Replaced blower motor, now speeds are slow.

Hey all.

So the OEM blower motor in my '06 died last week. So, picked up a new one from the parts store (Continental). Now, it seems as though the fan should have 1 more speed, like "HI" isn't really. Is this a resistor thing, or should I look somewhere else?

The way the fan died is that it slowed down on the "HI" setting, until stopping. Turn the speed control switch off for a few seconds, and you could squeeze another 30 seconds or so of speed. I really don't feel like spending an hour in the passenger footwell right now, it's -20*C.

Am I looking at a relay, or resistor or something else? Most of the threads I've read are either dead ends, or lead to replacing the motor, which I did.

Thanks.

 

Are you saying speeds 1, 2, and 3 work fine.
But Hi is “slow”.

Or is it that ALL speeds are slow?

 

All 3 speeds are slower. Like 1 - I exhale harder. HI seems to be what 2 should be.

 

Unfortunately, you’re going to need to get back in the footwell.
It sounds like you have a resistance issue. But I wouldn’t condemn the resistor.
The resistor plays no role in the Hi speed.

If you want, you could study the guide in the link below and get familiar with the system.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-information-diagnostics.784008/#post-28042158

 

Crap! Well, thanks. Going to have to wait for a warmup though. I do appreciate the homework.

 

Was the new blower a direct fit?
Or was it the type you have to cut and splice the wires?

If it was cut and splice, maybe it’s blowing backwards?

 

Direct fit. There is air coming out of the vents, just not what should be. We have a warmup in a couple days, I’ll live with it until I can crawl back under there. The OE blower didn’t want to let go of the plug, and I had to wiggle and pull a little with the wires. Wondering if, after 17 years, the high amp wiring was a little too fragile.

 

I had an issue where my blower motor was occasionally not turning on. When it did occasionally turn on, full speed was all that worked. I believe it also had a low speed issue in other speeds. Either way, I think they recommend replacing both the resistor and the blower motor at the same time. I bought cheap chinesium and it sounds horrible and is only about 80% as powerful as the OEM, but it works. I've also heard there are fake Toyota OEM parts being sold out there, so hopefully that isn't your blower issue.

Point being, the resistor is a good start.

 

High bypasses the resistor completely so the resistor wouldn't affect the high speed setting, I suspect either the fan is running backwards or there is high resistance in the circuit.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-information-diagnostics.784008/#post-28042158

 

Okay, reading the diagnostics again, and something got me. How do I tell if the blower is running backwards? I assume drop it, and see which way it turns? If so, which is which clockwise or counterclockwise?

 

if you didnt get an OEM blower motor, you may just have a knock off blower that just doesnt spin the same RPMs as the OEM one. If you didnt cut and splice wires, and used the OEM plug, it CANT run in reverse. My guess is you have just a "weaker" motor that doesnt spin as fast as the OEM one did. OR you didnt install the blower correctly and have an air leak around the housing.

 

There's typically an arrow on the blower wheel indicating the direction it's designed to run, make sure it is running in that direction.

 

This I’ll check. Less work to see if there’s a leak.

If there’s no leak, I’ll check this next. I’ll inspect the plug while I’m in there — again!

 

Check your voltage across the 2 terminals of the blower connector with it plugged in and the blower on high, it should be within about 0.5v of battery voltage. If your voltage is good there then you either have a crappy motor, it's running backwards, or there's a restriction in the HVAC system.

 

*UPDATE*
So, went through the troubleshooting given to me here.
- Leaks? None
- Voltage? 14.2 with engine running
- Visibly inspect wiring? Looks good.
- Drop the fan, spinning the right way.

Obstruction? Sure. The cheap Amazon filter was slowing airflow so much it barely worked. When I’m at the dealer next, I’ll get another one.

Thanks @TnShooter @Dm93

 

That was easy enough.
Good to hear you got it figured out.