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2005 Vibe heater fan fuse, Fuses???
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:43 am
by Chiadog
Lost my heater fan blower Yesterday and I am having trouble finding the cause. I've read the thread on the 2009 blower fan fuse - is mine the same with the "bus bar" hidden fuse?
My AC still comes on and I can hear the heater fan relay clicking when switching from OFF to LOW. I am hoping the relay is good because it is really buried up under the cowl!
I have checked the 30amp "heater" fuse under the dash near steering column. It is OK - I did not test for power there, it is hard to get at.
Last question - What is the "circuit board" thingy located beneath the heater fan motor?
Thanks,
chiadog
Re: 2005 Vibe heater fan fuse, Fuses???
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:41 pm
by Chiadog
UPDATE: Drove over RR Tracks on the way to the Library to try to find a decent wiring diagram and heater FAN started running again! Four hours later and the fan is still operating normally! Couldn't find a wiring diagram at the local library either.
I guess I should have trouble-shot immediately. I will now have to wait for the heater fan to fail again.
I still would like answers to my original questions.
Thanks,
chiadog
Re: 2005 Vibe heater fan fuse, Fuses???
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 3:27 am
by joatmon
No hidden fuse on bus bar in the 2003-2008's
Circuit board is likely the blower resistor. It is used to reduce the voltage to the blower motor depending on the selected fan speed. Pretty much the only symptom when that goes bad is that the blower doesn't run on low speed, often the blower will only work on highest speed.
Not uncommon failure mode for the blower motor is that it can stick and a good thwack will bump it loose. A sign of wear, if that is what happened in yours then it will probably happen again.
A less common but not unheard of problem is that there is a heater relay on a small junction box above the glove compartment and that may have become loose. You might be able to reach on top of that junction box and make sure the four relays on it are pushed down all the way.
Re: 2005 Vibe heater fan fuse, Fuses???
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:20 pm
by Chiadog
Thanks for the info, Joatmon!
It didn't take long for the problem to reappear! This morning - NO Blower! But it started right up with a very small tap on the blower motor with a screwdriver! I've had to repeat this twice today upon restarting the car.
Does the blower motor contain brushes? The slightest tap on the motor itself starts it right up! When the blower doesn't run - it doesn't run on ANY speed setting! Once it starts, it blows normally on all settings!
Thanks again for the help,
Chiadog
Re: 2005 Vibe heater fan fuse, Fuses???
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:50 pm
by Chiadog
I pulled the blower motor out today. The motor has brushes which are located under the black rubber plugs which oppose each other. I removed the two motor case screws and separated the 2 motor halves enough(3/8") to see that the brushes looked OK.
I was afraid to pull the cases totally apart since there appears to be no good way to reassemble it with the goofy rubber brush caps. I sprayed the armature and brush holders with WD40 and said a prayer. I put it all back together and I'll see how long it lasts. Such a shame that today all parts appear to be designed to be expendable.
BTW, Whats the deal with the worlds smallest oil filter on these cars?

Chia dog
Re: 2005 Vibe heater fan fuse, Fuses???
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:17 am
by Chiadog
UPDATE; The "Spray and Pray" WD-40 fix I did to the blower motor brushes is working so far! The bower motor has operated normally since this "repair" ten days ago.
Chiadog