic cover / shield over the footwell, which wants to come with it. I'd like to hear from someone with a 98+ who's done it -- just pull harder???

    Thanks!!
    Sold: 98 M3/4/5 Techno Violet
    Sold: 07 Cayman S
    Sold: 98 Z3 M Roadster
    00 Z3 M Coupe: TC Kline SA, Vorshlag Camber Plates, 255/35/18(F), 295/30/18(R) on APEX ARC8's

  22. #97
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    189
    My Cars
    '99 M3, '95 M3
    I just got done doing this and thank you very much to the thread starter. My M3 is a '99 and I messed up my knee bolster trying to get it out. The top left screw has a little cover on it that makes it look like a push in clip and not a screw at all. Turns out, there is just a stubborn little cover over the head of the screw that you need to take off before removing the screw.

    In the DIY pictures there is talk of a "metal cover" that you take off. It's not pictured. I was able to almost get this whole job done without removing this metal cover but getting the footwell blower back on was just not happening. I came back upstairs and read the post again and realized I hadn't used the 10mm socket yet. The metal cover is the huge metal cover right under the knee bolster and the steering column. I thought that thing was structural until I realized that's what the 10mm sockets were for. HELLO? Here's a pic of the metal cover in case anyone else is as dense as me.




    And for the guy with the post right above mine. The knee bolster is attached to the other plastic piece above the footwell. It doesn't seem like it is, but it comes out as a unit. Here's a pic of the whole knee bolster piece.


  23. #98
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Ann Arbor, MI
    Posts
    38
    My Cars
    99 M3, 99 Golf
    Well, I recently had a failure on the FSU in my 99 M3. I replaced it and the blower is working fine now. Thanks to the OP for the guide. However, I didn't have to remove the metal cover or the floor vent duct to remove and replace the FSU, but my fingers are long and it was kind of a pain.

    I thought I would describe my symptoms and troubleshooting since they are slightly different then others. I have had the new FSU in for 1 week with no return of the symptoms.

    Symptoms:
    1. Initially the blower would intermittently not spin, after a short time it quit for good. This seemed more common when car had been sitting in the sun all day
    2. The climate control display and buttons all appeared to work as usual, but there was no air flow at any fan speed setpoint
    3. If car sat overnight and cooled off, often the fan would work when driving the next morning
    4. Fan did not turn on/off during the same drive. It either worked or didn't for the entire drive (or even day).


    Troubleshooting:
    1. I followed guide on 1st page to unplug my FSU.
    2a. I measured the voltage on the fan speed control wire (blue) going to FSU
    2b. I adjusted the fan speed button and observed the voltage on the blue wire changing (increasing fan speed button -> increasing voltage)
    2c. Thus I determined the climate control unit is functioning properly
    3a. I measured the resistance accross pins 1,5 on the FSU connector (fan winding resistance) and found ~1 ohm.
    3b. Thus I determined there was no wiring fault for the fan.
    4. At this point I determined it was reasonable to by a FSU replacement.

    -Will

  24. #99
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Upstate N.Y.
    Posts
    2,480
    My Cars
    1999 M3, 2000 Impreza RS
    ...

    First car:Avus1993 325is Second car:Titan.Silver 1998M3 Current car:Cosmos 1999M3

  25. #100
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Posts
    453
    My Cars
    04 M3
    Is there a difference between using the new and old FSU? I have a 98 M3 and have been experiencing these symptoms. Last summer, the blower stopped working but magically came back alive a few days later and has been good ever since. Today on the way to work, the same thing. Sounds like a bad FSU.

Page 4 of 14 FirstFirst 12345678910111213 ... LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •