XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by RobinMasters »

xantia_v6 wrote:There are schematics here http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 19&t=24786
Excellent, thank you :)
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by DavemXantia »

Apologies for firing up this topic again after almost a year...

Citroen Xantia S2 Estate. Blower is suddenly blowing continuously and uncontrollably - if it's not at absolutely full speed, it's on the next highest speed down, irrespective of the slider control setting, irrespective of whether or not the engine is running, and also irrespective of whether the Climate Control button is pressed or not.

All other heater controls seem to work correctly.

There was no intermittent behaviour preceding this...one day it worked fine, the next day it didn't, and hasn't since.
I've done my best to digest all the information here, but before getting intimate with the dashboard's nether regions I wanted to just double check a couple of things...

So if I'm not mistaken, the first thing I should be looking for is the blower speed regulator (Item 8045 on the wiring diagram). But I'm not clear where that is, so that's my first question...

Then, when I find it, I'm looking for the orange wire on pin 3, referred to earlier in this thread. Am I right in thinking that if I can measure varying voltages here, I'm looking at either a knackered climate ECU, or a pair of knackered transistors within the fan motor unit itself?

Or have I missed a fundamental step?

Hoping someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to help...

Cheers,

Dave
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by CitroJim »

This is a classic failure of the blower speed regulator... The module is housed within the blower assembly itself which is accessible from the passenger footwell under the fabric trim below the dash...

The module is very easily fixable by following the guide here:

https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... hp?t=22348

Please be aware I no longer offer a repair service for these modules...
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by DavemXantia »

Thanks for the reply, Jim.
I'll still first check for those control voltages at Pin 3 (orange wire) varying with slider position. (Is that connector reasonably accessible to a pair of meter probes without actually having to remove the fan motor?)
When I've confirmed that I'll happily blow £6-and-a-half quid at RS for a pair of those transistors...! Good old fashioned analogue electronics...!
Cheers,
Dave

(Aside - I happen also to be a big BJH fan....1st band I ever saw live, circa '74 ish...)
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by CitroJim »

Hi Dave,

Yes, the connector is very accessible once the fabric trim is removed... Good idea to check but often when the transistors fail you'll find the control voltage can be swamped and appears not to change...

In all my time I've never known a fault in the Aircon ECU - where the speed signals originate - so you can go about repairing the module with great confidence it'll fix the problem.

One warning... There are some cheap repro blower modules available on a certain Internet auction site... Be aware they don't work as they have the wrong transistor fitted...

The correct transistors are MJ11015 and only these will work. The 'iffy' modules have MJ11016 transistors fitted which decidedly don't...

The MJ11016 is the NPN complementary pair to the MJ11015 PNP transistor... They were originally designed for high-power audio amplifiers...

Great to meet another BJH fan :D I reckon I now have every album they ever released - mostly on vinyl too... Would have loved to have seen them live in the day... My favourite albums are their live ones - especially the 'Live Tapes'...
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by DavemXantia »

Thanks again, Jim.

I've just ordered a pair of the correct ones (MJ11015G) from RS. It appears that the 'G' on the end just means a lead-free package...thankfully it also appears that its TO204 package is physically identical to the TO3 that the older version came in...phew, I was worried for a minute...! £6.54 plus VAT for the pair...

Cheers,
Dave
Last edited by DavemXantia on 23 Aug 2017, 00:40, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by CitroJim »

Yes, TO204 looks very much like the original TO3 - goodness knows why they changed it!!!

G is indeed lead-free...
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by DavemXantia »

Very strange. I have the correct replacement transistors, but haven't yet got round to replacing them. Which is just as well, as for no good reason, the blower has started working correctly again, with no intervention at all.
So there's an intermittent problem, and it'll almost certainly recur. Can anyone suggest where it's likely to be?
(To recap, the fan started blowing full blast, regardless of setting on the slider, and regardless of whether or not the engine was running. It did this for a good few weeks, then suddenly started behaving perfectly again.)
Cheers,
Dave
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by CitroJim »

That IS bizarre Dave...

It'll be fine now you have the spares in stock ;)

Of all the 50 years or so I've been involved in electronics I have never known a power transistor repair itself!

I guess there's always a first time...

Fingers crossed it remains good [-o<
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by DavemXantia »

Dodgy connection on the back of the control slider, perhaps?
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by CitroJim »

DavemXantia wrote: 23 Aug 2017, 13:44 Dodgy connection on the back of the control slider, perhaps?


Could be...
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by falling-out-with-my-car »

Jim,

I'm a little late to the party but it could also be the brown connector plug that connects the wiring
to the fan motor housing, the spade connectors seem to become very loose with age and sometimes need crimping
to achieve a good contact with their male counterparts.
it also might be advisable to check the thick brown lead for any corrosion particularly the black death.
this occurs in copper wiring that has been exposed to damp conditions over an extended period filling the space

between the copper wire fibres with corrosion that is non conductive and can make routing of electricity intermittent.
I guess the only way to check a lead with the black death would be to check its resistance with a meter.
and I fear I'm talking myself into a technical hole Ill soon be buried in. but I think you get the jist.

regards.

Nigel.
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by CitroJim »

Welcome back to the forum Nigel :) Good to see you back...

It was not me with a blower problem - I was only expressing puzzlement ;)
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Re: XANTIA BLOWER WORKING INTERMITTENTLY

Post by MalcolmBrown »

Thanks for the above information. I have been being tortured by this for months- intermittent faults very tricky!!
Thought it was the "resistor pack" but proved not as could get blower to run by earthing the control wire (orange) and vary the speed by using a 9volt battery to apply somewhat less than earth. I eventually discovered that when the blower was working I could feel the relay below the fusebox click when turning the engine off and it didn't when it wasn't.
Removing the relay it tested normally using a battery charger to operate it. The switched supply to the relay socket was only giving 5 or 6 volts fluctuating occasionally to 12v, but full 12 v switched supply at the fuse (number 5).
Diagnosis: bad connection within fusebox. Cure was a new fuse box, luckily I was able to get a brand new one for £65 on eBay (same type used on more recent Citroen and Peugeot vans), the old one smelt badly of burning wiring!
As a bonus since changing the fusebox the headlights are brighter and the starter motor turns more briskly!
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