HVAC Blower Motor works only on high speed
 

2010 Fit Sport with 43K

Heater / AC Blower will operate only on high speed.

Based on the numerous posts on this subject, it seems the blower resistor is bad and needs to be replaced.

Questions..
Based on the following TSB for a 2009 Fit, Honda recommends replacing the blower motor in addition to the resistor, which will probably be a bit pricey. Wonder if replacing the motor is really necessary?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/26128795/2009-Honda-Fit-Blower-Motor-TSB-09-097

Is replacing the resistor (and motor if necessary) as easy as it appears based on the instructions in the TSB? Any gotcha’s?? (TSB states the repair should not be attempted by "do-it-yourselfers". Figure thats just hype, but you never know ;)


Wonder what the chances are of Honda fixing this as a “Good Will” gesture (which was hinted at in the 2009 TSB). I don’t think the blower resistor should be failing at this point in the game, especially in a Honda.

Thanks
Bill

I'd try a good will repair first, replace resistor pack 2nd, and if it fails replace it again with a new blower motor.

Should be an easy DIY; all are readily accessible by dropping down the lower glovebox as you would to change the cabin filter. Just squeeze in the sides and pull forward. You may have to remove the glovebox completely by removing the two hinge screws to get access.

The previous TSB talks about the blower motor being the culprit on certain vins. Since yours isn't covered by that it might be goodwilled. Either way it's not certain it's a bad blower motor in addition to the resistor pack.

Check parts prices at majestic honda or another online retailer.

Very much appreciate the info.
The problem with the “potential” Good Will repair; the dealer will not tell me if it qualifies until I bring it in and they have a chance to look at it . If it doesn’t qualify, I’m thinking the diagnosis charge alone may be several times the cost of a resistor.
Also, given excessive current draw from the blower motor was causing the resistor to fail in certain 2009 models there’s probably a very good chance the blower motor in ours may be defective as well.
I may just take it in and cross my fingers.

They should be able to run your V.I.N and see if it qualifies, I would call another dealer and ask them about it. Also if the blower motor was been a problem in the pass then swap it out with a new one, thats my .02¢

Goodluck with the repair and keep us posted.

Installed a new blower resistor and that seemed to fix it.. the blower now works on all speeds. woohoo!!

Notes... Honda Part number 79335-TFO-G01. Cost including shipping $23 - Fisher Auto on Ebay Motors. To access the resistor I removed the panel below the glove box, then lowered the glove box so I could see what I was doing. Took about 10 minutes total.

Cool! that's the obvious first choice. And now you've seen the blower motor too so if the resistors crap out again it'll be a 30 minute job to replace both...

No reason to think they will; yours isn't an 09 in the VIN range where the motor is known to draw too many amps.

Well, that little celebration was short lived. Blower went out again today (works only on high speed). Guessing the blower motor is causing the problem (same issue on the TSB for some of the 09's).

Now I get to spend $175 or so on a new blower motor and another $20 on yet another resistor. Or, I can take a chance and spend $60 or so on a used blower. Probably not worth the risk though.


So much for Honda reliability.........

Well that blows chunks. But only on high speed.

same thing just happened to my 2009 honda fit. Trying to get a goodwill discount...crossing fingers.

The 09 should be covered by the tsb, though the time mileage might be a problem.

this is win! :p

Why isn't this a recall? Seems to be if it's a known issue it should be. I called the dealer and they said I had to bring it in and they would hook it to the machine (starting at $90) and then call the District Parts manager and it would be up to her if she wanted to cover it. Really 1 person gets to dictate this?

The blower assy is $162 and resistor is $16 ... i'm thinking i'll just fork out the money and do it myself.

At the moment it seems likely that at least some of the 2010’s have defective blower motors too.

Just got the parts in yesterday, about $170 for the new motor 79310-TF0-G01
and $16 for the resistor 79335-TF0-G01

Total cost, including shipping, was right at $200

The parts were pretty easy to swap out, even for a novice like me.
Guessing the dealer would have charged maybe $400 – $500 for parts and labor?

Everything works at the moment, but it may be a week or two before I feel confident that the problem is permanently fixed.

(For the parts I ordered, bernardiparts.com seemed to have better prices, lower shipping costs, and more reasonable return policies than other online retailers that I checked out. )

My closest dealer wanted over $230 for the blower motor alone.

Thanks - I'll check out the supplier you mentioned.

Recalls are for major things that are either safety related or prevent serious repairs. Stuff like the airbag sensors not working right or the lost motion spring replacement; its either something that prevents the safety system from working correctly or its a part that when it fails it'll damage a bunch of other parts.

Honda Automotive Parts


they have it for 114. something just in case anyone else runs into this problem. I order from them all the time.

I just saw steve posted the same thing lol

The part that I purchased is shown in Illust No. 4, the “motor assy…fan” priced at $162.26 on the sheet (part 79310-TF0-G01) , not Illust No. 1….the “blower sub-assy”priced at $114.

I paid $169.68 for the motor thru Bernardiparts but shipping was lower, there were no handling fees, and Bernardi seemed to have a better return policy.

Just stumbled upon this info when clicking on the "TSB and Recall" link on the main Forum page (next to logout).

It seems the AC Blower Motor issue TSB now applies to all 2009 and 2010 Fits as well as some 2011's. Do not have a subscription to alldata though so I cannot access all of the info. Had I previously known this, I may inquired further about the goodwill repair thing thru the dealer.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/alldata.php#/year=2010/makeid=24/modelid=3913/engineid=4000/

crap! we used to have a ringer (he was a honda service adviser) but he sold out and went to work for VW (more service sales). I didn't know about the TSB/Recalls link (upper right!) or AllData...

I don't blame you for going the DIY route, the diagnostic fee is high.