A/C Fans Don't turn on

[robains]

Front clam removal is at most 1 hr (probably less). The $1900 is just greed and toss in the fact you're a Lotus owner and hence have money (Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, etc. they all bend you over).

I honestly don't think you'll make any legal grounds using the "safety issue" angle. I think you'd have more potential success if you find out if the TSB (which this is) even requires a warranty. Some TSB MUST be covered regardless of in/out of warranty or if they present a safety issue.

Contact Lotus direct not a dealer, don't spend the money on a lawyer either.

[charliex]

I'd talk to lotus more about it, rather than having the NHTSA force a recall, that'd be bad.

[MartyWit]

I'm doing the resistor job right now on my car that has been out of warranty 3 months. It's not really that hard, just tedious. My problem is that the threads on the condenser got buggered just by unscrewing the fittings. It's like they were over torqued by the factory; they were seriously tight, and there's no indication of corrosion between the steel nut and aluminum fitting. It so far has cost the price of the resistor replacement kit, a couple rethreading dies, and an aluminum repair welding rod kit, ~$300 total. I hope to be back on the road this weekend. At least partial reimbursement from Lotus would make me happy.

Martin
05 KG Elise

[Scott]

This may sound like a silly question, but has anyone tried bypassing the corroded resister pack and reinstalling a new one under the dash? I would think this could all be done without even having to touch the one up front. Just snip the appropriate fan and power wires at the switch, and install resisters. There would be plenty of room to mount the pack under the dash AND there would be little chance of it corroding there.

[TheViper]

Can't be bypassed without accessing the existing one. The reason is that the wire that runs between the resistor pack and the blower is a very short wire that is inaccessible. I had thought of this option myself and then discovered the problem .

Originally Posted by Scott

This may sound like a silly question, but has anyone tried bypassing the corroded resister pack and reinstalling a new one under the dash? I would think this could all be done without even having to touch the one up front. Just snip the appropriate fan and power wires at the switch, and install resisters. There would be plenty of room to mount the pack under the dash AND there would be little chance of it corroding there.

[imoz]

My Exige, which I am trying to sell, has this problem. Its definitely the resistor pack. The same trick as posted a couple pages back in this thread, dumping a bucket of water down the front of the car, used to work for me to get it working again

Anyway, I've had a number of guys interested in the car but bugging out because they perceive that the cost of this repair is going to be extreme.

If I don't find any takers soon, I think I am going to try to trade in as is. If that doesn't work, then I think I am going to have to do the job myself. Getting the car to/from a dealer is not going to work, at least not anytime in the near future, with my schedule a new house and a baby. Someone other than myself, with different life circumstances / easier access to the dealer, could probably have this taken care of pretty easily.

I've got a ton of tools. What I'm unsure of is, do the AC lines have to be physically removed, or can they simply be pushed out of the way? I do not own a device for "recovering the refrigerant" What is involved in this step? Can the shadetree mechanic rent a machine without an EPA license? And following the repair, how do you reload the refrigerant into the AC system? This is really the only part of this repair that concerns me. The rest does not appear to be very difficult. I replaced the subframe bushings once in an old BMW by myself, this can't possibly be harder than that

[imoz]

Need input.....

[TheViper]

The clam has to be removed as well as most of the nose located HVAC system. The blower motor has to be removed to access the resistor pack on the underside. This is a photo of the resistor pack & blower.
Cheers,
Michael

[glb]

viper,

You, sir, are a treasured resource here.


And, fast: I never get to answer

Really, tho, terrific work. Thank you!

[TheViper]

I just have an addiction for knowledge, maybe I need a 12 step program Anyway, thank you for your very kind words, and say hello to Succasunna for me.
Cheers,
Michael

Originally Posted by glb

viper,

You, sir, are a treasured resource here.


And, fast: I never get to answer

Really, tho, terrific work. Thank you!

[imoz]

Thanks for the response! Hmmm...I'm not too afraid of the disassembly and reassembly, but I've never touched refrigerant before and that part scares me :-) If most of the hvac system has to be removed, then I suppose there is no avoiding dealing with the refrigerant. Is that as simple as just buying a device to do it?

[TheViper]

I believe only a licensed tech can do it, but I may be wrong.
michael

Originally Posted by imoz

Thanks for the response! Hmmm...I'm not too afraid of the disassembly and reassembly, but I've never touched refrigerant before and that part scares me :-) If most of the hvac system has to be removed, then I suppose there is no avoiding dealing with the refrigerant. Is that as simple as just buying a device to do it?

[imoz]

So here's my question, if it requires a licensed tech to do it, how are you other guys doing this repair on your own???

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by imoz

So here's my question, if it requires a licensed tech to do it, how are you other guys doing this repair on your own???

Anyone can buy the equipment and supplies to recharge an AC system (with the exception of old style R-12 "Freon"). The catch is that it is not legal to vent the AC system to the atmosphere (you have to capture it and recycle the gases). I've got all the gear to charge up a system because I needed to repair a broken system and it was cheaper to buy everything than it was to pay someone to to the work - but the system had already leaked the gases...

[imoz]

I see Harbor Freight has a vacuum pump and manifold gauges on sale pretty cheap. What could I connect the vacuum pump to to collect the gases? Could I just run a tube into a soda bottle or something?

[Dragon]

My blower fan also completely quit all at once a few days ago... I tried looking for the resistor pack part number on Lotus Garage and couldn't find it. However I did find this... Is part #6 the correct one?

Lotus Garage - Horn, Inertia Switch, Fuses & Relays

[407Driver]

Originally Posted by Dragon

My blower fan also completely quit all at once a few days ago... I tried looking for the resistor pack part number on Lotus Garage and couldn't find it. However I did find this... Is part #6 the correct one?

Lotus Garage - Horn, Inertia Switch, Fuses & Relays

Negative Dragon, That is the cooling fan controller, has nothing to do with cabin air. Viper posted a photo of the part in post #68, its the small corroded box with all the wires. Lotus Garage does list the resistor pack but the picture is not that great

Lotus Garage - AC Interior Blower Motor

[Dragon]

Originally Posted by 407Driver

Negative Dragon, That is the cooling fan controller, has nothing to do with cabin air. Viper posted a photo of the part in post #68, its the small corroded box with all the wires. Lotus Garage does list the resistor pack but the picture is not that great

Lotus Garage - AC Interior Blower Motor

Thanks for the link... I tried searching for the part number Viper posted, but the site couldn't find it for some reason... It's on order now, so I hope they have them in stock... Looks like it's time for an aluminum radiator and a brake upgrade while the clams off...

[TheViper]

The resistor pack needs to be relocated to a less wet location to avoid a repeat.
Michael

Originally Posted by Dragon

Thanks for the link... I tried searching for the part number Viper posted, but the site couldn't find it for some reason... It's on order now, so I hope they have them in stock... Looks like it's time for an aluminum radiator and a brake upgrade while the clams off...

[bbb]

Correct, it is part 02 in the link below. This is the resisitor kit that also relocates the Resistor at the same time.

I bought mine from Elise Shop..
Heater fan resistor replacement package (Elise S2) [A120P0148S] - €104.99 : Elise Shop, Performance parts for your Lotus Elise

Their website actually shows what the kit looks like....

Originally Posted by 407Driver

Lotus Garage does list the resistor pack but the picture is not that great

Lotus Garage - AC Interior Blower Motor