For some reason the fan doesn't start when I start the car (I always have it on high). But after I drive about 200 ft, it starts up.

Any ideas?

z

 

Does it behave same way when set to other speeds?

 

Yes....at all speeds.....I keep it on high all the time.

Now, when I hit a bumpy spot, it turns on, so I'm thinking a loose connection.

Also, just cleaned the Cabin Air Filter, to see if that has something to do with it..

Checked connectors inside the cavity but found nothing loose......

Maybe it's the fan?.......But when it runs, it runs good.

z

 

How hard is it to replace the fan.......it's making a sound as if something were rubbing on it.....it's not that loud though........and the speed isn't as high as it used to be....

z

 

I'll look in the shop manual when I get home tonight. I vaguely remember it's not terribly difficult.

EDIT: Here ya go

 

Yikes!

Zardiw: did you feel around the fan blades when the Cabin Air Filter (CAF) was out? The filter should have kept anything from getting mixed up with the blades but worth checking because loose material on the blades could make a noise / off balance. I have mice problems here, so for whatever the reason, they love building on top of the CAF. When I pull ii out to clean / replace, some nest building material can fall onto the fan, so I always check.

But, none of that explains the delay start. Maybe the fan motor is worn enough that it won't start on it's own but needs a slight jolt (riding over uneven pavement) to kick start it or there is a circuit issue where there's a delay in 'energizing' the fan.
Will the fan start:
1.) After a period of time even if you start the car but don't move it?
2.) Will it restart after the 'first' start of the day (after you've driven to work, etc, turn car off, then restart engine)?
3.) If in the morning, etc when it doesn't start up when the engine is first started, does it always take the same amount of time to restart or does it seem more related to traveling over a smooth or bumpy road surface or steering wheel / gas / brake pedal movements / doors being automatically locked / etc?

Again, just trying to tie the 'delay' to either a physical movement of the car to a jolt of the fan motor to start or is the delay related to a the fan motor not receiving electricity until an electronic component / circuit being energized.

So:
1.) Lose connections:
a.) At fan motor
b.) At fan / speed control switch
c.) At energy source for that entire circuit
2.) Damaged / worn brushes in the fan motor
3.) Gremlin within the computer / electronic components

If you had access (dash all apart) to the wiring / speed control switch / fan motor, you could use a volt / ohm meter to see what's happening.

When I 'fix' stuff, 80% of the time, I simply take it apart / clean / put back together.

 

OK, the problem was the fan.......it finally just blew really weak.......

I replaced the fan with a cheap one from Amazon.

It works good, but has an annoying whine, so it's going back.

I may just get an OEM one from the dealer and not screw around.

As far as replacement, it was more or less a Piece of Pie.......lol

All you have to do is unsnap the panel underneath the glove box. There's 3 snaps in the front and it slides right out. There's 2 tabs in the back that go into some holes when you put it back.

Now, there's only 3 screws holding the fan in. They are a combo Flat Head screw/T20 Torx.

I took out one screw with a flat head screw driver, and then matched up the Torx bit. A nice tight Torx makes it easier getting the screws back in.

It's a little tight under there, but pretty easy with some kind of light so you can see.

There's one screw in front center, and 2 in the back.

Put the left back one in FIRST. It's the one that goes between the 2 'ears' on the fan.

The part with the 'ears' has to be in first....you'll see what I mean when you pull the fan........there's 2 little squares on that part that go in somewhere I think.

Then the other 2 screws, and put the cover back on........that's IT.......

Red......thanks for the shop manual pics!!.......Thank God I didn't have to cut anything....

Spike......Thanks for the detailed reply.......Glad it was just the blower itself......

The old fan still spins, but has some resistance.....not much at all, but apparently enough for it to not blow anymore.......

z

 

Btw.....I was looking to see if I could rebuild the blower with some new bearings.....but the construction has tabs that would make that difficult....if you take one out and take off the fan part you'll see what I mean.....

z