Water in blower fan unit

[NZT5]

Hi all,

First post here and hoping for some help with my 2011 T5.1.

I recently replaced the blower fan resistor due to the fan only working on level 4. Once I did that and tested the fan again, I had water pissing out into the passenger footwell, a reasonable amount, not just a slow drip.

The water is getting into the actual blower fan unit itself. I've checked the condensate drain and this is fine. Where could the water be coming from?

On top of this, after I replaced the resistor and the leak occured, my ABS pump started running sporadically for a second or two with they key in the on position - could these be related?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Dundee_Kev]

Pop the scuttle panel up and make sure there isn't a swimming pool located under it. Leaves can gather and block the drains

Was it the abs you heard and not the fuel pump?

 

[NZT5]

Pop the scuttle panel up and make sure there isn't a swimming pool located under it. Leaves can gather and block the drains

Was it the abs you heard and not the fuel pump?

Thanks for your reply - I actually did that this afternoon after having posted this and will see if that makes a difference. There was a bit of muck in there and the van was parked on an angle and it has been raining, but the drains weren't blocked.

Yeah it was the ABS pump - here's a wee video I took while it was happening:

 

[Tiny]

Pop the scuttle panel up and make sure there isn't a swimming pool located under it. Leaves can gather and block the drains

Was it the abs you heard and not the fuel pump?

Hi Dundee_Kev
My blower fan has just gone into the same fault like your fan. My blower fan only works on on the number 4 setting. Can I ask you where the blower resistor is located and is it easy to change.
I've not noticed any water coming in as yet but will need to check the drain holes along the scuttle.
Thanks

 

[Dundee_Kev]

Hi Dundee_Kev
My blower fan has just gone into the same fault like your fan. My blower fan only works on on the number 4 setting. Can I ask you where the blower resistor is located and is it easy to change.
I've not noticed any water coming in as yet but will need to check the drain holes along the scuttle.
Thanks

I've never replaced a heater resistor on a transporter, so can't help you. Pretty sure there will be info on here and YouTube if you have a little search.

Just make sure the fan is free to turn when you replace the resistor as a tight fan can sometimes be a cause of resistors burning out

 

[Dundee_Kev]

Thanks for your reply - I actually did that this afternoon after having posted this and will see if that makes a difference. There was a bit of muck in there and the van was parked on an angle and it has been raining, but the drains weren't blocked.

Yeah it was the ABS pump - here's a wee video I took while it was happening:

That's strange, only time I've seen an abs pump being weird was on a Renault trafic that had took a little drink from a puddle. Make sure there is nothing obvious with regards to water in the multiplug or wiring issues. I'd also see if there was any codes logged

 

[NZT5]

Hi Dundee_Kev
My blower fan has just gone into the same fault like your fan. My blower fan only works on on the number 4 setting. Can I ask you where the blower resistor is located and is it easy to change.
I've not noticed any water coming in as yet but will need to check the drain holes along the scuttle.
Thanks

It turns out the water in the fan was indeed coming from under the scuttle panel. The fan was had also become noisy over time so I pulled it out and greased the bearings as best I could and it goes really well now.

The resistor is really easy to change. Depending on where yours is you may need to pull the lower dash section off but I actually managed to do mine without removing it. I think some T5s have it up towards the firewall which is even easier to access, mine was like this one in the video:

Here's the part I bought:

ODiDiO 7E0959263C Car Heater Motor Fan Blower Resistor 7E0959263 7E0959263A For VW T5 Trasnsporter Multivan 2003-2014 - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Re: ABS fault - I had a failed wheel speed sensor and suspect it may have been to do with that, although it still seems strange it was cycling when ignition was on and car not running.. I'll keep an eye on that.

 

[Dundee_Kev]

Re: ABS fault - I had a failed wheel speed sensor and suspect it may have been to do with that, although it still seems strange it was cycling when ignition was on and car not running.. I'll keep an eye on that.

The abs will still be live when ignition is on, so the false reading from the sensor must have been making it think some wheels were locked and others not. So it was actually doing it's job

 

[Lubrown]

The fan was had also become noisy over time so I pulled it out and greased the bearings as best I could and it goes really well now.

Any tips for how to get grease in the bearing? Mine is noisy too. Not constant. It’s quiet for two minutes, noisy for five then quiet for two…
Fan speed setting doesn’t matter and if I turn it off and on again I get a bit of quiet.

 

[NZT5]

Any tips for how to get grease in the bearing? Mine is noisy too. Not constant. It’s quiet for two minutes, noisy for five then quiet for two…
Fan speed setting doesn’t matter and if I turn it off and on again I get a bit of quiet.

Once you remove the fan you'll see four black rubber triangular tabs holding the fan motor into the plastic housing. I used a flat head screw driver to press these in and remove the fan. I then cleaned the fan (wasn't too dirty) just brushing any dust off.

I sprayed lithium grease into both ends of the fan where the bearings are. Sprayed it on, spread it around with a small paintbrush or whatever you have (fiddly to get in there with motor all assembled) and just spin the fan around for a couple mins. It's not exactly getting it directly onto the bearing but I guess working the fan and spraying it in the right spot gets it in there.

That's just what I did and it worked for me but I'm sure there would be some thread somewhere detailing a better way to do it.