Solution To Flickering Fan Speed 2 Or 3 A/C PART 2

Weborific

Member
OK, so last year I found a solution to the flickering A/C light on certain fan speeds that worked for me and many others.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123678787

Basically, squeezing the contacts of the wires going to the fan speed with pliers solved my problem...for a while. The solution could last weeks, maybe months, then return. Well my problem came back this summer and taking 10 minutes to remove the bezel and squeeze the contacts worked...but then I decided to go all the way. I took everything apart and SOLDERED the wires to the fan switch. Now, I don't have ANY problems at all. I used to still get a slight flicker of the A/C light if I slowly turned the fan position switch between 2 and 3. This no longer occurs. The A/C light stays absolutely SOLID the moment the fan switch leaves position 0. I'm gonna post pics tonight or tomorrow. Hope this helps someone. Be cool....

EDIT:

OK, I just added the pics...
FIRST, make sure your key isn't in the ignition!!!
1) the switch
2) I cut the black housing to expose the male contacts
3) Plug-in the wires
4) Solder the wires. Make sure you heat the contacts properly (ESPECIALLY the male) or the solder won't stick properly! Use flux, it helps. This is very important.
5) Hot-glue the S**t out of the entire contacts. Let cool, then glue again. Make sure there aren't any contacts exposed.
6) shown below...wrap in electrical tape for good measure
 

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mine just started doing this...it seems to be it's the switch itself, not the connetctions??
 
i purchased a new switch from the dealer last year. didn't help. I don't know if the metal clips on the wires are too soft and come loose with vibration and temperature changes (expansion/contraction) or if the spacing of the male pins to the female plugs differ that causes them to lose contact with each other. In any case, I suggest cleaning the contacts and squeezing with pliers first.
 
What about a bit of dielectric grease on the contacts.. that might promote longer contact life...
 
I thought about the dielectric grease too but from all the crazy things I read in that last A/C thread, it sounds like it would only be a quick fix and problem would come back.

Interested in the soldering idea though as I've been ignoring my A/C problem for a couple years now. Summers are getting hotter though! Subscribing...
 
Thanks! I have to try this. How long has it been working for you so far?
 
So far...it's been working for 2 days. yup, a FULL 2 days.... hehehe. Tonight, the slight flicker between position 2 and 3 came back a couple of times. But the A/C light has not flickered at all during any position....
 
Do you just remove the fan speed cover, the connector and pull the switch out?
It starts doing this now, and it's really annoying. I will definitely try plier squeezing!!

Thanks

Josh
 
1) Remove the 3 knob selector switches by gently prying them off with a small flat-head screwdriver
2) You can reach-in to where the knobs were and pull-out the bezel
3) You can pull-out the top part of the bezel by sticking your fingers into where the vents are. Un-clip the wire harness for the hazard lights
4) You SHOULD un-clip the 2 cables that control the temperature and vent positions
5) You can un-clip the the wire harness at this point
6) if just squeezing with pliers, remove each wire individually from the harness and squeeze with pliers.
OTHERWISE...
7) you will need to remove the box that contains the switch from the bezel by un-screwing 4 screws. 1 on each side, 2 on the bottom if memory serves.
8) un-screw the 2 screws that hold the orange faceplate
9) un-screw the white plastic nut that holds the switch in place

Hope this helps....
 
I would expect a flicker between positions, just not when it's in a NUMBERED position. Thanks for the thread!
 
Helped a lot! I will try the plier method first, actually next time when I work on my head unit wiring. I found out today that if you take the HU out you can also work on the HVAC connector. But if not working on the head unit, then just remove everything might be easier.
I really don't mind to do it every summer, as long as it can hold thru the summer I will be very happy!

Josh
 
I swapped my controls out with another set I got from XedlerX's Pro5 partout. Same issue as I had before. A/C works fine on fan speed 1, but sparatic on 2,3, and 4. I'll be pulling my controls out probably tonight after I find my soldering gun. I would expect a small flicker between fan speeds as it is switching over to the new speed/wire. My A/C cuts off and on constantly on speed 2 sometimes when it acts up and cause the car to drive horribly do to the compressor kicking on and off every 1/2 second. I hope this fixes my issue for good. I'll post up my results also. Maybe snap some pix while I am doing it to show how to take the bezel off from the beginning.
 
^That is why i don't just recommend swapping with a used part in this case - they all seem to have the same problem.

Perform the fix (see above).
 
okay, i need to do a little research, but i think the problem might actually be in the motor....?
 
bought the car new and it started doing this the first summer i had it...

really annoying...especially when the A/C kicks in and out while you're driving!

aaaahhhh...4 cylinders, gotta luv em
 
RESOLVED! (so far... :) )

OK... so Y0sky and I took my A/C controls out. I took the fan selector switch apart in the back and dremmeled it down so I could get to the 5 connector blades. Then we popped out all 5 wires from the plug side. We then plugged them in, crimped them down, soldered them, and put it all back together.

So far... so good... all fan speeds work with no flickering etc. SOLID.

So no, it has nothing to do with the motor. It is strictly an issue with those connections to that switch over time. Maybe they loosen up just a bit and the two metals used are not very compatible for conductivity.
 
RESOLVED! (so far... :) )

OK... so Y0sky and I took my A/C controls out. I took the fan selector switch apart in the back and dremmeled it down so I could get to the 5 connector blades. Then we popped out all 5 wires from the plug side. We then plugged them in, crimped them down, soldered them, and put it all back together.

So far... so good... all fan speeds work with no flickering etc. SOLID.

So no, it has nothing to do with the motor. It is strictly an issue with those connections to that switch over time. Maybe they loosen up just a bit and the two metals used are not very compatible for conductivity.

ya, i looked at the schematics and it would seem that the culprit is in the switch itself (there's nothing going on at the motor that would casue this kind of issue) it's always sounded like a bad connection to me, but if the soldering doesn't work....?
 
ya, i looked at the schematics and it would seem that the culprit is in the switch itself (there's nothing going on at the motor that would casue this kind of issue) it's always sounded like a bad connection to me, but if the soldering doesn't work....?
Only other thing I can think of would be to get a small file of sorts to file both the inside blade connections and the connections inside the plug (after you pop them out. Then crimp the female (plugs themselves) tighter so that when you put it back together the connections will be tighter and make a better connection. I bet that would work. I am guessing some metal oxidation is occurring where the metals contact each other causing a poor connection for electrical current. That would actually be a pretty easy solution and I am betting would work just fine. This way you get to keep your stock plug etc... I just wanted to solder mine since I have seen it mentioned to be successful so far and didn't want to have to take it apart for the 10th time... :) (headbang)
 
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