firejackal
02-17-2015, 04:10 PM
DIY Blower Resistor Pack
I don't know how many of us has a blown resistor pack for the blower fan, but I got tired of the "high setting" because of how loud it was.
Since I like DIY work and I was weighing the options between an aftermarket unit verses making my own, I decided that making my own would of came out to be a little cheaper.
This way isn't original (I found it on a VW site) but it works, and since I didn't see a thread on here covering this I decided to write one up.
I did this on my S14 but I'm sure it would work on the earlier models too. Just perhaps pin connections will be different.
Here is what the old resistor pack looked like:
http://i.imgur.com/PWj1jAt.jpg?1
Difficulty: 2
Parts Needed:
Some wire; red or black, I used 14 gauge.
3 Wirewound Resistors; 50W, 5% Tolerance. Each with different resistance for low, medium, and high.
4 male disconnect ends.
Tools Needed:
Soldering Gun/Iron
Wire Crimp Tool for the Disconnect Ends
Work:
I didn't know what resistance to buy, so I experimented, I bought 0.68ohms, 1.5ohms, and 3.3ohms.
0.68ohms was good for the 3rd fan speed setting. But 3.3ohms wasn't too great for the 1st fan speed setting, I would probably go with 2.0ohms next time.
This is my working mock-up, I will be later giving it a back plate and a case:
http://i.imgur.com/eh0hdES.jpg?1
Doesn't matter what side of the wirewound resistors we use.
So we'll call one side the front, and the other side the back.
The back side will be connected all together, this will be our positive, it goes to the bigger blue wire on the connector.
Now for the front, the front is the ground sides.
1st Fan Speed Setting is the blue/black wire, it will go to our highest resistance 3.3ohm resistor (like I said, perhaps use a 2.0ohm one instead.)
2nd Fan Speed Setting is the blue/yellow wire, it will go to our medium resistance 1.5ohm resistor.
3rd Fan Speed Setting is the blue/red wire, it will go to our least resistance 0.68ohms resistor.
Part Numbers
I bought the wirewound resistors from mouser.com.
0.68ohms 279-HSA50R68J $3.22
1.5ohms 279-HSA501R5J $3.55
3.3ohms 279-THS503R3J $2.53 <-- i bought this one cause the HSA version was out of stock.
Shipping was around $5.
So, $14.29 was my total cost.
I already had tons of wiring, solder wire, and a soldering gun so I didn't include those prices.
On a site like partsgeek.com their cheaper aftermarket unit costs $17.38 + $8.95 shipping. Then Autozone it is $24.99 plus whatever they charge for shipping.
Anyone feel free to add on to this, or to ask questions.
I don't know how many of us has a blown resistor pack for the blower fan, but I got tired of the "high setting" because of how loud it was.
Since I like DIY work and I was weighing the options between an aftermarket unit verses making my own, I decided that making my own would of came out to be a little cheaper.
This way isn't original (I found it on a VW site) but it works, and since I didn't see a thread on here covering this I decided to write one up.
I did this on my S14 but I'm sure it would work on the earlier models too. Just perhaps pin connections will be different.
Here is what the old resistor pack looked like:
http://i.imgur.com/PWj1jAt.jpg?1
Difficulty: 2
Parts Needed:
Some wire; red or black, I used 14 gauge.
3 Wirewound Resistors; 50W, 5% Tolerance. Each with different resistance for low, medium, and high.
4 male disconnect ends.
Tools Needed:
Soldering Gun/Iron
Wire Crimp Tool for the Disconnect Ends
Work:
I didn't know what resistance to buy, so I experimented, I bought 0.68ohms, 1.5ohms, and 3.3ohms.
0.68ohms was good for the 3rd fan speed setting. But 3.3ohms wasn't too great for the 1st fan speed setting, I would probably go with 2.0ohms next time.
This is my working mock-up, I will be later giving it a back plate and a case:
http://i.imgur.com/eh0hdES.jpg?1
Doesn't matter what side of the wirewound resistors we use.
So we'll call one side the front, and the other side the back.
The back side will be connected all together, this will be our positive, it goes to the bigger blue wire on the connector.
Now for the front, the front is the ground sides.
1st Fan Speed Setting is the blue/black wire, it will go to our highest resistance 3.3ohm resistor (like I said, perhaps use a 2.0ohm one instead.)
2nd Fan Speed Setting is the blue/yellow wire, it will go to our medium resistance 1.5ohm resistor.
3rd Fan Speed Setting is the blue/red wire, it will go to our least resistance 0.68ohms resistor.
Part Numbers
I bought the wirewound resistors from mouser.com.
0.68ohms 279-HSA50R68J $3.22
1.5ohms 279-HSA501R5J $3.55
3.3ohms 279-THS503R3J $2.53 <-- i bought this one cause the HSA version was out of stock.
Shipping was around $5.
So, $14.29 was my total cost.
I already had tons of wiring, solder wire, and a soldering gun so I didn't include those prices.
On a site like partsgeek.com their cheaper aftermarket unit costs $17.38 + $8.95 shipping. Then Autozone it is $24.99 plus whatever they charge for shipping.
Anyone feel free to add on to this, or to ask questions.