The interior fan on the ventilation system on my 2003 S40 only appears to be blowing at the very slowest speed. When I change it to automatic or a faster setting it appears to turn off. I've heard this maybe the multi-speed fan relay but I can't seem to find any messages on this subject. I do get warm and cold air but at a very slow rate. Any ideas?

 

I would take it somewhere to try to have the codes pulled from the climate module.

 

Tech, I happened to notice a dialog between you and member Oalsa that sounds identical to mine only it appears he
owns a 1999 S80 T6 and I own a 2003 S40.

Oalsa:
My AC works fine. I can hear the compressor kicking in, but the fan controller inside the car works on the
low setting only (same as mine).

Tech:
most likely a bad blower motor resistor.

Oalsa:
My mechanic is telling me that the resistor for the blower motor controls the low speeds, and since I have
the blower working in low speed only, then, he thinks, that it might be the control switch board and is
advising to change the whole control switch board from a junk yard. What do you advise, do the resistor or
the switch board......or both? Thanks for all your help.

Tech:
Did he check the wiring and make sure the resistor isn't bad?
The newer cars are a little different. The resistor is mounted in by the blower motor.
The control panel won't just plug and play. It will need a download if it can even be reloaded.

Your explanation where the resistor on the fan is located:
Tech:
It has been a little while since I had one apart but it is under the dash on the passenger side. If you
remove the motor from the box it comes out in a case like thing. The resistor is mounted under the motor. You
will have to slide the motor out of the housing to get to the resistor. To remove the motor out of the
housing you will have to remove 2 screws.

Can the resistor on the blower motor be the same problem as mine? Since I am doing the labor is changing the resistor worth a try?

 

You resistor isn't in the same location.
Your is like just under the glovebox beam where the lower hinge screws to the dash for the glovebox.

 

When my resistor ate itself, the blower would work only on high. The resistor is about $90 from the dealer (haven't checked elsewhere) so it's hard on the wallet to start parts swapping. If you own a multimeter and have access to a new resistor, you can test the resistance and compare it to the new one. It's located behind and below the glove box as tech said. I had to drill 2 access holes to get to the screws. The access holes are hidden by the glove box when installed.

Also, on my 2001, there was a recall fix for the blower motor where the dealer adds a 6 inch wiring harness with an inline resistor. Does the 2003 S40 have the same?

 

I can see the fan motor under the glove box (like you mentioned). I also see there is a small electrical device connected to the wiring for the fan which appears to be a relay. I do have a multi-meter tester and I was thinking I would measure the voltage at the fan. I also thought it might be a good idea to conect the fan to a 12 volt source to see if the fan blows full blast. By any chance is this electrical device the multi-speed relay I was told by the previous owner that might be bad (I've heard that part is $75)? I get a discount on dealer parts since I am a Volvo employee so the parts cost is not quite so bad.

 

I took a picture of the fan just to let you see how it looks under the dash with the relay.

[IMG]local://upfiles/14357/6CBEA38AA3F9433BBBEF80606DE39D54.jpg[/IMG]

 

That is not the the "Fan Speed Controller" (aka blower resistor) that we all love to hate. Checking the blower operation with a straight 12v and a ground is exactly what I did to rule out a bad fan motor. Here is a pic of the resistor. When you look up under the glove box you can see only the black plastic portion. The metal finned portion is inside the air box so air flows across it for cooling. 2 screws hold it to the air box.

 

I happened to have take an additional picture under the dash and it looks like there is a connector connected to a device that is going into the air box. I'm thinking this is the resistor you guys are talking abount? Also I spoke to the previous owner (used car sales person, Not from Volvo) and he said his mechanic told him that he had connected a ground wire to the fan relay (device next to the fan) and that started the fan. Now the bad news is when I was driving to work this morning the "Check Engine Light" came on and it turns out the code it's throwing is "P0128" which is the coolant sensor. The previous owner was the one who scanned the codes for me and he claims "nothing was wrong with the car when I bought it". I've now brought the car to the local Volvo dealershipto see what it needs to be fixed. Not a good situation. One other thing; is this where the "cabin filter" is located?

[IMG]local://upfiles/14357/E02EC88243FB4CB887E28203221B1156.jpg[/IMG]

 

That is the resistor I will bet it is bad.

 

The cabin air filter is the long narrow area right next to the resistor in the picture. You can see the little tabs holding it in. Pulls down then may have to bend it to clear the housing. It is flexible.

EDIT: to add, the code may be from a bad or slow opening thermostat. It is very simple to replace. Just buy the better quality t-stat and gasket and fix it yourself. 2 bolts. Might leak a bit of coolant so have some 50/50 mix to top off.

 

I think I'm getting a clearer picture now. I brought the car to the dealer just to make sure it wasn't anything else besides a thermostat since I just got the car on Friday (three days ago). A little costly but lets see if I can recoup that money. Yes I do believe the problem is that resistor and it retails for about $99 at the dealer. I checked the voltage at the fan it stayed at about three volts the entire time even with changing the fan setting. And yes I was able to remove the cabin air filter. Though small they are rather expensive.

 

Your local Autozone, O'reillys, Advance, etc all sell the cabin filter for allot less. I also found out the hard way. Resistor plus filter about $150 with tax. I'm glad it's fixed (wife's car) but learned my lesson.

On mine so far: t-stat, resistor, cabin filter, all brakes, 2 sets of tires, 6 headlights, 4 tailights, 4 plugs, 2 coils, 1 set spark plug wires, timing belt, TB tensioner, 1 O2 sensor. To do: all 4 rotors. It's almost as high maintenance as the wife. lol

 

I got the fan controller resistor and installed it which fixed the problem. I bought the part from Erie VO-VO inc. (888) 865-8613. They have used parts but they are waranteed for life.