fabbrisd1

I would assume it is the regulator - 299 posts and counting - good experience shared - best to use "thermal paste" to mount the replacement regulator to give good thermal connection to dissipate the heat from the semi conductor to the blower face.

Keep the beat !

eagleman

Does anyone know if the chirping sound is because of the regulator or does the blower need to be replaced . Also has anyone bought the old style regulator that doesn't have to be spliced, on EBAY and which one did you buy.


Thanks

Binghamtonian

Thank you Tony et all for all the great info. I am headed down the splice route using the Behr replacement part(#140 821 84 51), but am having difficulty disconnecting the harness. Is there a simple trick to this? I can see a grey piece that I thought might be a locking mechanism, but it doesn't compress/click and the connector isn't budging, even when I try and use pliers.
thanks

Binghamtonian

It turns out that disconnecting the harness just required a serious application of force. We followed the *terrific*step by steps and now I have a working blower motor again
Based on comments from the various threads, we ended up soldering the smaller wires and used a butt crimp for the large black wire, which worked well.

Klrgator

Thank you Tony and all of you for this helpful procedure.
I just changed today mine and it worked very well!

My blower just went up to the third bar and after the fourth it made a chirping noise and would not blow faster.

I bought the part to Autohaus although despite the brand is BEHR it is made in China. I hope it lasts!

fabbrisd1

Again - I recommend using "thermal paste" on the replacement "old-style" regulator which gives good thermal contact to the top plate... if you want your regulator to last..

Needleroozer

I tried one of those Chinese knock-offs despite being warned against them in another post (perhaps in another thread). Well, it didn't last 3 months before it, too, failed. So tomorrow I'm going to try installing a Behr part, #140 821 84 51, per the instructions in this thread. I have no doubt this will succeed, and I can also say the Chinese knockoff of the original (defective and thus re-designed) part is at best as likely to fail as the original factory part you're replacing.

Update: Well, I installed the Behr part yesterday and it went almost exactly as expected. Putting the fan back was the joy I expected given that you have to hold it up against gravity with one hand while you screw in the screws with the other. I used wire splices to crimp the wires together rather than solder them, and I covered each with heat shrink. So far, so good, but then that's what I thought when I put in the Chinese knock-off. :-)

Follow up: The Chinese knock-off lasted less than 2 months; the Behr S class part lasted less than a week. I don't know if I should be perplexed or p*ssed, but I give up. I'm going with the Mercedes re-design.

2017-10-16 Follow up: The re-designed regulator just failed. The blower won't shut off. I went with an OEM part, but I guess I need to use genuine MB. Grrrrrr.

Wooly

I am selling my 1998 w210 e320 wagon. The above post still holds true. A/C is still running great with same regulator as of feb 2017!

Rotor320

I was having problems with the fan on my 02 E55. It seemed to have a mind of its own, working or not with no predictable pattern beyond working as advertised when first started in the AM. It would not come on when prompted, it would not shut off either after the car was warm.
So I looked it up on this forum and found this thread. After reading through, it sounded like the blower motor regulator. I ordered one, (BEHR) plus charcoal filters and cabin filters (MANN) for the grand total of $166 delivered next day from Autohaus AZ. Installed with the help of my 13 yr old who is still small enough to fit in tight places. I put about 40 miles on it today without issue. I think it is fixed. This forum is outstanding. Thank you all!

hchohnjr

In reply to Tony's thread, How can I tell if mine is early or late. I did this fix once and it worked perfectly. However
It failed after 5 or 6 years, so i did it again and it failed the next day. So i'm thinking maybe it's something else. Could the control unit in the dash be the problem? Is it possible to get it checked out somewhere? Thanks. I'm new to this site so bear with me on the use of it. I'll get the hang of it.
Contact Information:
Henry C Hohn
Silverton, OR.
hmhohn@gmail.com
It's a 1998 E 320 Base model

Kevin Burns

Hello all I had a great summer with my e320 love it. But last winter 92017/18) I had the dreaded blower motor issues. I dealt with it as we had a not so bad winter and drove the car all summer with no issues at all while running heat defrost and A/C in the summer. Now it is getting cold again this winter and again the issue of the cold weather blower motor has came about.

I have a 02 e320 4matic, in the summer my blower motor blows perfectly heat and A/C as it should 24/7. The blower motor itself has no squeaking bushings or the like and is quiet as can be.

In the winter when it does decide to run, again quiet as can be even after hours of operation. When it wont run of course I do get hot air from the vents when the car is driving forward.
Now in the winter around outside temps of 32 or below the blower motor is intermittent, day by day. One day I won't be able to get it to run at all, than the next day it will run as normal (By "as normal" I mean I can get all speeds, turn it on and off as normal with no issues), another day it might decide to run after 20 minutes or when ever it decides to after starting and driving the car. In any case once it is running it won't shut down by it's self out of the blue.

So after reading many posts, I decided to change the regulator. When I was changing the regulator I noticed the ground wire tab on the old regulator was a bit rusty "OK bad ground makes sense". I cleaned the ground wires push tab (The ground wire that hooks to the regulator) and used electric grease on the ground wire only, and installed the regulator. I am unsure of what the heat transfer plate is on the regulator so I could not do that. I run my heat at high (HI) and don't use any auto temp control feature, at least I don't think I am at the HI setting. I also use the max setting, and manual vent control. I never use the auto press tab. I did try it to see I could trip the blower to run but no luck.

After the new regulator I still have the same issue with my blower motor, the regulator did not solve the problem, and yes bought it from a repable MB parts dealer. The problem is only in the winter. As a test being the blower will run with the heat and A/C during the summer with no issues at all; I even tried to run the A/C in the winter but still the blower motor wouldn't run.

I read about the head unit and the press buttons so that will be my next try to fix this issue. I hope reflowing the solder fixes the issue. Being it only happens in the winter cold, I am thinking it might be something contracting losing contact for lack of a better word do to the coldness. My e320 is not garaged in the winter or summer.
Any help or suggestions would be great. Tracking down a loose wire in the spiderweb of wires will be insane to say the least so any pointers will be awesome.

I just did a code check via the control panel/head unit and it put up a code: (EE1 234) The sun sensor. Strange the defrost heat works in the summer.

GermanCarShow

This old thread just keeps paying off! I ordered the Mahle Behr Blower Motor Resistor/Regulator (P/N: 1408218451) from Arizona's Haus of Autos for $57. Followed the directions in this thread, did the splicing together of wires using butt-connectors (crimp & heat shrink) because I've never tried soldering, wrapped them in electrical tape, and I've now got a working fan in my 1997 E300D w/135,000 miles on it. I believe it never worked right from when I purchased it 3 years ago, but it had only lost the top end as I recall it adjusting some originally. But now, WOW! Thanks OP! (I hope he's enjoying is Bimmers.)

northside

hi everyone, i've never replied to a thread before so i don't know if i'm doing it right. i've looked and looked for a solution to my heat and air problem so i'm just gonna ask. i just installed a blower motor and regulator in my 98 w210. i can hear the fan blowing like crazy, and the speed control works fine, but nothing comes out the vents (well drifts out). i took the glovebox out and the 2 filters behind it, stuck my hand above the fan and air was blowing very hard, but just drifting out the vents. i went into the menu and toggled through changing the vents and it switches between defrost, left and right and center etc. i don't have a clue. any help would be great!

GermanCarShow

northside,

You might get more response creating a new thread about your specific problem, since this is a regulator replacement thread.

Regardless, I'll try to lend a hand. Do a search for "w210 climate control vent test" or something similar. There's actually a diagnostic process you can go through on your climate control head unit to test all flaps/controls. I assume those air filters behind the glove box were reasonably clean? There are two charcoal air filters beside the blower, accessed from below the dash just like the blower motor. Could those be so clogged as to restrict air movement?

northside

i have done the diagnostic and the flaps all seem to work (although it's hard to tell since air is just barely coming out). i just changed all 4 filters, the paper and the charcoal. i stuck my hand above the blower motor ( i took the filters out) and the fan is blowing great, it's blowing up towards the filters do you think this is the proper direction.maybe the fan needs to be reversed? anyway thanks for responding germancarshow, i know this is an old thread, i'm just not very good at navigating these forums

GermanCarShow

I'd have to take mine apart again to confirm, but it doesn't sound right to me. Those paper filters are intake, so why would the fan blow up against them? That's just a guess/assumption on my part, we need facts.

I still suggest creating a thread in the w210 section with an appropriate thread title. People seeing this voltage regulator thread being updated will probably ignore it since they know what it is about. You need to draw attention to your issue in a thread and more people will help.

forbidden

Hi all
im new here and I have a 97 e420. My a/c is stuck at a low speed(maybe 2) no matter what speed I select. The control unit shows speed increase and decrease when pressed but blower doesn’t change. I was reading this and it seams as this is my problem. I was wondering if any one with my model has done this with success.

GermanCarShow

I assume that up under the dash, your 97 E420 is not any different than my 97 E300 diesel was. I was able to accomplish this, I say go for it!

forbidden

Thanks for the push. On a vacay right now but will attempt to tackle when I get back. Do you mind sharing which part you used? Was it the beer part? How long ago did you do the job?

GermanCarShow

Just look up the thread a few posts. Looks like it was in Aug 2020 and I provided the part number there. It kept working fine through the sale of the car several months ago.

forbidden

Well I actually did this today and I must say that the instructions were spot on. I was a little hesitant at first due to this being this my first Benz and not wanting to mess up and then pay $$$ to fix what I messed up, but I went for it anyway due to Germancarshow’s encouragement. I followed the instructions and got it done in just about an hour and I replaced all 4 filters as well. If anyone has this issue this is an easy repair that can be done by anyone with a Phillips screwdriver and a torx bit.

GermanCarShow

Yes! Good job, @forbidden . Don't be afraid to DIY, just start with easy stuff where you have the tools and good instructions (videos and pics help!) and you'll get comfortable doing more and more, and end up spending less and less on general repairs and upkeep. And, have a nicely operating car!