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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
Can anyone recommend a quality EATC fan control module other than the $200 Motorcraft part? I've replaced 2 cheap ones in 2 years and it needs another one
Replace your blower fan. As the bearings start to go, the fan starts pulling more power, and this torches the resistor. My latest one lasted two weeks. Removed the fan and it had a LOT of resistance.
Hard to tell. Some people are windows down types, others run the HVAC almost constantly. Plus mileage doesn’t account for idling hours.
It probably takes 20-30 honest minutes to get the fan out the first time, going in is a little faster. Can’t hurt to take it out and give it a spin (and vacuum/water flush out the evaporator box while you’re there). If it doesn’t spin freely and has any kind of drag, replace.
Not sure if they’re rebuildable. I still have one out of one of my trucks, maybe I’ll try to rebuild it and swap it back into my other before it roasts the resistor
Good point. I'm usually a windows down guy, but the previous owner was elderly and lived in VA. I bet it ran constantly. On top of that the system likes to run full blast even with then Module is working. The AC will only start out at 60° by defualt, makes no sense. The climated control has no memory in AC mode but it does with other modes. I miss the manual heater/AC controls.
Replace your blower fan. As the bearings start to go, the fan starts pulling more power, and this torches the resistor. My latest one lasted two weeks. Removed the fan and it had a LOT of resistance.
There are no resistors in the EATC controller. The controlling element is a power transistor. I haven't done that, but this transistor is fairly easy to replace if you can solder. I believe it's 2N3055 or similar and can be purchased for a few bucks at Digikey or another online electronic parts source. There is also a possibility of a burned trace on the circuit board - again, repairable with minimal soldering skills. Search and you will find several threads discussing this repair. Here is one for Crown Victoria, which uses a very similar controller: EATC Blower Motor Speed Controller Repair | Body and Interior | Crownvic.net
Also check the connector pins - they may be melted or corroded. If so, you can buy a pigtail with the connector. Cut off the old one and solder the pigtail to the harness.
First, let me say the collective knowledge of this sight has saved me much money and is truly appreciated. I've had about five blower control modules go out on me in the last two years. I've researched and found many postings related to troubleshooting blowers vs blower Im but little on how to...
www.explorerforum.com
darlington transistor NPN 50A 60V TO3, one example being part # MJ11028G
I'd only get this from a reputable electronics supplier, not ebay or 3rd party on amazon, to reduce the chances of getting a counterfeit transistor. There's a digikey link in the topic linked above. Mouser, Arrow, RS, Newark, et al are other suppliers depending on region.
Also make sure your air intake isn't clogged with debris, as the module depends on good airflow to stay cool enough. It takes a fairly powerful soldering iron to solder it, I wouldn't bother trying with less than 40W and a broad tip instead of conical.
If you can't solder, you might find some mom 'n pop electronics repair shop that would do that cheap, would literally only take a couple minutes to do if you already had the rivets drilled out so the job was only desoldering old transistor and soldering in a new one. If you don't rivet either, use bolts to attack the new one. Make sure it is soldered down flush against the board so you aren't putting strain on the circuit board when tightening the bolts. You could get bolts ahead of time to take to the person soldering it to bolt it down first, and heatsink grease if it doesn't use a thermal interface pad instead, but an electronics repair shop would at least have grease.
The original question was what fan module to buy. I'd say you answered your own question when you said you had replaced 2 cheap ones in 2 years. Bite the bullet and buy the Motorcraft, at least it has a warranty
I would figure out what is causing the failures before you drop the coin for a motorcraft or go through the pain of soldering. It’s one thing for a cheaper one to not last as long, but having two failures in such rapid succession points toward something more than a low quality part, IMO
I would not sure be so sure. THAT is the problem with this cheap junk.….
Two failures in two years, might be standard for the cheap junk. There are other good ideas in this thread, but with the cheap junk issue nothing is clear.
I think we should revolt against this stuff. Or scream at the top of our lungs. Or at least call it what it is….
Aaiiii! Yes you can! Take this opportunity to experience it. Soldering irons are cheap and getting the feel only requires a little practice. It took longer to learn how to tie your shoes when you were a kid!
The iron can also be used to cut and weld plastic, such as the blend door fix.
There's a great feeling of satisfaction in overcoming intimidation and learning a new skill. Go for it!
^ But practice on some old scrap first to nail down the technique, as these solder joints need efficient heat transfer before overheating the transistor die through the pins... not "hard" per se, just not the first thing I'd attempt without some practice first.
It's definitely a skill worth learning, electronics aren't going anywhere and are getting more expensive every day, so harder to consider disposable. This motorcraft part in particular, is ridiculously priced at $200 for what it is, probably cost ford $10/piece to contract these out then they charge so much markup... kind of offensive. I would never reward them for this level of greed, even if I had to make it out of string and glue (LOL), but there is a viable DIY path where you can get the best possible outcome and also at the least expense... though I take for granted, having tools, materials, etc, to DIY.
