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2001 prius interior fan/blower problems

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by Ppprius, Mar 20, 2016.

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  1. Ppprius

    Ppprius New Member

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    Hi all first time posting so apologies if I get anything wrong!

    The fan speed selector knob came off on my prius the other day leaving the fan stuck on full power. Very annoying so I my attempts to get it to stop I pulled out the fuse on the drivers side fusebox. Unfortunately I didn't think to turn the car off first and when I put the fuse back there was a small spark and now the fan doesn't work at all.

    What did I damage and how do I fix it!?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    #1 Ppprius, Mar 20, 2016
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Hard to say right off without more information. There's an electronic HVAC control, and also an electronic PWM controller directly in-circuit with the fan. Perhaps one of those was damaged, but perhaps its also something simpler we haven't thought of.

    Start by pulling the codes from your HVAC controller. (That's a separate procedure from pulling emission codes over the OBD port; in this case you request the code by a pattern of presses on the A/C button, then turning the fan knob ... maybe you should have longnose pliers for that if the knob has come off?) Lots of posts in this forum give the details, you can do a search. Then you count blinks of the A/C button light to get the codes.

    -Chap
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Mar 20, 2016
  3. Ppprius

    Ppprius New Member

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    Thanks! Unfortunately turning the fan selector won't work. I was turning it with long nose pliers before with no effect on the fan. I guess the control mechanism is broken somewhere.
     
    #3 Ppprius, Mar 20, 2016
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    In this instance we're not looking for its effect on the fan, we're looking for its role as the fifth step of the sequence you need to put the HVAC in code-output mode so it tells you what's wrong.

    There are a lot of reasons the fan might not work. The selector there is just a basic mechanical rotary switch used as an input to the HVAC control. It's possible the switch itself is busted, in which case you won't be able to signal the controller for codes, but you won't know without trying.

    The control is mostly handled electronically. If you check out the wiring diagram on techinfo.toyota.com you'll get a better idea of it.

    -Chap
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Mar 20, 2016
  5. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    Did you check to see if the fuse blew?
     
    #5 usnavystgc, Mar 21, 2016
  6. Ppprius

    Ppprius New Member

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    Thanks for the replies guys. I tried everything ChapmanF suggested but no luck getting codes, tried changing the fuse also, no help. So I took it to the shop. They said that removing the fuse had reset the controller so the fan was moving, just at the slowest allowed speed. They said that the heater blower resistor and heater control head both needed replacing. They quoted me $291 for the resistor and $178 for a used control head, with labor it was going to total $750 which is more than I want to spend on a 15 year old car.

    Any thoughts on cheaper fixes/ ways to find cheaper parts?
     
    #6 Ppprius, Mar 23, 2016
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