Xantia blower stopped working

[shauny0305]

Hi guys, I have a 2000 S2 Xantia Forte est. hdi 90.
I set off yesterday morning, heater on defrost/screen and blower on low speed. After about 3 mins the blower speeded up slightly and stopped.
I thought it was the resistor pack, as 3rd speed has been a bit iffy since I have had the car (2yrs). I dropped the motor out and fitted the resistor pack that I have had for ages, and it made no difference.
I checked the wires at the motor and have no power. I checked the A/C switch and it doesn't light up. The relay above the accelerator pedal has no power to it (all these checked with engine running and warmed up). I took the A/C switch out and it has a live (1) and earth (1), interestingly the switch connects these live and earth, but doesn't seem to pass anything to the other 2 connections. The switch is live even with the ign off and key out. The hrw works fine.
With eng warm and running, I disconnected the drier, bridged Nos 3&4 and the fans came on. Bridged 1&2 and the compressor clutch didn't engage.
Help, please. I'm stuck now.
Shaun

[shauny0305]

I should add, that the A/C has been regassed July 2014. But I think it is leaking gas as it wasn't blowing very cold this summer.

Shaun

[CitroJim]

Hi Shaun,

First port of call is this thread:

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 19&t=24786

It contains much of value for diagnosing this kind of issue...

In there and links therein you should find wiring diagrams and some tests to do the see if the right conditions are present on the 4 way plug to the blower speed regulator to allow the blower to run.

It's good to check for voltages under load and to check volts are going right to the motor... It's not unknown for the motor itself to be faulty due to worn-out brushes..

If you need wiring diagrams and harness diagrams specific to your car let me know and I can provide...

[shauny0305]

Thanks Jim, I'll have a read through that when I get back. Main issue is, I think, no power to the relay.

[RichardW]

Is this no power on the power side, or no power on the switching side? Mine went with no power on the switching side - I just ran in a new switched supply from under the steering cowls and it was fine for next 100k miles...!

[shauny0305]

Hi Richard, that's the odd thing, there's no feed at all, to the relay. That's the green one above the accelerator pedal, there are 2 other green ones a purple one and a red one down there.
I'm thinking that there is multiplug loose somewhere.
Shaun

[shauny0305]

Hi, further to yesterday, I have taken the relay holder out of the bracket and tested from behind. I do have battery voltage on the permanent live, an earth, and a switched live. But, only 2.4v on the switch live. So I bridged the relay (perm live to heavy output, now, in that state, I have battery voltage at the 2 heavy red wires on the motor. But, the motor won't run.
I dropped the motor out again. Disconnected the multiplug and touched it against the terminals and the fan turned, about a 1/4 inch (this with the A/C switched on, switch still don't light up BTW) I switched A/C switch to off and repeated the touch, multiplug to terminal block on motor, and the fan turned about 1/8 inch. Removed motor completely, took brushes out (they're about 15mm long) cleaned the brush housings, put it all back together, checked again, same thing, fan just clicks around 1 bit at a time.
I'm going to put the old transistor pack back in and try again. I don't know if the transistor pack maybe failed and damaged something else? Like the A/C switch doesn't light up, but appears to do something. Also the relay switched feed doesn't seem to have the battery voltage that I would expect to get.

Frying brain cells here, at the mo.
Arrgh

[CitroJim]

Shaun, it's vital to check all voltages under load as Xantia wiring is prone to high resistances and measuring off-load with a meter can be misleading..

Also, be aware the blower will only run when the engine is running, even with that relay bridged... That's caught me out in the past..

Finally, measure the voltages on all pins of the 4-way blower regulator module and see if the conditions are there to allow the blower to run..

Details of how to and what you should see can be found here: http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=25122

[RichardW]

I'd take the blower out and connect it direct across the battery to see if it will run, therefore ruling that out. About 3V was what I had on the switching side of the relay - never found out why, I just ran in a new supply from the switched side of the ignition switch cables under the steering column shrouds, and it never stopped working after that.

[shauny0305]

Hi Richard, Jim and everyone else who has been following this.
I had 2.4v at the switch live on the relay. If I bridged the relay heavy wires I had batt voltage at the motor. But it wouldn't run. So I put the relay back in its holder and fed the relay,via the switch live, with a new wire from the 40A fuse ( No20), and, Bingo everything worked! Even the A/C switch lit up. A/C works via switch and defrost, blower works on all speeds. I've spliced a new wire in from the fused side of the fuse and that works fine.
The thing is, the switched live had a volt drop of over 12 ( 14.4 -- 2.4 ). So there must be quite a problem somewhere for that not to get through yet the new supply is finding it's way through. Don't get it.
Anyway thanks for your help and advice, I'd still be in a turmoil without it.
Regards Shaun

[CitroJim]

How bizarre Shaun!

Pleased it's working again though

[Hell Razor5543]

Hi Richard, Jim and everyone else who has been following this.
I had 2.4v at the switch live on the relay. If I bridged the relay heavy wires I had batt voltage at the motor. But it wouldn't run. So I put the relay back in its holder and fed the relay,via the switch live, with a new wire from the 40A fuse ( No20), and, Bingo everything worked! Even the A/C switch lit up. A/C works via switch and defrost, blower works on all speeds. I've spliced a new wire in from the fused side of the fuse and that works fine.
The thing is, the switched live had a volt drop of over 12 ( 14.4 -- 2.4 ). So there must be quite a problem somewhere for that not to get through yet the new supply is finding it's way through. Don't get it.
Anyway thanks for your help and advice, I'd still be in a turmoil without it.
Regards Shaun

It is a Citroen. They manage to do things in ways that don't make sense. Even God cannot fathom them out (which is why he conscripted Citronut).

[Stickyfinger]

Even God cannot fathom them out (which is why he conscripted Citronut).

its not god....its ghosts !