The difference with this problem is that I know precisely what caused it! My Focus has sat on my drive for between 5 and 7 days, and with the big freeze in the UK at the moment, various pipes have frozen to an extent (not enough anti-freeze). When I turned the ignition over this morning, the blowers were still set to 3 or 4 from the previous time I had used the car, and after a good 20 seconds, there was a haze in the car and the smell of melting plastic or fuses! (hard to tell). I immediately turned the blowers off and then engine off, before trying again - this time the engine made a rather loud screeching noise so I didn't persist.

I topped up the anti-freeze, left it to work through the system, and after an hour, everything was fine. The only problem that still exists is my blowers do not pump out any heat on any setting, there is still the faint smell of something melting, and after a 10 minute journey, the engine fan kicks in. There are no other electrical problems as far as I can tell.

I have searching various forums and websites to try and find answers, it appears that it could be a poor electrical contact of the connector on the blower motor control switch (or it's burnt out!). If it is this, what are the implications? i.e. is it easy to replace? And if it is not this, what else might it be?!

Cheers

The difference with this problem is that I know precisely what caused it! My Focus has sat on my drive for between 5 and 7 days, and with the big freeze in the UK at the moment, various pipes have frozen to an extent (not enough anti-freeze). When I turned the ignition over this morning, the blowers were still set to 3 or 4 from the previous time I had used the car, and after a good 20 seconds, there was a haze in the car and the smell of melting plastic or fuses! (hard to tell). I immediately turned the blowers off and then engine off, before trying again - this time the engine made a rather loud screeching noise so I didn't persist.

I topped up the anti-freeze, left it to work through the system, and after an hour, everything was fine. The only problem that still exists is my blowers do not pump out any heat on any setting, there is still the faint smell of something melting, and after a 10 minute journey, the engine fan kicks in. There are no other electrical problems as far as I can tell.

I have searching various forums and websites to try and find answers, it appears that it could be a poor electrical contact of the connector on the blower motor control switch (or it's burnt out!). If it is this, what are the implications? i.e. is it easy to replace? And if it is not this, what else might it be?!

Cheers

Loud screeching noise is the water pump trying to pull ice through the cooling system cos the anti freeze is bad. Chances are you've knackered the water pump. Get it checked before running the engine for long again. The fans cutting in cos the engines overheating cos theres no coolant flowing through the cooling system so it gets hotter and hotter till it blows the head gasket. DO NOT DRIVE IT!!!!

Thank you for your help, I managed to have a look in daylight for the first time today, I know exactly why the fan is kicking in; water is leaking directly out of the pipe in the picture shown, at present I have no idea what should be in it's place! I have checked fuses, nothing appears to have burnt out.

Do you know what should be where the hose ends?!