[whtpny]

Alright.. In this picture is where my problem is:

when I was doing a lot of crap with my car a while back i somehow jostled that connection loose and broke the ceramic diode that the wire plugs into.. that diode i was told was the "blower motor resistor" it just sits right inside the housing of the fan. Well, after going back and forth with the Ford dealership, they finally got me what is supposed to work. The guy said what I had was no longer made after a certain date in 03. Well, this resistor is completely different as far as mounting goes, and it has 4 prongs for the plug vs. my old one having 2.. he also gave me the piggy back kit that I'm supposed to splice into the wire(s) that lead to the plug I have now.. Does anyone have any input on exactly how this should be installed or should I just leave it to a mechanic to not screw it up.. also.. what is the purpose of the blower motor resistor?

[dude496]

If you have the wiring diagram and know how to properly splice the wires, then go ahead and do it. Splicing isn't hard, just have to pay attention.

As for calling it both a diode and a resistor...unless it is a multiple piece item, it can't be both. Without getting into detail, a diode is used for 2 things...regulating voltage when made into a bridge and also used to keep voltage going only one way. A resistors sole purpose is to reduce the amount of power going through a certain part of a circuit.

What you have is most likely a diode...when you go to hook it up make sure you are properly biasing it...in other words, make sure the right wire is going to the right side...otherwise you could cause serious damage to circuit.


I take it you are having problems with your motor not working?

If you can't find a direct replacement part, you might be better off going to a boneyard and getting the part...will be much easier for you.

[whtpny]

i'll try to find a picture that i posted in an older thread.. but i'm not really super savvy with electrical stuff but the biggest thing is that there are 4 wires with the new piece and my old only has two

[whtpny]

there is the old part... the new part is much more square yet the plug is crooked at like a 45 degree angle.. and instead of the ceramic piece.. it just has an interesting looking coil that reminds me of a filament in a bulb

[03FstStngKB]

I broke that same part in my stang on accident. I didn't even know what purpose that part served until my low speed fan would not come on after I broke it. Do you have that same problem? It has something to do with the fan in the radiator. I had to go into my predator to lower the temperature setting for my high speed fan down to where the low speed kicks on at so that I could at least have the fan come on. I was told that the fan was not designed to run all the time at that higher speed...so my modification was just for a simple fix until I get the part which I don't have yet. Since I do not drive the car everyday I am not really concerned that the fan will burn up on me. The same place that is doing my stall converter is ordering one from ford for me so I wonder if I can expect the same problem your running into?

[whtpny]

Originally Posted by OneqwkStang The same place that is doing my stall converter is ordering one from ford for me so I wonder if I can expect the same problem your running into?

it depends.. do you know when your car was built? does that part look like the one i posted or is it different? ford no longer produces the part that was on my car they started producing the newer version sometime in 2003.. i had to get the newer version.. the guy i ordered them with had to email ford a few times until he got the right thing and he said they weren't much help with many of the questions he asked (he works for a ford parts dept.) and they just told him to tell me to improvise on the mounting and another guy said i should probably just wire up two of the wires from the new piece and cap the other two

[03FstStngKB]

Originally Posted by whtpny it depends.. do you know when your car was built? does that part look like the one i posted or is it different? ford no longer produces the part that was on my car they started producing the newer version sometime in 2003.. i had to get the newer version.. the guy i ordered them with had to email ford a few times until he got the right thing and he said they weren't much help with many of the questions he asked (he works for a ford parts dept.) and they just told him to tell me to improvise on the mounting and another guy said i should probably just wire up two of the wires from the new piece and cap the other two

Not for sure on the build date? But yes that picture you posted is exactly what mine looked like also. So when you mentioned in your post about how different this part you got was from the original part I was curious. I don't have the part yet but I will let you know when I receive it if it is any different from the original. From the guy who I talked to and from what he was saying to me in a conversation over the phone was that I might not be able to get that part and said I would have to order a whole new radiator shroud to get the part. The guy also made some calls himself but he called up somebody who knew a somebody kind of deal and said that a Ford Dealer somewhere in the state of Indiana had it. I am not sure where or who but maybe I can get those details later on when I receive my other parts that I am suppose to get from him.

[whtpny]

cool man.. let us know how it works out.. i would try just to figure it out myself, but i don't wanna risk screwing up anything electrical

[03FstStngKB]

I am not sure when I am going to get it but when I do I will post back with results. Like I said for me without the thing hooked up, my low speed fan would not come on. I am not sure if it some kind of overload protector or what but just looking at it...it looked harmless to leave out...but I soon found out that was not the case.

[whtpny]

i havent had mine fixed for a bit now

[03FstStngKB]

Originally Posted by whtpny cool man.. let us know how it works out.. i would try just to figure it out myself, but i don't wanna risk screwing up anything electrical

If your not sure how to handle the rewiring...I would wait and see if anyone else has an opinion on what to do. I have learned a lesson or two when it comes to messing with electrical stuff. Once you try something and you fry whatever it is that you were messing with it makes you think twice on attempting to do something you are not too sure about in any future electrical problems.

[cliffyk]

Originally Posted by whtpny there is the old part... the new part is much more square yet the plug is crooked at like a 45 degree angle.. and instead of the ceramic piece.. it just has an interesting looking coil that reminds me of a filament in a bulb

What you are holding in your hand is the engine cooling fan low speed dropping resistor*, I suspect the small cylindrical component is a diode to shunt reverse EMF when the power to the motor is cut off.

What your are describing as the part you received is the heating system blower motor speed selection dropping resistor, which does indeed look like a series of old-time wound wire heating elements. It does indeed have 4 terminals.

Go back and ask for the correct part.

=========================
* - It's called a dropping resistor because when placed in series with the cooling fan motor's power connection the voltage across the resistor reduces (drops) the voltage delivered to the motor.

[whtpny]

Originally Posted by cliffyk What you are holding in your hand is the engine cooling fan low speed dropping resistor*, I suspect the small cylindrical component is a diode to shunt reverse EMF when the power to the motor is cut off. What your are describing as the part you received is the heating system blower motor speed selection dropping resistor, which does indeed look like a series of old-time wound wire heating elements. It does indeed have 4 terminals. Go back and ask for the correct part. ========================= * - It's called a dropping resistor because when placed in series with the cooling fan motor's power connection the voltage across the resistor reduces (drops) the voltage delivered to the motor.

dang.. lol.. i wish i wouldve known this.. everybody in the last thread said it seemed to be a blower motor resistor.. so the part i am looking for is not this and is actually the "engine cooling fan low speed dropping resistor" ? will they exchange it for me? the guy at the parts department took it out of the packaging and all to try and explain how he understood the email ford replied to him with

[cliffyk]

Whether or not they'll exchange it will depend on their policies, the FLAPS are better at exchanging stuff than dealers.

In the shop manual it's not even shown as a component part, just part of the entire fan assembly. In researching this further last evening I found that the small cylindrical component is a thermal fuse.

I had originally thought it was some sort of industrial strength diode, but I ynked the unit out of my car and found it to be a thermal fuse in series with the dropping resistor obviously intended to cut power if the resistor overheats.

The fuse is made by these guys, its markings are difficult to read and do not seem to relate to any manufacturer catalog numbers--they are probably Ford specified OEM codes that would be of little use in tracking down a replacement anyway.

I do not find the resistor unit listed at any of the online FLAPS outlets (even Rock Auto has no listing for it), so if it's available separately from the fan assembly I suspect you will only be able to get it at the dealer.

[whtpny]

Originally Posted by cliffyk Whether or not they'll exchange it will depend on their policies, the FLAPS are better at exchanging stuff than dealers. In the shop manual it's not even shown as a component part, just part of the entire fan assembly. In researching this further last evening I found that the small cylindrical component is a thermal fuse. I had originally thought it was some sort of industrial strength diode, but I ynked the unit out of my car and found it to be a thermal fuse in series with the dropping resistor obviously intended to cut power if the resistor overheats. The fuse is made by these guys, its markings are difficult to read and do not seem to relate to any manufacturer catalog numbers--they are probably Ford specified OEM codes that would be of little use in tracking down a replacement anyway. I do not find the resistor unit listed at any of the online FLAPS outlets (even Rock Auto has no listing for it), so if it's available separately from the fan assembly I suspect you will only be able to get it at the dealer.

so my best bet i guess will be to check if they sell the piece separately.. if not i'll prob have to hit up a local boneyard to keep from having to pay an arm and a leg on it

[cliffyk]

The boneyard might be the best bet, I wouldn't be surprised to find that most all '99 to '04 Ford V8s used the same part--maybe the newer ones too...