Issue with Front Blower Motor - Unfortunately, it was not the Blower Relay

4wardmotion

Member
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'08 CX-9 Sport AWD
I reluctantly sold my 2008 CX-9 to my Pop just 1 year ago.....on the promise that I get first dibs when he goes to sell it!

My parents called me yesterday and tell me that the A/C isn't working, so they came by last night to let me look at it. The A/C was actually working fine, but there was no air flow at all in the front; changing fan speed or direction of air flow did absolutely nothing. The back was blowing just fine. I looked all over for the 'fuse' but got nowhere quick. They left and I came on here to see what I could find out.

I read about the evaporator drain and blower relay issues....and remembered Mom saying that she had heard water sloshing around when Pop takes a corner......*light-bulb* moment. I have my Pop bring the car back this morning. I figured I could at least get their front blower working until I could pick-up the Blower Relays by just swapping the relays around......I was thinking the front relay was shot. I swapped the relays, but the symptoms stayed the same. I performed the 'quick shot of compressed air' trick and drained a lot of water from the evaporator drain line. I was hoping that maybe the fan would start working, but no.

Here's the odd thing....
When the "Rear Control" is active (lit) - the rear blower works fine. I can hear a quiet fan motor sound that seemed to be coming from inside and just below the center console storage area. When I switch the rear control off, it sounds like a different fan starts working, louder, and more towards the dash area.....but no air flow is felt anywhere - not at the vents, floor or defroster.
I read something about the 'diverter control' - which sends the air flow to the appropriate places. Is it possible that the diverter is stuck in-between selections and completely blocking the flow of air or is that not possible? I'm not sure if the issue is something related to the diverter.....a defective blower motor that makes noise but doesn't really move air, ....or something else altogether.

I appreciate the 'heads-up' on the evaporator drain issue and thought for sure the relay was going to resolve the other issue, but could use some help with this.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Pete
 
Hello Pete,

Very sorry to hear you are having problems with your pop's CX-9.

Absolute very first step is to check if the front blower is still operational.

First, we need to make absolutely sure we have a known good relay for the front circulation system

(rear relay has been confirmed by you that it is good, so go ahead and swap the rear relay to the front,
now we know for sure it's not a relay issue)

Next, go ahead and remove the front glove compartment box and cabin air filter cover so you can see the front blower blades.

Start the car and turn on full blast front mode air and check to see if the front blower blades are moving



If the fan blades are not moving, then that's your culprit, and you need a new front blower, the clogged condensed water line must have short circuited and damaged it.

If the fan blades are moving, then that's an indication it's an air MIX or MODE motor actuator problem,

meaning there is air but it's being blocked by a malfunctioning actuator somewhere.

See link here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123850698-A-C-Help&p=6405214#post6405214

there are actually three actuators up front, two MIX actuators (driver and passenger ITEMS #15 and #22 in link above)

and one called a MODE actuator (that selects the mode of circulation)

Statistically, it's hard to imagine BOTH FRONT MIX actuators (driver and passenger to fail at the same time in the same exact position to block all front air circulation) but should check anyway if they are moving, see the instructions on how to get to them, it doesn't seem very hard, just need to remove some plastic panels)

Another suspect is a failed MODE actuator located in the center dash. (unfortunately this does not look easy to get to but I may be wrong, see above link for location ITEM#10 )
 
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Thanks avidien!!

I'll have to have Pop come back. I actually checked the cabin air filter yesterday, but didn't realize the blower motor was sitting right there....ugh!

Appreciate the help!!
 
Thanks avidien!!

I'll have to have Pop come back. I actually checked the cabin air filter yesterday, but didn't realize the blower motor was sitting right there....ugh!

Appreciate the help!!

No problem Pete ! hope it works out for you,

I know it's not a good feeling to have anything break but actually it might be good that the blower is the culprit,

sort of like the lesser of two evils (between blower motor vs MODE actuator, I would choose blower motor to fail)

blower motor seems like an easy fix and I believe aftermarket blower is not that expensive see link :

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123837138-2010-CX-9-cabin-air-blower-motor-options
 
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No problem Pete ! hope it works out for you,

I know it's not a good feeling to have anything break but actually it might be good that the blower is the culprit,

sort of like the lesser of two evils (between blower motor vs MODE actuator, I would choose blower motor to fail)

blower motor seems like an easy fix and I believe aftermarket blower is not that expensive.

Pop just left. I asked him to drive back over so I could verify whether the blower motor was working and it was dead. I was going to leave it at that, but decided to check the voltage going to the motor. I pulled the connector off and measured @ 14VoltsDC, but what I can't understand is that the voltage didn't change even though I cycled the fan speed from off to hi-speed.....which now concerns me a little, but perhaps it works differently when under a load/connected to the blower motor.

I then figured I would pull the blower motor now, rather than later when I get the new part. As soon as I tilted the assembly, about a cup or more of rusty colored water poured out of the housing.....no wonder it was dead!

I'll get the new assembly ordered today - my Pop was okay with taking a chance on the after-market assembly and saving the extra $350. At 86, his hearing isn't the best, so he probably wouldn't notice the difference anyway.

Thanks again for your help....and this site!! (cheers2)(cheers2)
 
As soon as I tilted the assembly, about a cup or more of rusty colored water poured out of the housing.....no wonder it was dead!

I know it's not funny but I laughed at this.

well_theres_your_problem-56537.jpg
 
The new blower motor arrived yesterday and I had a chance to install it today. Just for the heck of it, I connected the old one.....since it had about 5 days to dry out, but no luck.....I'll clean it up and sell it on eBay! ....kidding.

The new blower installed quick and easy.....I just wish I had some spots on the assembly to cable-tie the power cord and new pig-tail that comes with the after-market assembly. Fortunately, there is foam on the lower dash panel, so I hope if it does bounce around, that the foam will keep it from making noise.

I can't believe the dealerships charge so much to replace these. My local dealership just quoted me $600.....I replaced it for $53 (including the shipping). There is no hardware to remove to gain access to the blower - the lower dash panel just pops out. Then just 3 Torx/8mm hex head screws hold the assembly in place, along with 1 electrical connection. It's one of the easiest repairs I've ever done.

Thanks again for those that shared the information about the water/drain issue and access to the Blower Motor!
 
Hi any pics where i can pull the blower motor from? Is that the one just below the dash?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
I had the same issue - I heard the sloshing and thought heater core - Wrong!
I let my daughter use car, and then the blower went out completely. I tried swapping the relays and it did not change. I talked to both a Mazda dealer and a Ford dealer, Both quoted over $300 just for the part.

Got one from Amazon - $48. 5 minutes to put in and all is back to normal.

Of course, I drained about a gallon + of water out of the clogged drain. Had I been home I might have been able to save it.

Water sound under dash is a drain clog issue!
 
Hello Everyone,

My blower stopped working, I verified both relays work as my rear blower works. I did hear the sloshing water when I would make turns.

I believe it is the blower. I ordered as directed her from Amazon, but I can't seem to find any instructions on how to replace. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hello Everyone,

My blower stopped working, I verified both relays work as my rear blower works. I did hear the sloshing water when I would make turns.

I believe it is the blower. I ordered as directed her from Amazon, but I can't seem to find any instructions on how to replace. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Easy job.

Drop the under cover below the dash on the glovebox side. Unscrew (3) screws holding blower in after unplugging its power. Replace.

Oh, and make sure your condensate drain (cause of sloshing) is clear or you'll just fry the new motor.
 
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I hope you don't mind me hijacking this thread. I had my condensate drain clog a couple years ago (had water on the floor of the passenger seat). Since I was on vacation I had to bring it to a repair place to clear it out. Lately (within the last 6 months) the blower motor in the front sometimes will not work, then it will come on but not "fully", eventually it will come back on full speed. Rear seat blower works fine. I have replaced the relay. Do you all think that this is just a result of the condensate drain being plugged a year ago and it's caused damage to the blower motor? Has anyone had this happen to them?
 
Do you all think that this is just a result of the condensate drain being plugged a year ago and it's caused damage to the blower motor? Has anyone had this happen to them?

Yep. After my drain clogged my fan has not sounded the same. The fan still works fine, but I suspect some foreign matter is stuck somewhere and may be rubbing.
 
I hope you don't mind me hijacking this thread. I had my condensate drain clog a couple years ago (had water on the floor of the passenger seat). Since I was on vacation I had to bring it to a repair place to clear it out. Lately (within the last 6 months) the blower motor in the front sometimes will not work, then it will come on but not "fully", eventually it will come back on full speed. Rear seat blower works fine. I have replaced the relay. Do you all think that this is just a result of the condensate drain being plugged a year ago and it's caused damage to the blower motor? Has anyone had this happen to them?

The same thing happened to me. I heard the swooshing water sound and it turned out to be a clogged drain, which I fixed from underneath the car. After some time, the blower motor stared to function only at certain times. I checked all fuses and relays with no issues. The last step was to remove the blower motor, which is easy once you locate the 3 screws below the glove box. I decided to open the small lid in the motor and saw all the corrosion from the water. Since it was dry, I decided to vacuum and blow out all the rust I could. I re-installed the fan and it working fine. I am not sure how long this will last, but at least I know that when/if it stops working, I can just order a new fan and replace it.
 
IMG_2659.JPGIMG_2660.JPG

1st image show 3 screws that hold motor, lid and rust/corrosion. 2nd image is up close of rust/corrosion.
 
View attachment 218050View attachment 218051

1st image show 3 screws that hold motor, lid and rust/corrosion. 2nd image is up close of rust/corrosion.

That's what mine looked like, too. I dried it out the best I could, but it never was the same. It would run, but only at wildly inconsistent speeds - if you manually set it to full blast, it would spin up, slow down, stop, etc., for random lengths of time and intervals.

I replaced it with a much cheaper aftermarket blower (1/10 the price or so of OEM). The aftermarket part is louder, and has lasted a couple years now. However, it is now making some "musical" noises periodically, so it might be time for another.
 
That's what mine looked like, too. I dried it out the best I could, but it never was the same. It would run, but only at wildly inconsistent speeds - if you manually set it to full blast, it would spin up, slow down, stop, etc., for random lengths of time and intervals.

I replaced it with a much cheaper aftermarket blower (1/10 the price or so of OEM). The aftermarket part is louder, and has lasted a couple years now. However, it is now making some "musical" noises periodically, so it might be time for another.

Thanks for additional information about aftermarket part.
 
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