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dhaavers Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010 Posts: 7733 Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 5:55 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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^^^ Ultimately, I settled on a 3-speed (4 position) switch: 1=OFF, 2=low, 3=med,
4=full speed (direct wired, i.e.: not through resistor)
As someone else posted, the difference between high speed (via the resistor) and
FULL speed (direct wired, full 12v) is negligible, so when my cheap replacement
4-speed (5-position) switch died I went with a "standard" 3-speed (4-position)
switch & it's all good.
I'm now 4 years into this mod & still works great for me...
- Dave _________________ 86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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markswagen Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2018 Posts: 954 Location: san diego
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:52 am Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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I have to say thank you, to the OP, I have done this for several customers now.
One thing I have to add, if the van has a BMW brake booster on it already, there's very little room to see the top of the resistor, with that in mind, the last one I did, was an aircooled westy to EJ swap, I had previously added the BMW booster, with limited space I put the resistor in the same spot, but on the other side of the heater box, since I was rewiring it anyway, the additional few feet of wiring is a nothing, if it should fail in the future, access is now from the glove box area.
I'm happy enough with the installation, that from now on, I will be putting them on that side anyway. _________________ markswagen {mobile mechanic} san diego area all early VW's cared for.
619 201 0310 |
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dhaavers Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010 Posts: 7733 Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 10:03 am Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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^^^ Indeed! Well done, good sir!
- Dave _________________ 86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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jtorry Samba Member
Joined: April 10, 2008 Posts: 7 Location: Victoria BC Canada
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Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2020 3:26 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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Hi There.
Has anyone done this install on a diesel air box?
I believe that the location in the thread that people have used is irregular on mine.
I’ve installed the Saturn Vue EPS, so access from the drivers side below is blocked.
Looking down with cluster removed.
Was thinking maybe I could install on the flat spot on the top right?
Or maybe the same spot on the passenger side top left here?
I was attempting to install w/o removing the dash as I previously removed the stock resistor when I had the dash apart a few years ago and had installed a PWM that recently went up on smoke.
Any information appreciated and thanks to the OP for sharing this info. |
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bajaleo Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009 Posts: 211 Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:34 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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I have added the Jeep resistor as part of a heater box rebuild, along with a new fan motor. One item to disclose up front. I've been bench testing with a 12V battery charger set on the lowest of the two amp settings, which is 2 amps.
While bench testing I wasn't getting the results I was expecting as far as a difference in fan speeds from 1 to 4 with the Jeep resistor and a new 5 position fan switch as shown in the above posts, so I decided to bench test with the old resistor and old switch. There must be something I'm not understanding because with the old switch and resistor on the high setting, the fan isn't spinning as fast as when I attach 12V directly to the motor.
Does the switch reduce the voltage that the fan motor sees at high setting?
This is a little frustrating as I'm trying to put the heater box back in the van so that I can put the dash back in so that I can start driving it again!
Here's a video showing the difference in speed.
https://youtu.be/Ufj6Oy_mbI4
Grateful for any advice. _________________ Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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DanHoug Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016 Posts: 4715 Location: Bemidji, MN
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:43 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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the heater fan switches burn out with regularity. that tells me there's voltage drop, heat, and sure, fan won't run as fast as with a good connection.
VW wiring is juuuust barely adequate when everything is new and shiny. add a bit of dryness to motor bushings and things begin to get warm. _________________ -dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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bajaleo Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009 Posts: 211 Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:21 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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Thanks for the reply Dan.
Is a 12V battery charger a good source of 12V for bench testing or should I acquire a battery to supply 12V?
DanHoug wrote: |
the heater fan switches burn out with regularity. that tells me there's voltage drop, heat, and sure, fan won't run as fast as with a good connection.
VW wiring is juuuust barely adequate when everything is new and shiny. add a bit of dryness to motor bushings and things begin to get warm. |
_________________ Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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DanHoug Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016 Posts: 4715 Location: Bemidji, MN
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:42 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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bajaleo wrote: |
Thanks for the reply Dan.
Is a 12V battery charger a good source of 12V for bench testing or should I acquire a battery to supply 12V?
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that's fine for testing. if you REALLY want to be skookum, put a battery charger on a battery and test. chargers put out a pretty rough DC current with lots of ripple, the battery smoothes it out, acting as a huge capacitor to filter the output of the charger.
i've got a couple small Prius ECU AGM batteries that are sorta lightweight and have a great handle on them. perfect for bench testing, don't spill or spit acid, and are "free" after replacing the ECU battery as they still have some life left in them. _________________ -dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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fxr Samba Member
Joined: December 07, 2014 Posts: 2300 Location: Bay area CA
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:51 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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A typical battery charger is pretty hopeless as a power supply. Either they're dumb and have far too much ripple on them (just full-wave rectified) or they're semi 'intelligent' and don't like providing current when there's no battery connected - these like to see at least 8 volts. Plus 2A is inadequate for the blower motor, particularly at start-up.
Just a battery is fine for go/no-go testing, but for performance testing you also need a charger or power supply across it to keep it at about 14V to simulate being in a running van. _________________ Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300 |
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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32432 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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dhaavers Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010 Posts: 7733 Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:52 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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bajaleo wrote: |
...Does the switch reduce the voltage that the fan motor sees at high setting? |
Nope. "High speed" is 12v direct to the motor....(check your wiring)...
- Dave _________________ 86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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bajaleo Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009 Posts: 211 Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:44 pm Post subject: Blower switch connections question |
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After more testing I can concur with everyone who responded that a battery charger is not a good source of 12V. A real battery is required.
Another question regarding my particular van. After looking at this page in the Bentley, can anyone tell me why I have a yellow/black wire coming out of the 4 position of my blower switch? This diagram shows 3 positions and power. I have all three fan speeds without using it.
It's been so long since I removed the heater box from the van that I don't remember how it was hooked up.
_________________ Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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4Gears4Tires Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018 Posts: 2982 Location: MD
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 10:09 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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You can use a jump pack, but it has to be a beefy one with basically a golf cart battery in it. I have one of these. It's great. I use it a surprising amount. Very handy. Testing blower motors, injectors, lights, starters, actually jumping cars, etc...
https://www.ebay.com/c/1435566319 _________________ '87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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bajaleo Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2009 Posts: 211 Location: San Juan Capistrano, CA
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 2:32 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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I now have 4 fan speeds also! Much thanks to Dave for starting this thread, and for everyone else who shared their experience.
I located my resistor on the passenger side like Markswagen does because I'm adding a BMW brake booster. I bought the OEM Jeep resistor and also the ebay resistor to get the plug that came with it.
One more question I have. Before I button the heater box back up, is there a consensus on replacing the wiring, such as the brown ground wire and the yellow power wire to the motor?
How about the wiring between the switch and the resistor? And what gauge should I use if I do?
Happy New Year everyone. _________________ Leo in San Juan Capistrano
1984 Wolfie Westy, Subaru EJ22 powered. |
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dhaavers Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010 Posts: 7733 Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 4:10 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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IIRC, I used 14AWG because I had it on hand, but your Bentley spec looks like 16AWG.
Either works, but a little bit larger is better than anything smaller...
- Dave _________________ 86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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table Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2007 Posts: 69 Location: Vancouver, Canada
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 3:09 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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For anyone doing this mod in the future, I just wanted to point out that the device circled in yellow is a thermal fuse.
So whichever resistors you choose for your speeds, it is prudent to wire the lower speeds through the thermal fuse. That way if the resistors heat up too much when you're running on low speed their heat will blow the thermal fuse instead of melting your air handling box and causing other badness. |
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Zeitgeist 13 Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009 Posts: 12103 Location: Port Manteau
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:53 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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I just got done rebuilding a Vanagon heater box, with foam flaps, a new core and blower plus this mod. I wired up the blower the same as the OP, but when I test with a five pole switch, I get four distinct speeds, but no off...as in, the off position is the lowest speed. Has anyone had a similar situation. I haven't had time to dive into the diagnostics, (it's been a long day), so I'm hoping someone has some experiential insights. _________________ Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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vanis13 Samba Member
Joined: August 15, 2010 Posts: 3081 Location: ABQ NM USA.... Except when not
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:14 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
I just got done rebuilding a Vanagon heater box, with foam flaps, a new core and blower plus this mod. I wired up the blower the same as the OP, but when I test with a five pole switch, I get four distinct speeds, but no off...as in, the off position is the lowest speed. Has anyone had a similar situation. I haven't had time to dive into the diagnostics, (it's been a long day), so I'm hoping someone has some experiential insights. |
your van is reacting to a jeep part being implanted in in VW being. the white coolant cells are on their way to eradicate the infection. _________________ 83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace
www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make |
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4Gears4Tires Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018 Posts: 2982 Location: MD
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:55 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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Oh no! He's going to have to act quick before a Subaru motor materializes in his engine bay! _________________ '87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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Zeitgeist 13 Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009 Posts: 12103 Location: Port Manteau
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Dash blower rebuild with (cheap) Jeep resistor - w/PICS |
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[eyeroll]...this isn't my van.
I've done this mod before and had no issues, but this one is a little confusing. _________________ Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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