A/C Fans Don't turn on

[jordantii]

Originally Posted by svoras

I now have contracted the Resistor Pack Problem. Ron Mann at Lotus USA said that Lotus USA intends to do nothing for people with out of Warranty cars. The guy is very arrogant, and obviously cares nothing about customer service. Here is my take on this problem:

1) It is a serious design flaw and certainly should have been predicted up front, especially in a country with weather the likes of England.
2) It is the sort of problem that takes time to develop, 3 years and 1 day seems to be the beginning point…..
3) The design of the car puts a $150.00 electronic component deep down a hole that takes $2000.00 of labor and A/C work requiring special tools and knowledge to access/replace making this a difficult fix for those of us that can work on our own things. I have a car lift and a full machine shop in my hanger here at the house, but I am contemplating taking it to the dealer because of the A/C work. That sucks.

I have called the safety hotline as others have. Here in Florida, a car without a blower for the defroster can be dangerous in a heavy rain. I almost wrecked an MG once for that exact reason, became IFR. I really think Lotus should help those of us that have had this problem. There are very extenuating circumstances with this one that fall within Lotus’s responsibility.

I tend to agree with you. Considering that Lotus issued a TSB in an attempt to prevent this from happening. It is obvious that the fix for drilling holes under the car did not prevent this from happening. My car has the same problem and it happened 40 days out of warranty. I too called Lotus and explained that they should take some responsibility for this since they KNEW it was a faulty design and a faulty part. This is evidenced in the issuing of a TSB and an upgraded part.

I have been caught in the rain with no HVAC blowers and have to pull over since I am unable to see out the windows. It is worse for us here in FL since it rains all the time.

I guess the next logical step, if Lotus is not going to lend a hand for those out of warranty, is to start complaining to the NTSB and have them investigate.

Unfortunately Lotus is taking the hard line on this, which I understand from a financial point of view. I suspect they anticipate more failures in the future and do not want to set a precedent.

I am going to call Lotus one last time and see what hey say. Otherwise we will have to take alternate routes.

I suggest starting another thread and find out how many cars either have this problem or had it and had it fixed. I am pretty sure the number will be sufficient to get the attention of someone.

This is the text from the TSB:

To minimise the retention of rain water in the chassis compartment housing the heating, ventila-
tion and a.c. (HVAC) system and reduce the potential for corrosion of housed components, it is
recommended to drill a drain hole in each corner of this compartment at the next opportunity on all
cars fitted with HVAC systems incorporating face level vents .

[TheViper]

Here it is:

[svoras]

As it turns out, the holes were drilled in my car June 07. I guess this is good evidence that the hole fix did not work. But hey, I guess it made it look like they were trying to do something, at least till the warranties were out.....
Also, I came across another TSB showing an extended gutter panel to prevent water from flowing into the fan/flapper area. My car was never fitted with it nor was I offered to have this done.

I found a shop 1/4 mile from my house that will evacuate the R134a and refill when I am done. I think I am tending toward that option, short drive without the front clam. $300.00 fix instead of $2000.00. Plus I get to know the insides intimately.

jordantii: have you been discussing this with Scott Macdonald at lotus here in the Bay area? He mentioned someone else fighting this with lotus.

[jordantii]

Originally Posted by svoras

As it turns out, the holes were drilled in my car June 07. I guess this is good evidence that the hole fix did not work. But hey, I guess it made it look like they were trying to do something, at least till the warranties were out.....
Also, I came across another TSB showing an extended gutter panel to prevent water from flowing into the fan/flapper area. My car was never fitted with it nor was I offered to have this done.

I found a shop 1/4 mile from my house that will evacuate the R134a and refill when I am done. I think I am tending toward that option, short drive without the front clam. $300.00 fix instead of $2000.00. Plus I get to know the insides intimately.

jordantii: have you been discussing this with Scott Macdonald at lotus here in the Bay area? He mentioned someone else fighting this with lotus.

Yes I have been talking with Scott. His hands are tied. I would not call it fighting. I just disagree with the stance Lotus is taking. They knew that this part corrodes. Only a matter of time and water.

I looked that the complaints on the NTSB site and there is only one on file. We need to have more than that for them to look into it. I wish Lotus would at least make some sort of gesture and acknowledge the problem and help provide a solution.

I am willing to contribute to the repair and would rather have the dealer do it. The AC pipes can get damaged when removed. I have no doubt that I can do the repair but if there are any problems I don't want to get stuck.

Let me know if you are going to do the repair yourself. I wouldn't mind doing my car at the same time.

Best,

Jordan

[svoras]

Jordan,

I am waiting for Scott to get back to me on whether the parts I need are in stock. I am on vacation this week, so if the parts are in stock, I think I am going to do it. As stated before, I have a shop that will evac and refill 1/4 mile from my house so I can drive it over with the clam removed.

Steve

[svoras]

I got the parts to fix my resistor pack today. Did not come with any instructions and dealer did not know of any available TSB or instructions.....
Anyone know if a TSB for install of this kit exist? Could not find on Lotustech site.

[svoras]

Jordan, anyone else interested,

Completed repair of resistor pack. It was really obvious where all the parts and bits went. I found that one of the connectors from the fan to the resistor pack had gotten so hot that the plastic cover on the spade connector was melted and burnt to black. This could have started a fire I suppose. I took the car (with front clam removed) to local shop to remove
134a. Got back home at 9:30 or 10:00 AM and had everything back together by 3:00 PM. Took it back to the local shop for recharge and all worked fine. Still have to put clam on, have been out of town. I would estimate the repair will have taken 8 hours total. Dealer says 10 hours... Oh, and I took lots of time to clean everything as I went and make everything perfect.
I took pictures, I will post later when i have time. Jordan, give me a call if you have questions or want more detail on what it took to do this.

[PatrickShim]

Just found this thread.

I am having this problem. My interior fan died, but A/C compressor was working. My fan didn't work for days, and now it works fine. Actually blows better than before. I do have the drain holes, though.

The car is going back to the dealer soon.

[rob13572468]

I outlined the repair method for the resistor pack in this thread in case anyone is interested:

DIY Blower Motor Resistor Pack Replacement