Blower motor problems

[tvarghese]

Greetings!

Are the blower motor and resistor pack identical to the Explorer versions from the same model year? If so, I'll go dig over there.

I found a lot of people talking about similar problems on the Explorers and fixes involved replacing transistors and soldering. Which is not a problem for me. EE by training.

I purchased my 2015 PIU about a year ago and within a couple of days the blower stopped working, did a little bit of reading that indicated that the blower motors or the "resistor" packs can go bad and should be replaced as pairs. This is my first Ford, for that matter first domestic vehicle. Never run across an issue like this before. I didn't do a full diagnostic check of what was wrong. Got Motorcraft parts off of RockAuto.com and all was good. Although I did check the blower by connecting it to 12V and it worked as far as I could tell, so it must have been the resistor pack. Maybe?

About 9 months later I would have occasional problems where the blower would not turn on. Turning the vehicle on/off would fix it. Sprayed contact cleaner on the contacts and that appeared to fix the problem. Now about 3 months later the blower won't go *off*. As soon as the ignition key is turned, it is on at full blast. It is getting annoying. Mind you, I drive the vehicle very little. May be 3000 miles in 12 months. I work at home and have an older luxury sedan that I use for longer trips and also save on gas...

 

[peterk9]

The description on this site seems to indicate the blower motor is the same for the retail Explorer and PIU. Search Results | Levittown Ford Parts Levittown is a site vendor and offers members a discount.
I've read about members posting blower motor issues before but never read anything about the "resistor packs".

Peter

 

[J_C]

Resistor pack would just be the motor speed controller module, if it had manual console controls instead of automatic. If automatic then what is referred to as a resistor module would really be a transistor module and has a large heatsink on a PCB instead of coils of resistive wire.

I don't necessarily agree that the two should be replaced as a pair. A bad motor can blow out the module, but so can lack of airflow from a clogged cabin air filter, and you should have noticed substantial airflow decrease from a bad motor, before the module blew from that.

Bad module won't blow the motor. There is a 2014 Workshop Manual linked in my sig that should have a section detailing pinpoint testing of this. There might also be a Ford specific trouble code set if it's automatic climate control.

 

[ProjectSHO89]

Actual resistor modules for blower speed haven't been used on the Explorer for a long time. 2010 manual climate controls were the last ones in this product line. The electronic Blower Speed Control (BSC) module is used for both manual and automatic climate control systems, has been since 2011. PIU and "civilian" Explorers use the same parts in this system.

Blower speed is controlled by controlling the current through the ground side of the motor. Full battery voltage is applied to the other side.

If the blower runs full blast when powered on, then either the output driver transistor is shorted to ground or it's got another fault that is causing the transistor to be biased fully on.

If the BSC module doesn't allow the blower motor to run at all, either it's open or the control signal from the climate control module isn't getting there in the correct format.

Ford issued SSM 48070 regarding intermittent or non-operational blower motors. The following is the text of the SSM.

SSM 48070 - 2008-2019 Various Ford/Lincoln/Mercury Vehicles - Inoperative Heating, Ventilation, And Air Conditioning (HVAC) Blower Motor
Some 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019 Taurus/Flex/MKT, 2013-2019 Police Interceptor Sedan/Utility, and 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or intermittent HVAC blower motor function at various fan speed settings. This may be due to a poor electrical connection at the blower motor speed control. If the blower motor speed control is determined to be the causal part, replacement of the electrical connector pigtail harness (14S411) to the blower motor speed control is also recommended to avoid repeat repairs. Use pigtail harness service part numbers 3U2Z-14S411-ZEA or CU2Z-14S411-FA, as both parts are interchangeable. Refer to Wiring Diagram, Cell 5 for recommended splicing procedures. APPLICABLE VEHICLES 2009 - 2017 EXPEDITION 2011 - 2019 EXPLORER 2009 - 2017 NAVIGATOR 2009 - 2014 F150/LINCOLN MARK LT 2009 - 2014 MUSTANG 2008 - 2009 FIVE HUNDRED/MONTEGO/TAURUS/SA 2008 - 2009 FIVE HUNDRED/MONTEGO/TAURUS/SA 2009 - 2019 FLEX 2010 - 2019 MKT 2010 – 2019 TAURUS

 

[tvarghese]

Thanks all for the responses!

"If the blower runs full blast when powered on, then either the output driver transistor is shorted to ground or it's got another fault that is causing the transistor to be biased fully on."

Since the fan is working, it is not really a connector, at least any more but it may have been. I used a very expensive contact cleaner.

So I think this means there are two possibilities:
1) What I had called the "resistor pack" and others referred to as the "resistor module" but really is a transistor is shorted to ground and leaves the fan on at all times.
2) The PWM signal from the HVAC module is at 100% duty cycle making the fan go at full blast, which would indicate the HVAC module is bad.

#1 could be confirmed by replacing the module that has less than 75 hours of use, it is a Motorcraft OEM part, so I would have expected higher quality than that.

If this is not the problem it only leaves #2, or is there another possibility? Such as the PWM signal in the connector being shorted to 12V? If it is the module, is this the right replacement part?:

MOTORCRAFT CCM-60 HVAC A/C CONTROL MODULE UNIT FOR 2015 FORD EXPLORER EB5Z19980P | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MOTORCRAFT CCM-60 HVAC A/C CONTROL MODULE UNIT FOR 2015 FORD EXPLORER EB5Z19980P at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

How hard is this to do?


Thanks again!

 

[J_C]

If the module has failed from a transistor shorting to ground, then the fan should still run when the wire from the head unit (you referred to as "HVAC module" which is the same as labeled in the attached PDF) is disconnected.

If the fan stops when that wire is disconnected, then your head unit aka HVAC Module is bad. I'm talking about pulling pin #3 out of connector C271 at the Speed Controller, then plugging back into the "Blower Motor Speed Control", see attached PDF wiring diagram. The connector should have an insert, probably a different color plastic, that when removed, allows to pull that wire/pin out.

 

[tvarghese]

Replaced the BlowerMotor speed control module and the blower works now.

The one it replaces is less than a year and around 3K miles. Is this normal?

 

[J_C]

^ To last less than a year and under 3K mi.? No of course not. Did you buy it from a trustworthy merchant or is there a possibility it is counterfeit?

If you can't get it replaced under warranty... if it were my money and time... when I connected the replacement, I'd be measuring for current consumption between the fan ground and the module, to see if that looks excessive.

 

[tvarghese]

^ To last less than a year and under 3K mi.? No of course not. Did you buy it from a trustworthy merchant or is there a possibility it is counterfeit?

If you can't get it replaced under warranty... if it were my money and time... when I connected the replacement, I'd be measuring for current consumption between the fan ground and the module, to see if that looks excessive.

Bought it off RockAuto.com, it is made by Standard Motor Products and was the most expensive one they had. The Motorcraft part was not available at the time.

Looking at the website again it seems there are two different parts listed for Motorcraft, one for Before 4/6/15 and one for after. Any idea what might be the difference? I can't seem to find the date of manufacture on the vehicle. Looked for the sticker on the front and rear driver door jamb. Is there some other place they would put it? The VIN decoder does not tell me anything useful.

I have seen other people talk about these things going bad multiple times a year, which is why I asked.

 

[J_C]

I don't know the difference between any versions. I was able to get a build date for my '14 with a VIN lookup page on Ford's site but they have since discontinued providing that, and other VIN lookup sites that I just checked, don't list the build date.

 

[tvarghese]

I don't know the difference between any versions. I was able to get a build date for my '14 with a VIN lookup page on Ford's site but they have since discontinued providing that, and other VIN lookup sites that I just checked, don't list the build date.

Thanks for your help.