This type of fault seems to have been reported quite a few times so please excuse the repetion. I've just purchased a 1998 A4 tdi SE and I seem to have quickly developed a problem. The heater fan for the first few days I had the car was fine but over the last couple of days it doesn't work seemingly at random. The display for the Climate Control shows OK but whatever setting I put for the blower nothing happens (although the display shows no problem and the indicator goes up and down correctly). No noise whatsoever from the fan when it fails and for that matter no untoward noise when it does work (although this is quite rare now).

I'm hoping since the fault is intermittent that it's just a relay problem but. According to the Haynes Manual the relays are behind the trim panel below the streeing wheel but there's no indication which is which. Can anyone tell me which relay controls the heater fan so that I can check it.

On the other hand if anyone has any ideas on what else could be the problem please let me know.

Apart from that I absolutely love the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

there is a fuse box on the side of the dash but you have to open the door to access it then check fuse #25 that's the A/C - blower motor if that's ok the only other thing is the resistor on the blower top, check the fuse first then let us know and ill paint the diagnostic on how to fix the problem

 

Hi - thanks for that, the fuse looks OK (I was out there with the handbook in one hand and a torch in the other last nght)

 

Torch...at first I thought you were from a South American Jungle tribe, but I see you are from the UK. My mistake.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the help, finally sorted out what was wrong. I had a word with one of the technicians at my local dealership. He reckoned that as it wasn't working at any speed it was the motor that had packed in. Apparently they see a fair bit of it as the bearings tend to stick on cars of mines vintage. He advised me to check by giving the bottom of the glovebox a good whack when the motor was failing, if the jarring to the motor made it work it was definately the bearings. I did and it did but I wasn't prepared to pay the £200+ the dealership wanted for the fan so I got the same thing from EuroCarParts for half the price. It was a pretty easy job to replce so everything now is working fine and I can get rid of the ice on my windscreen in the morning, Happy Days!!!!.

And to mnaudi, next time I visit the Amazon I'll pick up a torch for you