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Good evening everyone! I have an almost all original 1985 XJS. Got it running a couple of months ago and am slowly working in it. I recently noticed the blowers were not working. Days after that I turned the heat and an odorless smoke came from under the dash so I turned it off. Today I opened up all the fuse boxes to clean and this is how I found in the a/c 50A fuse!!!! Should I just replace with the extra fuse in the fuse cover? What does this mean? Anything else I should do?? Thank you so much!!
Last edited by Jaesteban; Feb 7, 2020 at 10:51 PM.
As Doug said, AND, pay close attention to the 4 prongs in the fuse box that secure that fuse.
I have had many over the years where those prongs have gone "soft", and no longer hold that fuse "nice and tight". If that fuse, or any other for that matter, are NOT held tight by their prongs, they will heat up, and the higher the amp reading, the HOTTER they get.
My XJS had the fuse box melted at that fuse, so I replaced it with a 40amp thermo breaker, and rewired accordingly.
Perhaps the fans are locked up and put a TON of load on the fuse... If I were you before putting in a new fuse and sending power to motors that aren't spinning I would try to get something on them,,,, a long screwdriver on the blades,,,, and get them turning and unstuck... Lots and lots of heat builds and you can burn motors that are getting juice but not spinning...
Perhaps the fans are locked up and put a TON of load on the fuse... If I were you before putting in a new fuse and sending power to motors that aren't spinning I would try to get something on them,,,, a long screwdriver on the blades,,,, and get them turning and unstuck... Lots and lots of heat builds and you can burn motors that are getting juice but not spinning...
That’s what I had thought! How do I get to the blades??
How can I get to the blower blades to move them and make sure they’re not stuck? Thanks!!
It's going to sound bad,,, but it's not as bad as it sounds... And this is from memory... I would hold off a bit to see if anyone follows up to point out a better way...
Remove the glove box door. Remove the liner of the glove box. Keep stuff in order. Remove a couple of bolts from the fuse box/rail carrier and I think a bracket that holds the cruise module - and stuff... From there, looking up under the dash you will see the housing for the fan and a healthy blue tubing set that feeds the venting... you'll recognize the blower.
From there it is on you (because I can't recall exactly) to find a way to get a prod in there and go around and spin the fans and their motors... I think there will be a door flap that is for the recirculation function. Carefully lift that door or mess around with the HVAC controls until it opens. Thing is,,, fans are not spinning so even if the HVAC is set to low or high, with no fuse, blowers should NOT be spinning. After you do turn them manually a bit,,, put in a fuse and see what happens.
That would be my approach.
Brother.... YouTube is your friend here. Then Google searches that will give you some images of what's going on with the blower systems
I dont disagree, but any of these with iffy fans usually blow that fuse ZAP.
Memory, HAHAHA, I reckon if you reach up below the unit, on each side, and manually open the recirculate flap, I THINK you can reach in and spin the fans???, but it 30 years ago I messed with a S2 (same) heater unit, and the fans were fine, just that melted fuse thingy.
If it were mine, and I found that mess, I would clean it up, ensure the 4 prongs are sound, fit a new fuse, and see what happens. It is usually the simple things first.
I would NOT rip fan motors etc out unless it as a last resort, that Blue trunk is a 12 beer refit on each side, and 12 beers is a MONGREL task allocation.
Greg in France has just done it, and the language via the BatPhone is still audible.
I'm not in front of mine (shes FINALLY at the shop getting the exhaust sured up) so I can't get a look under the dash to see if there is an easy way to get to the spinner/fan - like a mouse wheel - to turn it... Like Grant suggested,,, I think there is a way to reach in thru the flap and turn it manually.... But hell yes,,, clean things up and test the OE fuse and wiring first. See what happens.
A/C 50A fuse
