Heater Blower quick fix guide and removal

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As there seems to be a lot of people having problems with their heater fan I thought I'd write a guide on how to "quick fix" it, also on how to completely remove the fan.

Tools required:
T25 torx bit
Philips screw driver
Wire cutters/strippers
Wire crimper
Female spade connectors
Heat shrink or electrical tape
Cup of tea to keep warm

First you will need to unclip the side panel on the passenger side (like the fuse box cover). Then undo the 4 torx screws (red arrows) and unclip the glove box light wiring plug (blue arrow).
P1000543.jpg


Then unscrew the torx screw as pictured below.
P1000545.jpg


Then there's 3 inside the top of the glove box.
P1000544.jpg


You may need to support the glove box when undoing the last few screws so it doesn't fall on you.

Before you take the glove box completely out, there is a clip on the back holding the wire in place, pull the wire out and the glove box can now be removed.
P1000546.jpg


You will now be able to see the fan and it's wiring plug circled in the photo below
P1000547.jpg


In most cases you will be able to wriggle this plug and the fan will come on, you can do a few things from this stage. You can either wriggle it to a position so the fan works and tape it in place (but you will most likely have to do this all again in a few weeks) or you can do what I'm about to show you or you can do what Kjc300 done and take the fan apart and resolder the connectors.

I couldn't see how to take the fan apart easily so I cut the wires and put different spade connectors on.
P1000558.jpg


The problem with the fan is the spade connectors inside the fan pictured below.
P1000555.jpg


I found that by pushing the bottom spade connector (the left one in the picture above) down a bit while the wires were attached the fan came on so I wedged another spade connector in the hole to keep it pushed down (I know, a bit of a bodge but it works and saves having to strip the fan or spend £70+ on a new one)
P1000562.jpg


The following shows how to remove the fan if doing the above doesn't work or you want to go straight to the resoldering option or new fan.

Unplug the fan wiring connector then pull the wires out of the clip at the bottom of the fan and undo the 3 screws holding the cover on the fan with a philips screw driver.
P1000547-1.jpg


There is a plastic type screw underneath the unit which just holds the foam in place, it has a slot for a screw driver but it can be undone by hand.
P1000550.jpg


When you pull the foam to the side you will see two gold screws holding the bottom of the fan casing on, undo these with a philips screw driver.
P1000551.jpg


Once undone the panel can be removed and the fan will now slide down and out.

Here's a pic of the numbers on the side of the fan.
P1000553.jpg


Hope this helps! Good luck :salute: n don't forget to drink your tea before it gets cold.
 
Last edited:
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How do you get on with that MBC dude? You using it for boost control or to limit boost spiking?

Completely unrelated to the post I agree.... This post is one for the memory banks!!
 
How do you get on with that MBC dude? You using it for boost control or to limit boost spiking?

Completely unrelated to the post I agree.... This post is one for the memory banks!!

Yeh using it for boost control, running 1.2bar now. Haven't had one problem with it, not bad for £15.
 
Yeh using it for boost control, running 1.2bar now. Haven't had one problem with it, not bad for £15.

No, indeed not! I like the R Spec ones, I had one on my AGU A3. Not getting any problems with engine management kicking up a stink about it?
 
excelent thread mate, im going to strip it all apart gain this weekend and see if i can finally sort it.
 
No, indeed not! I like the R Spec ones, I had one on my AGU A3. Not getting any problems with engine management kicking up a stink about it?

Yeh the r-spec ones look pretty smart but this one does the job. No problems with engine management, only when I first fitted it and was finding out the amount of turns to give me standard boost then turn it up a bit but went a bit far n it went into 'limp' mode.

Nice write up matey. I've not heard of any fan problems, whats the common problem?

Also is this the best way to get behind the dash when fitting a boost guage?

Cheers dude.
A lot of people's fans have been failing, going really slow, making horrible noises, intermittently working or not working at all. It's the connectors inside the fan which is the problem, think it has something to do with the cold.

I fed all the pipes and wires in through the passenger side of the bulkhead, didn't remove the glove box though. Fed them through a gromet and you can get your arm behind the dash to get to them. i did remove the dash under the steering wheel though to wire everything up.
 
Last edited:
Yeh the r-spec ones look pretty smart but this one does the job. No problems with engine management, only when I first fitted it and was finding out the amount of turns to give me standard boost then turn it up a bit but went a bit far n it went into 'limp' mode.



Cheers dude.
A lot of people's fans have been failing, going really slow, making horrible noises, intermittently working or not working at all. It's the connectors inside the fan which is the problem, think it has something to do with the cold.

I fed all the pipes and wires in through the passenger side of the bulkhead, didn't remove the glove box though. Fed them through a gromet and you can get your arm behind the dash to get to them. i did remove the dash under the steering wheel though to wire everything up.

Hello, thanks for the guide. My fan is making a horrible grumbling noise that increases with the speed of the fan. Do you think this could be the fault? I thought I may need a new fan due to bearings knackered?

Audi want £170 for the part lol
 
Hello, thanks for the guide. My fan is making a horrible grumbling noise that increases with the speed of the fan. Do you think this could be the fault? I thought I may need a new fan due to bearings knackered?

Audi want £170 for the part lol

Yeah it sounds like it could be the same problem. Have a go at fixing it n save yourself £170.
 
Another thread bump here.

Found this guide whilst searching last night, I had already bought a new motor thinking it was that, but on inspection, it was just the wiring as you suggested.

Cut off the factory plug and crimped on 2 new spades, pushed them firmly home, and it jumped back into life :)

Thanks very much!
 
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As there seems to be a lot of people having problems with their heater fan I thought I'd write a guide on how to "quick fix" it, also on how to completely remove the fan.

Tools required:
T25 torx bit
Philips screw driver
Wire cutters/strippers
Wire crimper
Female spade connectors
Heat shrink or electrical tape
Cup of tea to keep warm

First you will need to unclip the side panel on the passenger side (like the fuse box cover). Then undo the 4 torx screws (red arrows) and unclip the glove box light wiring plug (blue arrow).
P1000543.jpg


Then unscrew the torx screw as pictured below.
P1000545.jpg


Then there's 3 inside the top of the glove box.
P1000544.jpg


You may need to support the glove box when undoing the last few screws so it doesn't fall on you.

Before you take the glove box completely out, there is a clip on the back holding the wire in place, pull the wire out and the glove box can now be removed.
P1000546.jpg


You will now be able to see the fan and it's wiring plug circled in the photo below
P1000547.jpg


In most cases you will be able to wriggle this plug and the fan will come on, you can do a few things from this stage. You can either wriggle it to a position so the fan works and tape it in place (but you will most likely have to do this all again in a few weeks) or you can do what I'm about to show you or you can do what Kjc300 done and take the fan apart and resolder the connectors.

I couldn't see how to take the fan apart easily so I cut the wires and put different spade connectors on.
P1000558.jpg


The problem with the fan is the spade connectors inside the fan pictured below.
P1000555.jpg


I found that by pushing the bottom spade connector (the left one in the picture above) down a bit while the wires were attached the fan came on so I wedged another spade connector in the hole to keep it pushed down (I know, a bit of a bodge but it works and saves having to strip the fan or spend £70+ on a new one)
P1000562.jpg


The following shows how to remove the fan if doing the above doesn't work or you want to go straight to the resoldering option or new fan.

Unplug the fan wiring connector then pull the wires out of the clip at the bottom of the fan and undo the 3 screws holding the cover on the fan with a philips screw driver.
P1000547-1.jpg


There is a plastic type screw underneath the unit which just holds the foam in place, it has a slot for a screw driver but it can be undone by hand.
P1000550.jpg


When you pull the foam to the side you will see two gold screws holding the bottom of the fan casing on, undo these with a philips screw driver.
P1000551.jpg


Once undone the panel can be removed and the fan will now slide down and out.

Here's a pic of the numbers on the side of the fan.
P1000553.jpg


Hope this helps! Good luck :salute: n don't forget to drink your tea before it gets cold.

Thank you for this thread. Searched and found via Google.
My fan was making an awful tapping/gentle knocking noise so I assumed that it was the bearing going in the motor.
Using your guide I accessed the fan and on closer inspection found the fault.
A piece of vinyl that had come away from one of the heater flaps was the offender and was catching in the fan blades.:keule:

A few points of note for all:
My stead is a '92 A3 1.6.
Fig.4) When removing the glove box there is an Airbag switch/wiring/plug to remove/disconnect on the R/H/S.
Fig.5) Mine had a different plug and doesn't come with a fan cover (as clearly seen in the figure)
A nameless firm (starts with 'Euro' and ends in 'carparts.com') do an equivalent replacement unit for £49.50(ex VAT)

So, thanks Alex for your help and post. Cheers :beerchug:
Fred :nogarors4:
 

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My fan has started to rumble so I bit the bullet and bought a new valeo unit from carparts4less - Part No.: 219440155

The fan has now arrived but I'm concerned as the electrical connections appear to be different to those shown in the pictures above.

Is there a harness from the original fan I need to reuse?
 

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