[06SpectraTX]

Hello All,

I'm experiencing a problem with the a/c blower not working in my 06 Kia Spectra (144k). I first noticed a potential problem in March when after getting in the car the blower did not kick on at first, but since I'd only owned the car for a month and was still getting used to the controls thought maybe the user (me) was the problem. It started happening again in May very regularly and for the past 5 days hasn't kicked on at all. I hear what I assume is the compressor kicking in (a hissing sound) but no air.

Any ideas what the problem could be? I'm not mechanically inclined so will have to take it to the mechanic (I actually have a local one that is trustworthy), just would like to have some knowledge of what the mechanic might be looking for and what range of repair costs I'm looking at. Unfortunately, it will be mid-August before I can do anything about it (financially speaking), so will just have to grin and bear it for now

Thanks in advance for any advice and/or opinions that may be helpful.

 

[05Spectra5GA]

I just got a 2005 Spectra5 just about two weeks ago and the blower has worked sporadically. It's mostly not worked but occasionally cut on for brief periods. I took it to my local Kia dealer and asked them to check it out. They said that a wire had melted in one of the relays, or something like that. I'm having it fixed today and will see if I can get more detailed info from them on what happened and what they fixed. They quoted me about $380 to fix everything.

 

[AngDeS]

Try changing the blower relay. It's about $20, part number R3107 at Advanced Auto Parts. The fuse box is located under the hood on the drivers side closer to the windshield and is clearly marked "fuse box". Your owers manuel can direct you to which relay controls the blower motor. I live in La and am having the same issue with my 2002 Kia Spectra.

 

[wadmancpu]

I've had this issue with my brothers 06 spectra5. I have replaced the blower twice over 220,000 miles. I think this may be a Kia weakness as my 08 Rio is now having the same problem. Also, your relay for the blower is actually under the dash near the blower motor. There may be another relay in the fuse box, i'm not sure. There is also a resistor bridge located under the dash.

 

[06SpectraTX]

Thank you all for taking the time out of what I'm sure are busy schedules to lend your thoughts. It has now been 2 weeks since it has come on (I check everytime I get into that HOT car), so I'm assuming whatever was failing has officially failed. Nearly $400 range is definitely out of my ability-to-pay right now so I will try and check out the blower relay myself. Maybe I can find a youtube video

Thanks again!

 

[06SpectraTX]

Update

Okay, so I checked the fuses - all were good, but didn't trust myself to check the relay as it involved disconnecting the battery (or so I read). I decided to just tap the blower with my hand (located under the passenger side glove box) as recommended by another site, and sure enough the blower kicked right on. Now I just need to figure out if the problem is with the resistor, wiring or the blower itself. Atleast I know how to get it to come on until I have the funds to do more. Any ideas what to look for as far as a faulty resistor or wiring? I'm willing to try myself if it's simple enough.

Thanks!!!

 

[wadmancpu]

Sounds like the motor. I had to smack my brothers often to get it going and am now in the same situation with my Rio. Usually a resistor problem will effect certain blower speeds such as no low speed but the others work fine. The blower is extremely easy to change. It is located under the passenger dash, right above where your feet would be. It has 3 phillips screws holding it in and 1 electric plug. Just remove the plug and the 3 screws then replace. There's nothing else you have to take apart. I believe I got the new motor for around $90 at advance. You may do better at a salvage yard. I can give you a diagram if you want. Just pm me your email address and I'll send it over.

 

[06SpectraTX]

Thank you for the diagram offer wadmanpcu, I think I will take a stab at it myself. I'll pm you my e-mail address. I think I need a charge too, not blowing as cool as I would like especially when temps are at their highest. It also goes warm when idle and at slower speeds (did the same thing in winter with the heater running, but went cool). Think I'll try getting the coolant flushed to see if that helps.

 

[DavesSpectra]

06SpectraTX...
These cars do not get real cold when sitting at idle.. Be careful adding any refrigerant as it will add to your problems "if" you over charge it.
Also a blower motor is "cheap" on ebay with shipping.
04 05 06 07 08 09 KIA SPECTRA BLOWER MOTOR 2.0L 4 CYL | eBay

With 140k on the car there has been a lot of use on the blower motor and they have carbon brushes that wear out (internal and not replaceable).

The only thing that gets flushed is your wallet have a knowledgeable mechanic check the system with gauges.

A "flush and refill" is great for the antifreeze and probably should be done BUT for the AC system you do NOT need to do this!

Get out under the hood with a garden hose and spray the condenser through the radiator to the grill with a strong jet of water... to flush out the bugs and dirt.

MOST IMPORTANT!!!!
Check/replace your timing/cam belt... I should be replaced EVERY 60K miles (or 5 years). Id it breaks the engine will either be seriously damaged or totaled. Yours looks like it "may" be in need of it's second belt (past 120k). These engines will remain strong past 300k if taken care of...
Dave

 

[06SpectraTX]

Thanks Dave! That's a great price for the part on e-bay. I certainly plan to start trying to take care of some of the simplier things myself with the help of this forum. I have a Firestone coupon for a $9.99 ac performance check and will have them check the refrigerant level, I don't think I would attempt to add any myself.

I bought the car from a private owner earlier this year while in a pickle after my car was totaled. I had the dealership check it out and it checked out better than I expected with the exception of some regular maintenance items (tires, brakes, bulbs, etc) and plenty of cosmetic issues. They did highly recommend replacing the timing and outer belts, which I hope to finally be able to get done next month. Will probably go ahead and have the water pump changed too since they'll be in there already. They also recommended getting all the systems flushed (transmission, cooling, fuel) and the engine treated (to clear the gunk), especially since the previous owner didn't keep good maintenance records and the coolant doesn't appear to be properly mixed. Of course, the previous owner claimed that all scheduled maintenance had been done (alot of it by the Mr.) except the timing belt which they said was last changed before they bought the car at 90k miles (I got it at 139k). This and the lack of maintenance related documentation was negotiated into the cash price, the only problem is now I have to take care of these things myself. I'm thinking better safe than sorry but my pocket book is screaming for mercy!

Any idea where I can get a diagram of where things are under the hood?

Thanks!!!!!

 

[dwiggins]

ok i joined the forum for the same problem. my 2007 kia spectra a./c works but it only blows when it feels like it. so i just tapped something under my glove box,, bang!! it came on in .3 seconds. not even 1 second. like 1/2 second its blowing hard as hell. thanks alot. i just hope i dont have to do any re wiring my harness all the b.s. sucks.
thanks alot. ill keep tapping on it, its under lease so they still have to fix it. not really because no warranty. sold as is. my wife went to small dealership with out me. at NIGHT time to buy a car.. i wake up to dented up. cracked up bumper,, dodge floor mats on a kia car. wtf.. the car lot is called.. drive with pride. lol what a joke... no pride about a piece of shieaat., but i do love my kia. never thought i would ever own a car named after household appliances. wtf.

 

[felixv]

spectra 2007 ex fan speed

Hi everyone,

this forum is a few years back but I had similar problem with my Spectra 07 EX. I've replaced both the motor and resistor, but my fan control didn't changed the speed. Whether the speed is low or high the air came out the vent in a very high speed.

wadmancpu, you've mentioned above saying that the resistor might effect the speed of the fan. Since I've replaced it already but still the speed is the same. What's the next step I should look into. Thanks in advance, everyone.

 

[DavesSpectra]

2007 Spectra "may" have a FET instead of a blower motor dropping resistor...
The newer version 2007 has more than 4 speeds on the knob...
The speed of the blower motor is controlled electronically in the newer version via PWM (pulse width modulation) and "if" you replaced the FET then the next step would be replacing the full controller with the three knobs... I'm sure you can find one at a local salvage yard...Be sure to get a 2007 or newer part..
If you need schematics I have them saved and available...
Dave

 

[CoffeeJoe]

I just got a 2005 Spectra5 just about two weeks ago and the blower has worked sporadically. It's mostly not worked but occasionally cut on for brief periods. I took it to my local Kia dealer and asked them to check it out. They said that a wire had melted in one of the relays, or something like that. I'm having it fixed today and will see if I can get more detailed info from them on what happened and what they fixed. They quoted me about $380 to fix everything.

My mother's 2006, Kia Rio5 (97k miles) had an intermittently operating heather/AC blower motor for about 3 years. Speed setting 1 never worked the other three were intermittent. Now it's mostly not working. I've searched all over on Forums and YouTube looking for answers none really fixing the issue. Your description and what the mechanics found is the closest to the real issue. And I would like to share what I found and include "how to" photographs.

1.) I removed the heater blower motor under the passenger side dashboard. I jumped it directly to the battery. The fan runs fine.

2.) Removed and tested the blower control relay. It tested slightly out of spec so I replaced it but nothing changed.

3.) I removed the HVAC control from the dash see photos. Then I removed the black fan speed switch from the HVAC control assembly. I wiped off all the dielectric grease and used 1000 grit sand paper to gently sand off any pitting on the Copper contact areas (sorry I forgot to take photos of this part) also gently sand clean the three raised contact points on the copper plate. (You may want to VERY slightly stretch out the spring that goes under this plate so the contact pressure is increased though, this may increase wear on the three contact points.) I did not stretch the spring on mine. (Note the springs small end goes against the plastic the wide side against the copper plate.)

4.) The main issue: The six female wire terminals inside plastic harness connector were all loose. I suppose from years of expanding/contracting and vibration but they had to start off as not being very secure in the first place. I was able to resolve this. Now all 4 speeds work. See how below…

5.) Finally, sometimes I have to slightly flex the fan speed control knob. (Here's where stretching the spring a tad in step 3 may have helped.)

I suspect the brush contact surface on the blower motor might be pretty pitted or Carbon stained from years of the motor powering on/off with the rattling of the connector. I say this because initially, I have to tap the blower motor housing with a finger to help the motor break free and spin with the regulated voltages of the switch. Again, all 4-speed settings work fine now.

It's crazy that there are so many issues with these cars. I do feel that the loose wiring in step 4 and the poorly designed switch in step 3 are probably the cause for any premature blower motor and blower resistor failures.

Note: When Re-assembling make sure the Temp control knob shaft and the black sleeve around the shaft are aligned or the knob will not push back on all the way.

DISSEMBLY:
1.) Removed flip open compartment to expose a single #2 Philips screw. Squeeze the sides until you can get the ears to clear on one side then remove the #2 Philips screw.

 

[CoffeeJoe]

2.) I removed the fan control knob with a large Vise-Grip and a rag as not to damage the knob. Squeeze and pull knob off. Gently Pry Bezel from the bottom at each side until the side clip releases then gently rock the bezel out and up from the bottom until the top of the bezel can come out from the dash

 

[CoffeeJoe]

3.) Under driver side dash, Disconnect the loop from the plastic temp control lever and pull the cable out from the nearby clip.

4.) Pay attention to the route that the temp control cable was fished through the dashboard.

5.) Remove the 4 gold Philips screws from the HVAC control assembly so you're hot having to fight with the temp. control cable.

 

[CoffeeJoe]

6.) Remove the 4 black Philips screws that attach the HVAC control Assembly from the Dashboard Trim bezel. This makes it very easy to work on and test until you are sure you've fixed the issues

7.) Now tighten up each female connection in the yellow connector. I used a small flat tip screwdriver to fry and squish each side of the connector so it squeezes the copper blade better when it is plugged in. try not to damage the plastic connector housing.

 

[CoffeeJoe]

8.) This last part was what tightened it up the most.

9.) Gently wedge something under each connector trying to raise the center of the connector so that it is arched. Reconnect to test once the problem has been corrected, reassemble in reverse order.

10.) Note make sure the hinge position on the Trip flip open door is properly placed then squeeze the compartment again and insert on pin/ear then the other.

 

[CoffeeJoe]

Reassemble in reverse order.
NOTE: The two photos below left the Incorrect temp selector alignment below Center is the correct alignment.