Changing The Blower Resistor Pack

[geoffreyc]

Hello there, new here!

My fiesta, which im selling tomorrow, just decided to be a little bit of a pain and fry up the blower resistor pack, meaning the fan will only work on speed 4. I ordered a new one from the intrawebz last night which will hopefully get there tomorrow, and I've located where it is under the driver footwell, so all that is good.

My problem is the fact that its so akewardly placed! I tried to remove the old one tonight in preparation but all I managed to do was bang my hand on the clutch pedal. I took the plastic panel off from under the steering wheel but it didn't help much. The freaking seat is in the way so its really hard to lie down ....

Has anyone got any tips on how to place my body so I can actually have some range of motion down there ?

Cheers !

[Fiesta1.25]

Lol I feel your pain mate, I replaced my GEM module and headlight switch and the best way I found to position my body was to recline the drivers seat flat, lie on your back with then get your head into the footwell, then hopefully you are able to have some movement in your arms to get the resistor pack out.... I hope this helps? As I don't really know where the resistor is placed?

Let us know how you get on.

[geoffreyc]

Haha yup, that is what I tried (seat pushed back and folded as far as it would go), nearly broke my back :D i'll give it another try at lunch time, thanks for the help :)

It's on the side, top right corner, conveniently placed behind the clutch ! I think on a non-UK model it must be very easy to get to without the pedals :/

I'm open to any other feedback :D

[geoffreyc]

Success!

I tried the "push and recline, bend body in L shape" technique again and managed to take it out ! The screwdriver wouldn't fit, so had to improvise! Used some of those "end bits" of screwdriver packs and twisted it by hand. One of the two screws was easy, the other one left a pretty red mark on my poor thumb haha. All i need is the replacement now, hopefully will be waiting for me on the porch at home tonight, ready to sign over the papers at 8!

[Fiesta1.25]

Nice one mate, but lets not celebrate until the new one is snugly screwed in place lol, three cheers for they wee screwdriver bits, they have saved my sanity a few times :-)

When are you getting your new car? Are you sticking with ford?

[geoffreyc]

I got a 2002 swb ford transit :D Moving down to France so had to switch my little fiesta for something a bit more roomy unfortunately ! Here's hoping the transit holds up fairly well haha.

I sort of wish I had known about this forums for the past 2 years, would have definitely helped out a lot ! If there's a transit subforum you might see me there though lol.

[Fiesta1.25]

Transits are almost bullet proof lol, and just think how much footwell space there will be in there if your ever need to replace the resistor pack lol

Yeah I'm glad I discovered this mighty fine forum quickly after buying my fez.... Almost definitely the best forum on the Internet.....

Feel free to send some freebies my way kind moderators lol

[Stephen Leak]

Ford heater blower motor resistor packs are usually inaccessible, but on the Fiesta, Ford seem to have excelled themselves. They're usually at the back (or is it the front?) of the passenger footwell, so I also wonder if they were designed for left hand drive.

I have two pieces of advice ...

1. Don't test the new one with it resting on the car mats. They get VERY hot and the mats are poypropylene, which melts. Do as I say, not as I did.

2. Buy some Radox?

[geoffreyc]

Mission completed! Followed your advice and placed it back in the hole before testing it to avoid any fires :D.

Thanks every one !

[Fiesta1.25]

Well done mate, glad to hear you got it sorted :-)

[Hjalle]

Im not sure if you guys can help, but back in March my poor little Fiesta was being driven by a friend who managed to ram it into the back of another Fiesta. Luckily the car is fully insured and everything was fixed by insurance but ever since they fixed the car I have had a little whistle from the air condition when on fan speed 3 or 4. The mechanic claims it cant be their fault because they didnt touch anything to do with the air conditioning...

Ive got no idea what can be causing it, or what to replace. Do you have any ideas?

[DeanSteven]

My fan too was only working on number 4. Thanks to the information on this thread I purchased a new heater resistor for my 07 plate 1.4 tdci (eBay item number 390657286001 - £5.99 delivered). I located the old one having removed the plastic panel directly below the steering wheel (the one with the diagnostic cable slot in). It is tucked away almost directly above the clutch pedal (10 o'clock position almost). Having finally managed to fit the new one the fan works perfectly now.

[Camcammy]

Does anyone know just how hot the resistor should get? I have just fitted a new one from eBay and tested it without putting it in place and it smells a bit like burning? I'm unsure whether this will be okay once it is screwed into the housing or not? 

It works fine I just don't trust the smell..

Cheers! 

[isetta]

I had this problem on my focus a few times. I found that I did not need a complete new resistor pack. what was failing was the thermal fuse soldered onto the resistor pack (I do not know if fiesta is exactly same construction). a new thermal fuse can be bought cheap on eBay (they are also used in hair straighteners etc). I appreciate the actual resistor packs are quite cheap themselves.     BUT BUT BUT  you need to think about why it blows. After a few times on the Focus I realised it was because the fan motor had got stiff which meant on a low speed setting it was straining to keep going which meant the load though the resistor pack was causing it to get hot, coupled with the low air flow going past the resistor pack to cool it.  Once I had dismantled the fan motor and got it spinning nicely the problem did not occur again.

[stefinley58@gmail.com]

On 08/10/2013 at 0:36 PM, geoffreyc said:

Success!

I tried the "push and recline, bend body in L shape" technique again and managed to take it out ! The screwdriver wouldn't fit, so had to improvise! Used some of those "end bits" of screwdriver packs and twisted it by hand. One of the two screws was easy, the other one left a pretty red mark on my poor thumb haha. All i need is the replacement now, hopefully will be waiting for me on the porch at home tonight, ready to sign over the papers at 8!

Im having the same issue ,carnt get any where near it ,doing my head in

[SeanW]

It is an absolute git to reach!!

[Paulinbrum]

His all 

Does the heater pack. Stop hot air being blown too. My fiesta was making a clicking noise every so often now it has stopped but I only get cold air. when it's on max heat and any blowing speed.also I removed the the facia and found this just dangling 

[SeanW]

The resistor pack controls fan speed only

And I haven't got a scoobies what that bit is 

[MJNewton]

That's the cabin temperature sensor and is used by the EATC to sense (and therefore be able to control) the air temperature inside the car. It is a standard thermistor but, as it is located inside the dashboard and therefore not well suited to sensing the temperature of the air in the cabin it is fitted with a small centrifugal fan to suck air past it and this better represent the ambient temperatures. I am not familiar with your specific model but there should be a small grille somewhere on the dash, usually near the climate controls, and the sensor should be sitting just behind that.

If yours was well inside the dash it may well have been constantly reading the relatively high temperatures that can occur back there hence why it was only ever blowing cold. That said, I would expect that if you turned the heat up to max then it would ignore the sensor and give you hot air regardless.

[JenniB22]

This is what's just happened to my 2012 fiesta. I am a complete car novice but capable with tools etc in general, how likely is it that I'll be able to replace it myself?