Hello all. I'm new here, and what a great resource this is!

I have a 2002 S40 2.0 SE. My heater blower motor has packed up. It was initially stuck on full speed, but when i turned the ignition off and restarted the engine the blower was completely dead.

I have picked the brains of a main dealer and have also posted on another forum, and both of these authorities suggest the transistor attached to the heater housing is the source of the problem. Do people on here concur with this, or does anybody have any other suggestions? I just want to be sure before i blow my cash. Thanks in advance.

 

It is the transistor. Here are a couple links for how to fix. The only question I have is why did it stop? Either the transistor finally failed open or the motor died.
Stan

http://s40concepts.net/forum/index.p...t=0#msg_134311

http://s40concepts.net/forum/index.p...acae23a3be0dc2

 

Thanks for the links Autonaut. I'd already seen the second link but not the first. I'm not sure why it packed up altogether, it had been working perfectly on the last run a couple of days earlier. The blower motor came on full when i started the journey, so i pulled over, turned the ignition off and restarted, and the motor was completely dead. I'm just a bit concerned that the transistor might not be the problem, since most people experience the motor being stuck on full rather than completely dead. It's also really annoying that Volvo haven't made this component easier to access, it seems ridiculous having to disassemble so much dash to get to the upper screw. I'm going to have a tinker about and see if i can loosen the upper screw without disassembling. Perhaps the local accessory store will have a right-angle screwdriver that will do the job. Any thoughts on this anyone?

 

A transistor can fail in such a way that it is full ON and the failure propagate to an open circuit due to thermal stress.

 

Hi. I can now report that the transistor has been replaced and it was indeed the cause of the fault. Everything is now back up and running, so thanks to AutoNaut for all the advice.

A few observations which may help others. Firstly, any dealer that tells you they will have to take half the dash apart and charge you several hours labour to replace this part is taking the proverbial. As long as you are prepared to contort your body to get into the space, and use a small amount of brute force, this is a relatively easy task. Here’s how I did it:

• Remove the felt underpanel beneath the glove box.
• Remove the wiring connector by pressing in the retaining clip and pulling the connector out.
• Remove the two screws holding the transistor in place. The upper screw may look inaccessible but all you need is a long-handled screwdriver. Make sure the head is a good fit to avoid damaging the screw, since you will not get a perfect perpendicular angle to mate the screwdriver and screw head. However, I found that the screw came out quite easily using a Philps No. 3 head.
• Here’s the tricky part. The metal bar supporting the underside of the glovebox will prevent you getting enough clearance to pull the transistor unit out. However, simply get a pair of pliers and carefully bend the lip of the bar outwards slightly at the appropriate point. You should not have to distort the bar very much before you have sufficient clearance to remove the transistor unit. If you really don’t want to do this, and have enough time on your hands, you could remove the glovebox lid and then loosen the bar (which will necessitate removing more trim panels to get to the retaining bolts).
• Somebody else has successfully repaired the transistor assembly by removing the actual transistor from the heat sink and soldering a new one in place (see this link: http://s40concepts.net/forum/index.php?t=msg&th=13966&start=0&rid=108&S=19fed20 a8cf2dbe999acae23a3be0dc2). Now, if we hadn’t had so much heavy rain lately, and I could have done without the blower motor for a while longer, I might have opted for this myself. However, after a long tricky journey home from London last weekend, I chose to buy a replacement main dealer part, 30864189, which cost approx. £44 plus vat.
• When replacing the transistor assembly screws it helps greatly if you are using a magnetic screwdriver to mate the top screw to the hole.
• There isn’t any need to straighten the metal strip back; I found the felt panel fitted back readily enough without doing this. If you try to straighten it you should do so with extreme care, since you run the risk of damaging the transistor unit you have just put in place. If you really have to do this, do so before you reconnect the wiring plug to minimise the risk.

 

Good show, man!

 

Very good. Now that you have the old part out, you can repair it for future reference or offer it up.

Thanks for the write up. Mine went bad the same way. I found a "like" transistor to replace the bad one, but now I get radio static. The fan works, so now I can take the time to mail order the correct part.

 

Hi bikerider58, i certainly didn't get any radio static with the correct part.

I've since traded the car in for an 08 S40 2.0D SE Lux. The S40 Classic was easily the best car i'd had, but Volvo have upped the ante even more with the new model, which is almost perfect: even better to look at, excellent equipment level, and a more reassuring drive.

 

Yes, they are always getting better. We looked at getting a new one, but it still runs great and fills the need so decided to wait a few more years. Besides, we have a new driver this coming year and think it will be better having the older car incase there are learning curve bumps.

There was a technical service item on my car that installed a diode assembly in line to the fan motor. Removing it removes the static, so maybe it was damaged in some way. I'm sure I'll sort it out.

 

Yes, you are wise not changing your car just now, a new driver has a lot to learn! Good luck sorting the static problem out. When you decide the time is right to change your car, try to go for an 08 facelift model, which features a lot of (minor) improvements and additions.