AC/Heater Blower Dead

[Vindicator]

I got in my 2001 yesterday after work and the blower for the AC/Heater would not blow. Tried all settings, defrost, econ on/econ off, auto, inside air, outside air, heat, cool.......nothing. When I got home I checked every single fuse in the car, checked every single relay under the hood, disassembled the dash to make sure all plugs were seated ok. I am out of ideas...can anyone offer some insight on my Insight? THX

[Willie Williford]

You can do a Blink code test for trouble shooting, but I don't remember the exact steps. It has been posted her before.
I'll have to check my shop manual.

Willie

[InsightfulMeasures]

Vindicator,

It sounds to me like your blower motor has taken a dive on your '01 Insight. I would recommend taking your car to a reputable Honda garage that specializes in working on Insights.

Alternatively, you could opt to perform the work yourself. If you decide to go down that route, I've posted up the procedure on replacing the blower unit on an Insight


1) Disable the IMA system before embarking on this procedure.

2) Disconnect the negative battery cable and wait for 3 minutes.

3) On vehicles with air conditioning, remove the evaporator, as follows:
Recover the refrigerant, as outlined earlier in this section.
Remove the bolt, then disconnect the suction line and receiver line from the evaporator.
Remove the glove box and the center lower cover.


**Glovebox removal**

• Remove the plastic cross brace, then remove the glove box frame.
• Disconnect the connector from the evaporator temperature sensor, then remove the wire harness. Remove the drain hose, the self tapping screws, the mounting bolts and the evaporator.

4) On vehicles without air conditioning, remove the heater duct, as follows:

• Remove the glove box and the center lower cover.
• Remove the bolts and the glove box frame.
• Remove the wire harness from the heater duct, then remove the self tapping screws and the heater duct.

5) Disconnect the connectors (A) from the blower motor, the blower motor high relay, the power transistor and the recirculation control motor, the remove the wire harness clip (B). Remove the mounting bolts, nut and blower unit (C).


** Blower unit (C), harness clip (B) and connectors (A)**

6) Remove the blower motor assembly.


*diagram courtesy of hondapartsnow.com

-Installation-

1) Installation is the reverse of the removal procedure. Note the following:

• Tighten the blower unit retainers to 7.2 ft. lbs. (9.8 Nm).
• Tighten the evaporator retainers to 7.2 ft. lbs. (9.8 Nm).
• If installing a new evaporator, add the proper amount of refrigerant oil. Make sure to use new O-rings. Make sure there is no air leakage.
• Charge the A/C system.

Warning: Always cap the refrigerant container immediately after using to avoid moisture from being absorbed. Do not spill refrigerant oil on the vehicle’s painted surfaces, as it may damage the paint.

[Eli]

Yikes! Always start simple. It's possible that the connector has just come loose.

In either case, I don't think it's necessary to discharge the A/C system and all that just to replace the blower. Could be wrong though? I thought the blower motor was easily accessible due to some posts I've seen lately regarding removing debris from it though.

[Willie Williford]

I agree, why do brain surgery when all you need is a haircut.

Willie

[jeff652]

Correct. Remove the glove box and then remove JUST the blower motor. Takes about 5 minutes total to get it out. You can jump it straight to the battery to test it's operation. There are tons of these on eBay though so I assume it's a common failure . . .

[AbCaRed00]

The glove box need not be removed as I recall.
Click for pic.
A ratchet with short extension works well to remove the three 8mm headed screws and remove the blower from a 1G.
The blower motor and fan assembly drops straight down and electrical connection unplugs.

Leaves can collect in the squirrel cage fan especially in autumn.

[gilbertguy]

Pull the motor it should be easy and you will also be able to make sure it spins smoothly and that the motor bearings aren't froozen. Do you have a volt meter? If you do check for continuity through the motor, if you have an open circuit the motor is bad. If motor checks good next start the car and turn the fan to max, set your volt meter to read DC and check the voltage at the connector, you should see 12VDC, if there is no voltage then you have something wrong on the control or power side of it. Let us know what you find.

[Vindicator]

Thanks, will try checking the blower this weekend......I will certainly give the haircut route a try first, but I cannot say thanks enough for the "Official" proceedure and the exploded drawings view.....this will be extremely helpful to be able to see what to look for and so forth.....thanks for all the ideas everyone!