AC Blower

[mpgerber]

Hi All,

Newbie here. Bought Outback last year (owned now 12 mos). 2002 Subaru Outback wagon, 6 cyl, 100k+ miles.

The AC blower has stopped working (a week ago). Fuses and relays appear ok. Dealer service tech is claiming that the "computer" controlling the AC needs replaced....$1,200 parts and labor. He claims that the after-market alarm system was poorly installed, and may have destroyed the computer. As an aside - the alarm has been malfunctioning of late (4 months ago) - arming itself 5 minutes after the doors are closed when we neither lock the doors nor arm with the fob. Does this sound like a good diagnosis? A good price? The "automatic" AC controls in this vehicle are silly when they do work. I'd hate to drop that much cash to get it back, however, we need the AC.

Many thanks, Milo

[plain OM]

I'd look for another opinion. That's a lot of money. How did the tech come to that conclusion? What tests were run to eliminate other possibilities, such as the fan motor, fan relay or the blower motor control transistor? Also, does the fan work when you set the controls for heat only, not AC?

If the car worked for 12 months since you bought it, and presumably for years before, without a problem, then why would the alarm system all of a sudden cause the HVAC control to fail? There's no logical connection between them, and if the alarm had been wired incorrectly into the AC control, it more likely would caused a failure almost immediately.

This doesn't necessarily mean that it can't be the control unit, but, again, for that, I'd want to be sure.

[mpgerber]

Thanks OM. By the end of the day and $400 later the dealer tech discovered "a paperclip in the cigarette lighter" that was causing blower to not work. Blower does work now. Seems the paperclip was the problem but the tech supervisor was still insisting a problem with the security system. I'm going to do a separate post of that.

Thanks again for your advice.

Milo

Originally Posted by plain OM

I'd look for another opinion. That's a lot of money. How did the tech come to that conclusion? What tests were run to eliminate other possibilities, such as the fan motor, fan relay or the blower motor control transistor? Also, does the fan work when you set the controls for heat only, not AC?

If the car worked for 12 months since you bought it, and presumably for years before, without a problem, then why would the alarm system all of a sudden cause the HVAC control to fail? There's no logical connection between them, and if the alarm had been wired incorrectly into the AC control, it more likely would caused a failure almost immediately.

This doesn't necessarily mean that it can't be the control unit, but, again, for that, I'd want to be sure.

[driveby]

paperclip in lighter = absolute bullsh*t

If you paid by credit card, call the cc company to cancel that charge.
If you paid by check, call the bank to stop payment on that check.

Then call the dealership manager, tell them what happened, and tell them you will report them to the BBB if they give you any hassle.


-Jeff

[plain OM]

According to the 2002 wiring diagrams, the front accessory power outlet is powered through the same 20 Amp fuse as the auto air conditioner control module, and there lies the "connection".

The earlier statement that all the fuses and relays are okay was misleading. A paperclip in the outlet could short it, blowing the fuse, and thereby disable the control module. The module gets its power from no less than four different power circuits (fuses or relays), so it's quite possible for the module to appear to be "on" (lights etc) but the fan control portion was not working.

This is one of those situations where, in retrospect, it could have happened to anyone. But, it also suggests that the technician did not initially identify all the fuses and relays related to the fan and the control module and test them properly.

[driveby]

Again...paperclip in lighter = absolute bullsh*t.

Why?

1) The first thing any trained tech would do for a non-functional blower, is to check all the fuses and relays. So they would have caught a blown fuse in less than 5 minutes. None of that "computer destroyed by alarm system" or other mumbo jumbo.

2) Try to short your lighter with a paper clip, go ahead, I dare you. This is not something you can do "by accident" with a paper clip.

mpgerber, I think you need to call BS on that service department and see how they respond. Most likely you need to stop payment and report the shop to BBB & Yelp & forums like this one.

Unless...someone intentionally shorted your lighter socket, and you told the service department that you had already checked all the fuses...

-Jeff