Final Stage Resistor fix DIY

[Cash]

Pardon my ignorance but where exactly is this FSR located?

[HEISING]

In my X5, it's located in the passenger footwell, above the tranny tunnel, against the firewall.

[Cash]

Thanks for replying!

[liurad]

Blower dead. Replaced FSU and still dead. Finally reached the blower wheel/blades with a stick and freed the seized wheel/blades and blower came back the life. The wheel is located inside the housing of the FSU.

[jnason]

2003 X5 Blower was pulsing on/off after ignition key was turned off. Dealer wanted $190 before tax for a new FSR. I followed your instructions and after a total repair time of about 2 hours, it appears to work fine. Removing the potting compound was a challenge, but it comes off with care and patience.

Thanks for a well documented DIY fixit.

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by Weasel

Good tip, and it should get most of these FSR's back working. The only issue I see is that it can't fix the original cause if the issue which is the inefficient heat sink spikes which let too much heat build up in the unit. The new FSR units are an updated design with more efficient heat sinks to prevent the solder joints from getting heat damaged.

Do you (or another member) have a link for the updated FSR unit, with the updated and improved design?

I think I'll order an updated unit, and just swap my proactively...



--Scott

[Clockwork]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

Do you (or another member) have a link for the updated FSR unit, with the updated and improved design?

I think I'll order an updated unit, and just swap my proactively...



--Scott

Save some money and order from Rockauto.com
its called a Blower Motor Control Module/Resistor in their catalogue and there are many prices/brands. I bought the Valeo myself last year (though it was only $60 I believe then).

But the Hella brand sells for just $37. So thats nice and cheap

[ScottJ]

Originally Posted by trader4

You should be able to find the part number on RealOem. They've
been making the improved version for many years now, it's not
recent. But they are problematic too. If I had any one that was
working, I sure wouldn't be shelling out $$ to replace it.

One tip with these. They rely on being housed right next to the
blower where the blower air passes over the heat sink fins.
When I replaced mine, I tried to test it, to make sure it works,
with it just hanging down, instead of mounted. I didn't realize
that where it goes, the heat sink fins wind up in the air stream.
If you test it hanging, it will work fine at high speed. If you
slow it to low speed, it gets too hot without the air and will
start to malfunction. So, it's OK to test it for 30 secs or so
like that, but don't run it much longer. Also, if you ever start
to have any issues with yours, remember that it gets hotter
when it runs at less than full speed, so if it's acting up, you
may get it to run better at full speed.

Noted, and thanks for the info and advice! I believe I'll shelf the info, and pursue a repair if mine faults in the future. I'm sure the newer replacement units are all the updated (improved) heat-sink design anyway.



--Scott