Ford Windstar Blower Does Not Work

[brainiak4431]

Ford 1998 Windstar GL Blower Does Not Work

Hi,
I have a problem with neither the front or rear blowers working. If i need to replace relays or fuses , please give numbers of relays and fuses to check. The blower motor resistor seems a little rusted but I think it works.

Also having the problem with the rear electric defrost. May be related to blower problem. Neither AC nor heat work since the blower does not come on. When I turn on the car, there is a screeching noise that goes away after a few seconds, coming from the air compressor. I think the air compressor is bad but will that affect the blowers to stop working?

What might be the problem.Thanks.

[brainiak4431]

None of you know what the problem might be? I realized that the airbag light also came on in the dashboard at the same time these problems happened.

I think that blower, ac, rear defrost, and airbag light all are related problems that came at the same time.

Please help.

[bdahl385]

A little more info on the problem would probably help. Did all these electrical issues just show up recently or did these systems ever work? If these all failed suddenly, then a fuse might be the culprit or some kind of electrical / wiring issue. If this was a recent purchase for you and these were already "dead", then you wouldn't be able to provide a history of the faults. Makes it a little harder to pinpoint.

I would suggest you look in the owners manual for the fuse designations and see if a fuse runs all or most of these things. These are heavy load items so would probably be 20 amp or greater fuses which would narrow down the search.

My 2000 Windstar is a totally different version so my owners manual would be of no use.

I also assume you mean the screeching is from the A/C compressor and not an air pump used on some cars for emissions control. I don't know if your 98 would have an air pump.

[Selectron]

If it's just a blown fuse, then fuse 21 (10 amps, located in the interior fuse panel) is the likely suspect. It feeds the relay coils for both the front and rear blower motor relays (via the A/C heater control switch), and also feeds into the rear window defrost relay - not sure for what purpose but again it probably feeds the relay coil. It also feeds into the shift lock actuator, generic electronic module, air bag diagnostic module, and blend door actuator, so if you fit a new fuse and it blows again then the problem could be in any of the aforementioned circuits.

[brainiak4431]

Originally Posted by bdahl385

Did all these electrical issues just show up recently or did these systems ever work? If these all failed suddenly, then a fuse might be the culprit or some kind of electrical / wiring issue.

I also assume you mean the screeching is from the A/C compressor and not an air pump used on some cars for emissions control. I don't know if your 98 would have an air pump.

Yes, all these issues came suddenly at the same time. I had this 98 windstar for about 5 years. No real problems with the electrical except the interior lights staying on, probably because the back door switch is messed up.

The screeching I believe is from the belt turning but the A/C compressor not letting it turn or making the belt slip??? Not quite sure but I know the screeching goes away a few seconds after the car starts. I dont think there is an air pump on the 98 and if there is, I never heard of it.

I will check fuse 21 and post back here.

[brainiak4431]

Checked fuse 21 and it was blown. I turned on blower for a few seconds and it works now. Airbag light went away and rear defrost also works. However, I dont think I will try the AC any time soon because I think that is what blew the fuse.

Thanks for all your help.

[Selectron]

You're welcome; thanks for letting us know.