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A/C Fan Motor Failure - HELP!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by cashore, May 15, 2011.

  1. cashore

    cashore New Member

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    Our 2009 Prius has a strange problem involving the a/c fan motor. We have been through 4 in 2 years of owning the Prius. Each time, the local dealer replaces the fan under warranty. One even told me the "manufacturer tech rep" told them the problem was we were getting Armorall into the vents, which caused the fan to overheat and fail. Didn't wash the car for 3 months after that, and the fan motor still failed.

    We are getting to the end of the warranty I do not want to pay $300+ every 4 months to replace a fan motor.

    Why does it fail so often?
     
    #1 cashore, May 15, 2011
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    What speed do you run the cabin fan at?
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, May 15, 2011
  3. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    You would think that someone would figure out that you failure was neither random nor the result of abuse. It is not the fan, but it could be the control/power circuit, or the intake is blocked and the fan is working too hard. Would lemon laws apply in a case like this? If you have had it repaired by the same dealer every time, what does that tell you about the quality of that service department? It is not the greatest plan, but you could take it to one of the hybrid shops in Pasadena after the warranty expires in hopes of curing the underlying problem.
     
    #3 seilerts, May 15, 2011
  4. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    A blocked intake would actually lower the load on the fan motor.
     
    #4 jelloslug, May 16, 2011
  5. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Go to a different dealer. We could try to find out what weird thing you're doing with the fan or A/C system, but that could take a long time :_> ... OK, I'm curious: why might someone say that there was "Armorall in the vents"? Do you spray Amorall into the vents while running the fan?
     
    #5 richard schumacher, May 16, 2011
  6. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    That was just a cop out by the dealer. The location of the blower motor in relation to the vents makes it virtually impossible for something to be sprayed into the vents and actually make it into the blower motor. The liquid would actually have to make it all the way through the vent plumbing, through the AC evaporator core, past the evaporator drain, through the heater core, and finally around the blower motor wheel and into the motor.
     
    #6 jelloslug, May 17, 2011
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