S-Class (W220) 1999-2006: S 320 CDI, S 320, S430, S 500, S 600

AC Fan stopped blowing

Old Jun 15, 2006 | 10:44 AM
  #1  
kenstudios's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 5
AC Fan stopped blowing

Coming from the store yesterday my fan would not blow. The fan speed registers but now air is coming out. Pulled over and checked all my fuses and they seem ok. Then when I started the engine again it was working fine. This morning it's not blowing again. I have an appointment tomorrow but till then does anyone have an idea what I should look for???? It's like a thousand degrees out there.
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 12:09 PM
  #2  
schwarz's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 277
Likes: 3
From: Western Australia
124, 140, 211, 220, 221, 996
i've heard of this happening a few times already. the only thing to make sure is that you turn off the AC when you are about to turn off the ignition.
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 12:14 PM
  #3  
kenstudios's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 5
What was the fix?
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 12:46 PM
  #4  
1phd1jd's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
From: Orange County (OC), California
Minivan
I have also herd of this issue and the fan motor or relay is going bad.
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 01:41 PM
  #5  
schwarz's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 277
Likes: 3
From: Western Australia
124, 140, 211, 220, 221, 996
the dealer said they couldnt find anything wrong. but this has happened to many of the s-class i know.

1phd1jd could be right. i better get mine checked as well.
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 02:40 PM
  #6  
kenstudios's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 5
I just tried this again and nothing. Now I also have Airmatic Mulfunction error.
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 03:58 PM
  #7  
Thericker's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 9,155
Likes: 20
From: Southern, CA.
V12-Biturbo
Originally Posted by kenstudios
I just tried this again and nothing. Now I also have Airmatic Mulfunction error.
Mine went out before, It was the Blower Motor Regulator about a $250-300.00 part & easy do it yourself swap.

My advice do it yourself Stealer will charge you way to much PM if you decide to have a go at it I'll talk you thru it pretty simple swap
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 04:43 PM
  #8  
kenstudios's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 5
Check out this DIY on blower motor on a W140.

http://www.baxnet.com/merc/fan/story.htm
Reply
MB World Stories

The Best of Mercedes & AMG

story-0

6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 04:56 PM
  #9  
Thericker's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 9,155
Likes: 20
From: Southern, CA.
V12-Biturbo
Originally Posted by kenstudios
Check out this DIY on blower motor on a W140.

http://www.baxnet.com/merc/fan/story.htm
It's totally different on the 140's the part & location of replacement nothing in common w/220 ours is under the passeger side dashboard ect...
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2006 | 07:30 PM
  #10  
justbecause's Avatar
Banned
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 99
Likes: 1
re a/c fan

I have a 2000 s430, live in tucson az, the fan blower has always been a weak point, never blew that strong , i have heard its a common problem with regard to it's performance and reliability, I also saw that in later years they addressed the problem.Once you are running its not too bad, but initially its lousy, in fact for local hops when its really hot ,i use my 93 Ford F150 p/up as its A/c is just so much cooler.
With regard to your problem I would have to guess that the blower fan is on its way out.
Good Luck.
DB
Reply
Old Jun 16, 2006 | 01:28 AM
  #11  
sprink49's Avatar
Super Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 790
Likes: 17
From: West Palm Beach
2004 S500
Ken,

Check over on roadfly.com. I don't know if it would apply but my BMW 540 had a "end of line device" that went bad that caused the same symptoms. Also you might ask MBTECH on the repair and diagnosis section of this board....gotta be something simple.
Reply
Old Jun 16, 2006 | 05:53 PM
  #12  
kenstudios's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 5
Update

Thanks everyone. After dignosis was complete, they found the blower motor and regulator went bad as predicted earlier. Also the airmatic sensor and relay are going out so they will be replaced. And for the first time my extended warranty will pay for this. These guys have never paid for anything. Thanks everyone again.
Reply
Old Jun 16, 2006 | 07:35 PM
  #13  
Thericker's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 9,155
Likes: 20
From: Southern, CA.
V12-Biturbo
Originally Posted by kenstudios
Thanks everyone. After dignosis was complete, they found the blower motor and regulator went bad as predicted earlier. Also the airmatic sensor and relay are going out so they will be replaced. And for the first time my extended warranty will pay for this. These guys have never paid for anything. Thanks everyone again.
Good to hear! that replacement for the Motor/Regulator w/labor was quoted to me by my dealer just shy of a grand
Reply
Old Jun 16, 2006 | 08:34 PM
  #14  
fusion2007's Avatar
Super Member
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 872
Likes: 2
From: Saint Louis
CLS 63 S AMG , s500,clk550
Cool

same thing happened to me today. i was heading home from work and when i started my car my fan woudnt blowing air and its like 95 degrees outside and its even hotter inside the car. i start driving and i mess around with its controls and still know air.. so i stop my car turn it off and back on.. start driving and it starts blowing air... its wierd.. first time for me today but if it happens again im definitly going to the dealership...
Reply
Old Jun 16, 2006 | 09:04 PM
  #15  
Thericker's Avatar
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 9,155
Likes: 20
From: Southern, CA.
V12-Biturbo
Originally Posted by fusion2007
same thing happened to me today. i was heading home from work and when i started my car my fan woudnt blowing air and its like 95 degrees outside and its even hotter inside the car. i start driving and i mess around with its controls and still know air.. so i stop my car turn it off and back on.. start driving and it starts blowing air... its wierd.. first time for me today but if it happens again im definitly going to the dealership...
Sorry to tell you but that's exactly how mine started, totally went out a few weeks later luckily it was just the Regulator.
Reply
Old Jun 16, 2006 | 10:20 PM
  #16  
fusion2007's Avatar
Super Member
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 872
Likes: 2
From: Saint Louis
CLS 63 S AMG , s500,clk550
ih thanx i hope thats the problem!! not something to big
Reply
Old Jun 16, 2006 | 11:07 PM
  #17  
degeester's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: So Cal
2006 S500, 2004 LX470
Come to think of it my 1984 W126 pumps out more air than the 2006 S500.
Reply
Old Jun 17, 2006 | 10:32 AM
  #18  
kenstudios's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 5
Summer is here and when you see signs of this going out, it's best to get it checked. It's kinda like the Airmatic. The relay first goes and if you don't get it taken care off, it takes the sensors and pump with it then become a problem. In this case the regulator first goes and you keep messing with it, then the blower dies. It's best to get it checked out before the later.
Reply
Old Jun 17, 2006 | 11:52 AM
  #19  
justbecause's Avatar
Banned
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 99
Likes: 1
re : a/c blower

Ken, is it a big deal to replace the relay or regulator?
as i said before my problem is that it just does not blow hard enough,its like i need another 2 levels to go higher,its a real pain when getting into a hot car.
Any ideas.Oh this is on a 2000 S430.
thanks

Last edited by justbecause; Jun 17, 2006 at 11:55 AM. Reason: ommission
Reply
Old Jun 17, 2006 | 01:52 PM
  #20  
kenstudios's Avatar
Thread Starter
Super Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 5
The earlier W220's have that problem of not blowing hard enough. It take about 10 minutes to really cool the car down on a hot day. That was a design issue. Ask your dealer if you can upgrade your blower and regulator to a 05 model if that helps any. Also think about puting 20% tint with heat rejection. That helps a little. Also ask about a recall on these blowers. I didn't ask about it but there once was a recall on these in the earlier models. I don't have any info on that but if you ask the stealership they should know.

I asked about adding the rear air so my present unit can just concentrate on the front and was quoted a $15K price. Not worth it.

Last edited by kenstudios; Jun 17, 2006 at 01:56 PM.
Reply
Old Jun 18, 2006 | 12:50 PM
  #21  
justbecause's Avatar
Banned
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 99
Likes: 1
Thanks for the reply Ken,
Yes it has to be a design fault, sad tho, when you think about it.It seems to blow on max to about what woul be mid power fan setting on most other cars.
I have played around with all the setting options and it really does not make that much diff.Just seems like if I could kick the blower up a few notches it would be fine.
Reply
Old Jun 20, 2006 | 01:07 AM
  #22  
jjrho's Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
2001 s500
a/c fan issue

01 s500, same problem; wife c/o it every summer; it's intermittent but happens when you really need the A/C blowing.... full fan speed on the display but NO AIR blowing...very annoying;
i don't think the dealer ever really fixed it; 'cause they can't reproduce it;
if it happens again this summer, i'll take it for the a/c blower fan and regulator fix/replacement...i'm sure they've gotten enough of this at the stealers....

j.rho
so calif
01 s500s 62K
Reply
Old May 21, 2015 | 03:28 PM
  #23  
sprink49's Avatar
Super Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 790
Likes: 17
From: West Palm Beach
2004 S500
Originally Posted by sprink49
Ken,

Check over on roadfly.com. I don't know if it would apply but my BMW 540 had a "end of line device" that went bad that caused the same symptoms. Also you might ask MBTECH on the repair and diagnosis section of this board....gotta be something simple.
UPDATE...So after owning my 2004 S500 for 10 years my A/C Blower Motor started working intermittently. I replaced the regulator with a "CoolXPert" replacement that I picked up here in South Florida for $200....45 minute job. Put it back together and all worked fine...backed out of the driveway and it quit working!!!!

I took it all back apart and this time I noticed corrosion in the plug that attaches to the regulator...so I cleaned it thoroughly with emery cloth as well as the connection to the motor it's self...put everything back together and it all works great.

Thought I would pass this along for anyone else that has this problem. These cars are very sensitive to electrical connection corrosion issues. That being said....if change an electrical part be sure to thoroughly clean the connections !!
Reply
Old May 30, 2015 | 10:07 AM
  #24  
sprink49's Avatar
Super Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 790
Likes: 17
From: West Palm Beach
2004 S500
Originally Posted by sprink49
UPDATE...So after owning my 2004 S500 for 10 years my A/C Blower Motor started working intermittently. I replaced the regulator with a "CoolXPert" replacement that I picked up here in South Florida for $200....45 minute job. Put it back together and all worked fine...backed out of the driveway and it quit working!!!!

I took it all back apart and this time I noticed corrosion in the plug that attaches to the regulator...so I cleaned it thoroughly with emery cloth as well as the connection to the motor it's self...put everything back together and it all works great.

Thought I would pass this along for anyone else that has this problem. These cars are very sensitive to electrical connection corrosion issues. That being said....if change an electrical part be sure to thoroughly clean the connections !!
UPDATE: Now a week later it seems that the blower motor is on the way out...seems to run when it wants to. I ordered an aftermarket replacement for $265.00 and will replace as soon as I get my hands on it. I guess these components just "go away" in time. What puzzles me is that even though my car is 11 years old ...it only has 65K miles....so why am I having failures of parts that have seen very little use?
Reply
Old Apr 5, 2016 | 10:18 PM
  #25  
Mr. Moto's Avatar
Newbie
 
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
2006 S 430
Blower is not working

2006 S430 blower would only run when it wanted. Sometimes right away, for a few minutes, or not at all. Living in Arizona it was not a big deal during the winter but now were getting into the 90 and time to turn on the A/C. Thanks to all the Forums and YouTube videos I decided to tackle the task of pulling the blower out from under the dash and look for all the previous mention items. As I put the motor down on my work bench I noticed for lack of better words what looked like a bunch of black brake dust falling out of it. The fan still spun smooth and no noises, and all the connectors looked fine. Based on the black dust I decided to take my can of Contact Cleaner for Electronics and give the entire motor a spray down inside and out. So much of this black dust came out that the ground looked like I had paint overspray on it. I let it dry for a few minutes and just plugged it back into the wiring harness. Turned on the car and the blower turned right and all the speeds worked. Reinstalled the blower and it's been working like a champ for 3 weeks now.
Reply

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:
You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:05 AM.

story-0
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)

Slideshow: Not every Mercedes design becomes timeless, some feel stuck in the era they came from.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:09:07


VIEW MORE
story-1
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun

Slideshow: Yes, Mercedes built manual cars, and some of them are far more interesting than you'd expect.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-02 12:36:58


VIEW MORE
story-2
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren

Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 11:19:28


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine

Slideshow: Before curves took over, Mercedes mastered the art of the straight line, and some of those shapes still look right today.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-25 12:05:49


VIEW MORE
story-4
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction

Slideshow: The 190E Evolution II shows how a homologation necessity became a six-figure collector icon.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-22 17:53:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know

Slideshow: Mercedes is turning one of its core nameplates electric, and the details show just how serious this shift is.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:58:06


VIEW MORE
story-6
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know

Slideshow: Faster charging, longer range, and a controversial steer-by-wire system define the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz EQS.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-15 10:35:34


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve

Slideshow: These overlooked Mercedes-Benz models never got the spotlight, but they quietly delivered more than most remember.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-13 19:35:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping

Slideshow: A well-used 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300D with more than one million miles is now looking for a new owner, and it still appears ready for more.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-10 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used

Slideshow: From bulletproof sedans to surprisingly tough SUVs, these Mercedes models proved that the three-pointed star can go the distance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-08 09:55:49


VIEW MORE