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a mate has done it for years, so should i?

broadbandings

Active Member
Sep 17, 2009
53
0
my ibiza keeps blowing the same fuse all the time. a mate at work says he has always 'just stuck a bigger one in' as a quick fix. im assuming the proper way would be to locate the problem lol.

15 to a 20 amp fuse to run my heater fan motor. will it completely f%*@ it if i do this?


dave.
 

Fl@pper

Back older greyer and less oilier but always hope
Jun 19, 2001
12,368
25
Gloucester
could be signs of a worn motor or the ballast resistor on it's way is more likely
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,964
1,059
South Scotland
Personnaly I would never just increase the fuse rating, although in some cases the wiring will stand it but the original fuse was badly chosen, it has happened before - maybe with Fabia rear wipers(?). Normally with a heater motor, the space between the motor segments, which should be open and insulated from the next segment, gets filled with carbon from the brushes - and so conducts. This can cause the motor to fail to rotate at switch on and blow the fuse quickly. If it is possible to open the motor up, then you could clean it up, in particular check the space between the segments. Of course it might be some of the motor's internal wiring that is causing the short - or maybe its not possible to re-build these motors after opening them up. That would just leave you needing to buy a new heater motor.

Edit, worn or "dry" motor shaft bearings can also cause a motor to draw too much current - had it been a bit noisier than normal prior to blowing fuses?

Edit again!, if the ballast resistor assembly is dying then the motor would not run at slower speeds, normally the slowest speed fails first as the most voltage is dropped across the ballast under that condition.
 
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broadbandings

Active Member
Sep 17, 2009
53
0
cheers guys,

its the heater fan motor.

if i knew where it was i would have a look! is it a dash dismantling exercise?
 

broadbandings

Active Member
Sep 17, 2009
53
0
no it didnt get any noisier to be honest.

other symtoms are flashy c/c display on start up, if that changes things?
 

broadbandings

Active Member
Sep 17, 2009
53
0
does anyone think its worth taking the glove box out to find it? ive heard that it may be located in the passenger footwell area!
 

knight85

Money spending clown
Dec 30, 2008
2,222
0
South East
flashing CC dispaly can mean low AC gas...or HP sensor is shot...thats what happened to mine

fuse box is on the drivers side by the furtherest vent when you open the drivers door
 

broadbandings

Active Member
Sep 17, 2009
53
0
flashing CC dispaly can mean low AC gas...or HP sensor is shot...thats what happened to mine

fuse box is on the drivers side by the furtherest vent when you open the drivers door

yes ive heard that it may need re-gassing. before the fans decided to stop working it did seem to blow cold still. this makes me think that the flashing could be down to the fan problem and maybe not re-gassing.

ive found the fuse box ok - just not the fan motor itself :think:
 

knight85

Money spending clown
Dec 30, 2008
2,222
0
South East
yes ive heard that it may need re-gassing. before the fans decided to stop working it did seem to blow cold still. this makes me think that the flashing could be down to the fan problem and maybe not re-gassing.

ive found the fuse box ok - just not the fan motor itself :think:

oh ok sorry. dont know where the fan motor is, have you tried asking Seat? my HP sensor was found on Vag Com.

the CC can still blow cold air even without much gas...just it wont be ice cold like if the AC was fully gassed
 

Nath.

The Gentlemans Express
Jan 1, 2006
8,620
16
EASTLEIGH, HAMPSHIRE
1/ It could be that you have got damp/wet in the blower fan from leaves blocking the drain holes in the scuttle near the wiper spindle area. I would remove the pollen filter and check for damp/wet in there and dry it out if there is any and make sure of no leaves blocking the scuttle.


2/ the motor comutator or brushes could be dirty or contaminated and causing sparks between com' and brush. If I've lost you then go take a look in through the air vent in the side of a mains powered drill as it's running and it will become clear. These sparks can get quite fierce and cause the motor to pull more current than the fuse is rated at.

3/ Either that or as said the motor could be a bit tight and this will cause it to get warm/hot and then pull more than the fuse can handle. fitting a higher rated fuse will mean that the motor will get hotter before it blows the fuse.

As you can imagine both no2 and no3 potential causes involve sparks and or heat so it's in your interest to repair it rather than cause a fire.

I would deffo pop the blower motor out and clean/service it as it costs nothing other than an hour or 2 of your time. If the blower spins up free and easy by hand you can forget no3 and look into no2.
 
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broadbandings

Active Member
Sep 17, 2009
53
0
1/ It could be that you have got damp/wet in the blower fan from leaves blocking the drain holes in the scuttle near the wiper spindle area. I would remove the pollen filter and check for damp/wet in there and dry it out if there is any and make sure of no leaves blocking the scuttle.


2/ the motor comutator or brushes could be dirty or contaminated and causing sparks between com' and brush. If I've lost you then go take a look in through the air vent in the side of a mains powered drill as it's running and it will become clear. These sparks can get quite fierce and cause the motor to pull more current than the fuse is rated at.

3/ Either that or as said the motor could be a bit tight and this will cause it to get warm/hot and then pull more than the fuse can handle. fitting a higher rated fuse will mean that the motor will get hotter before it blows the fuse.

As you can imagine both no2 and no3 potential causes involve sparks and or heat so it's in your interest to repair it rather than cause a fire.

I would deffo pop the blower motor out and clean/service it as it costs nothing other than an hour or 2 of your time. If the blower spins up free and easy by hand you can forget no3 and look into no2.


your a star. some good ideas there. ill defo take the blower motor out. do you know where it lives?:help:
 

DEAN0

Old Git
Feb 1, 2006
5,356
347
Preston - UK
You could also look for a "SLOW BLOW" fuse - it will still be 15amp like the current one but is less likely to trip with a quick spike over 15 amp.

They are designed for motor starting duties.
 
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