what needs to be fixed when fan speed 1-3 won't work again?

[passatvr6er]

thanks

[A2B4guy]

If fan only runs full speed that is a sign that the blower speed resistor pack is fubar. It is located behind the glove box, easy replacement once the glove box is out.

[passatvr6er]

thanks i new it was something simple just couldn't remember what... and i don't have a glove box... i have an air bag, but i can remove that... can i get to it with just removing the knee bar?

[A2B4guy]

I don't know for sure, but the knee bar's no piece of cake either.

[BC Dub]

I fixed my non-working fan switch by taking apart the switch (right underneath the knob) and bending the contact so it contacted both sides again. I wrote a quick "how-to" in that thread, let me see if I can find it when I get home.
You may not need a new blower resistor.

[passatvr6er]

also soemtimes the third setting will work... but not really be 3 it seems... like if i drive for a long time thne i switch to 3 it sometimes will change....

[Electron Man]

What BC Dub said...I had to do the same thing in March.

Blower resistor pack can be replaced without removing the dash or kneebar, but you must be a contortionist to pull this off (I'm not...so it took a lot of cussing ). After replacing the perfectly good (but somewhat rusty) resistor pack, you can start on the climate control fan switch.

Then the climate control fan switch is part of an assembly, but the fan switch was improved in mid-96. Here's how I "MacGuyvered" the switch on my '95...since it seems a portion of the archives have disappeared since early February.

1.Remove climate control cover panel.
2.Remove A/C fan switch cover (the round one).
3.Closely inspect the flat metal spring (with an S-shaped tang) installed in the switch. Near the top of the spring, there is a small tang holding the spring in place.
4.Turn the switch to position 4, press the small tang (use a jewelers screwdriver) and slide the metal spring downwards out of the switch.
5.Clean the S-shaped portion of the flat spring with WD40. Then bend the S-shaped portion so it makes better contact with the top/bottom of the contacts that are still in the dash panel. The length of copper (leading out to the S-shape) was deformed on mine...it should be flattened out up to the "S".
6.Carefully reinstall the flat spring back into the switch by placing the S-shaped contact in place first, then maneuvering the flat spring back into place (will be difficult because flat spring is near factory spec).
7.After spring is in place, turn on ignition and check blower speed function.
8.Replace rotary switch cover and climate control face plate.

The above took me about 90 minutes the first time; today I could do it in ~15-20. If you break/destroy the flat spring with an S-Shape (I was lucky), a new climate control panel (part only) is ~$100 or more from the stealer.

If the above seems tedious, it is...but at least your wallet isn't ~$200 lighter.

Modified by Electron Man at 12:26 PM 8-15-2003

[VWTD]

Push on the switch..ie like your trying to send it into the dash..if the blower works you know the contacts are bad in the switch...common problem...if it doesn't work on all speeds and you have no A/c also...wiggle the relay...possition #1 realy #13 i believe they sometimes stick[like mine does]...than move to the resistor...

[BC Dub]

Quote, originally posted by VWTD »

Push on the switch..ie like your trying to send it into the dash..if the blower works you know the contacts are bad in the switch...common problem...if it doesn't work on all speeds and you have no A/c also...wiggle the relay...possition #1 realy #13 i believe they sometimes stick[like mine does]...than move to the resistor...

Pushing on the switch won't necessarily diagnose your issue. When I first bent the tang, I bent it the wrong way and it wouldn't make contact on ANY setting, no matter what I did. Took it out and used something like the above steps to make it work. I love #1!! I never knew what I was missing for the past 8 months

[gomer]

had the same exact symptoms, did this, and now i'm good again http://www.jaxdubs.net/hvacfan.html

[timobon]

I'm glad to see people be so helpfull with this problem. Gomer's page on this issue is pretty cool.
However, I've seen this problem get posted at least 3 times now over the past year and since my 92 Passat suffers from the same problem I'd like to propose that it get added to the FAQ for the B3. I sure seems like a prett common problem.

The original switch on my 92 didn't work on 1 and 2. You could press on it and get them to come on temporarily. Then I noticed that the plastic around the face and the knob itself were actually melted. I could feel that the switch itself was hot to the touch.
I scrounged up a used one at German Auto Salvage and guess what? It had the same melting but to a lesser degree. I cleaned up the contacts and bent them slightly to provide more contact pressure and it worked...for about a year.

Now I've got a 95'GLX and guess what? The switch gets hot. All the speeds work but clearly the root cause of the problem exists with this model year also.

In my humble opinion, the design of the fan circuit attemps too pass much current through the switch, that's why it gets hot in the first place. The fan is a big consumer and wants a lot of juice. Eventually the plastic in the switch begins to deform and the contcts start loosing presure.

I think the solution is to install a relay for each switch position so that the switch is relieved of the current burden. Think about it. This is exactly the same reason why we install relays for more powerfull headlights.

While some people have had success reworking the switch (myself included) I firmly belive that fixing the switch is addressing the symptom (switch gets hot and stops working) but not solving the root problem (fan is drawing too much current through the switch).