Unnacountably.. this mornign my heater fan was working!
I thought it was another of the damaged ones.
There was a noise in the car like a tiny wounded cow was giving birth under the dashboard so I started turning switches on and off and sure enough, the fan works when the little cow moo's!
Can anybody tell me why a little cow mooing makes the heater fan spin?
Do relays normally moo if they are dying?

Im very excited about this heater fan working, and would like to rectify the intermittant noise issue so the fan can be turned on when I want it to be, not just when the little cow feels so inclined.
:liebe011:

could it be your cage binding up? or the fan motor bearings shrinking in the cooler weather allowing for today's function

mine sounds like a hamster being prodded with a sharp stick

Oh, man!
It would be an enormous disapointment to me if it was just eh bearings shrinking due to cold weather.
Umm.. weird tho.. it wasnt cold... I live at the beach and it rarely drops below 10degrees in winter.
Could a relay not make a strange noise as the micro switch cuts in and shuts off like 100 times per second?

look under car and see if any milk

Got Milk?
No.
But I checked here again and plenty of bull. :thumbsup:

Ack! My heater fan stated making this same blood-curdling noise yesterday too! Anyone have any ideas what it might be before I start ripping apart my entire ducting system?

Thanks in advance!

everyone seems to think it is the relay
I havent replaced mine.
I dont think ill bother.
Just got thru winter without getting cold.
:460:
Then again... I dont live in the land of the freezing white cloud, tho

Har har har! Yeah, well, you're kind of right I guess, as without the fan it tends to be ol' misty inside... What relay are you referring to, though?

EDIT: After now taking apart a large amount of Volvo, I have done some testing and am also of the opinion that the problem is with some relay or switch, as opposed to the motor itself--mainly becuse of the fact that I can turn the stupid fan on-and-off a bunch, and sometimes it will kick in just fine, blowing plenty of air quietly enough.

So, the question remains, where is the relay that people are referring to? Is there any way I con do this without first removing the entire dash and the black covers on the side(s) of the fan? Oh please let the answer be yes...

Check out these.
http://www.volvo-forums.com/t8187-fan-motor-off-position.htm
http://www.volvo-forums.com/t8135-more-hea...trol-issues.htm

I dont know whiere the relay is because I just couldnt be bothered. I dont need the fuss.
Your problem is identicle to mine, tho.
Some times.. the heater does work.
Let me know when you have it sorted and i will copy you~!

Hey guys,

Relays for blower (for A/C and heater) is located just behind the control panel. It is on the right hand side - attached to a support member just behind and to the right of the a/c on/off & thermostat switch. (The relay is ITEM D in the attached pic.)

LEGEND for Pic:

A Ignition switch
B Thermostat switch
C Ground connection
D Relay
E Compressor solenoid
F Pressure sensor
G Solenoid valve
H Fusebox
J Microswitch

Many of the 1980 vintage relays used in Volvos for a/c and heater, automatic transmission overdrive, fuel pump, etc. had v-e-r-y poor solder joints within the relay. After years of service these solder connections get hot and an "open" is created. You can either put in a new relay or some have had success in opening the relay and resoldering the connections.

Not sure if this is the problem - just wanted to let you know where the realy is on a 1989 244.

Swinging Beef,

Another item to check is where all the wires connect to the electrical connection on the back side of the blower speed switch. The wires (5, 6, or ?? of them) connect to the back side of the blower switch. Each of the wires has a metal connector which can be pulled out of the female connection for the switch. If the wires (and their metal connector) are pulled out a bit, they do not make a good connection with the blower speed switch. Make sure they are ALL pushed very solidly into the backside of the female connector.

Nice picture, thanks! I saw that relay yesterday when I had everything apart, but need to go back to work today, so I guess that's now a weekend project... Oh well, that one is easy enough to get to though--I just hope that's the problem, as I have the equipment to re-buid it, and I *love* free repairs!

Cheers!

I believe I have the same exact problem.... was intermittant all winter, thought it was just something that my mechanic bumped loose while banging around under the hood... then as the weather got colder (and today extremely cold!) it has gotten constant and much louder.... the hyperactive hampster on a squeaky wheel.... gets worse when i turn the fan up...

do you think it could be the fan bearning needs greased (or replaced)?
Where would i start looking in the dash to fix this?

Ahhh -you guys are killing me! That was funny. Mine was doing the same noise when I bought it and the fan finally quit. Sorry to tell you but it seems to be a problem with these cars. That is why Volvo has changed to a different fan manufacturer. I had to change the fan motor, the switch and resistor. Not to mention taking a weekend off of housework to do it -yay! Now it's as quiet as a mouse and blows like the girls downtown -ooooh bad one. There is no relay for the fan motor. There is a relay to control the ac unit though. They are wired direct from the fan switch to the motor.
thx guys I needed a laugh -Troy

Well I'm glad you got a kick out of it.... as it stands for me though, I reassessed the sound... and decided it sounds more like a demonic hand mixer. Guess I gotta just make due without forced heat for the rest of the winter.....

My father's heater core has probably failed and is leaking coolant... so i suggest that replacing the volvo heater core should fix your problem...thats it..it fixed then.. :)

If you need another laugh, the previous owner of my 245 had kids who must have pushed coins through the A/C vents. Maybe they thought it would bring them luck... <_< Anyway when the fan is at '4' you can hear the jingle of the legal tender. At some point, I will have to strip down the ducts to retreive them, but I've been procrastinating on that. This means I have to basically strip the whole dash - correct? :wacko: