Happy New Year guys! I'm glad the 914 is running good, and waiting on new front calipers from Eric before really getting to the best part - driving. While it's idle I need to get to other projects. My heater and blower motor isn't working nor are the wipers. Is the probable issue relays on the board in the engine bay? How do you tell those are bad? Yes, I live in East TN, but it gets really cold here too.

Regards,
Rick

Hey Rick,

Not 100% sure what you're asking. What year car do you have, and are you saying that the wipers aren't working and the heater blower motor (in the engine bay) is not working? Not the fresh air blower up front, correct?

For the wipers, check fuse 8 on the fuse panel.

Here's my understanding of the heater blower, although I'm sure it's not 100% accurate or comprehensive, but:

There is a relay in the engine bay that is a dependency for the heater blower to work. There is also a grounding wire on the heater lever (on the floor near stick shift) that provides the ground necessary for the heater motor to run.

Some pretty easy steps to test the heater blower system are: remove the heater and bench test it with leads attached to a 12v source and ground (to the battery if you do it carefully). If it does not run, take it apart and clean it. If it does run, then check the relay on the relay board (I think it's the one furthest back, but it may depend on your year). If you have a spare relay, swap that out. You can also probably use a jumper wire between leads on the relay (someone else can answer better which leads need to be jumped to give it power directly).

If that doesn't help, check the ground connection. This requires removal of the heater lever on the floor. Unbolt the bolts (3?), carefully pull the lever partly out, and verify that there is a ground wire attached to the lead on that lever. If it's not there, use a flashlight to see if you can find the wire detached in the tunnel. It may be green/white (not sure if it changes by car year). I had to fish mine out with a dental pick once I located it in the tunnel.

Again, tell us your car year and maybe provide more specifics about what you're trying to do.

Thanks, my car is a '75. I appreciate the help!

Ok, if you have a '75 then I think that everything I said is still accurate (or as accurate as I understand it). Follow those troubleshooting steps.

Here's a link to electrical diagrams on Pelican: Wiring Diagrams.

It may help for troubleshooting. Let us know what you find or if you have more questions.

Rick,
If your issue is with the front fresh air blower and the wipers, a common culprit is the fresh air relay on the fuse panel under the dash. Probably no horn either. Pull the round relay and clean the prongs and socket. You can slightly spread the relay prongs to get a tighter fit.
Tom

Fresh air relay? Never heard of this relay before.

Tom, I don't see any relays under the dash. Only the fuses, and they all look OK. Do you have pictures or another reference?

Can you confirm if it's the heater blower (the one in the engine bay) or the fresh air blower (the one up in the front trunk) you're looking to get working? If it's the heater blower, the relay is on the relay board in the engine bay. If it's the fresh air blower up front, it may have a relay, but I'm not sure where or which one.

Fresh air fan relay J13, Haynes manual page 128 lower right (B). Never too old to learn something new, eh?
Tom

Never too old! So you need to remove the fuse box per section 25 on page 127 of the Haynes manual, correct?

Thanks,
Rick

To respond to Rob, neither the heater or fresh air blower is coming on, at least I can't hear them.

Duh? I was just linking someone to this yesterday, too: Fuse Panel Relays

Another year and I get older and stupider. But much better looking, IMHO

Fresh air and heater blower don't run off the same relay, and there are multiple reasons, pretty much all independent of each other, why they may not be working.

It's cold outside. Start troubleshooting the heater blower as described above. It's also easier to fix, in most cases. Fresh air blower can be a PIA.

Thanks Rob. Yep there is a relay board under the fuse box, like Tom and the Haynes manual has. I'll look at that tomorrow while waiting on a new ignition switch to arrive.

Can you get any of these relays from a local auto parts store, or do you need to order them from Pelican?

Assuming you still have the round factory relay sockets, they are not something your FLAPS will have; you'll need to order them.

Thanks. Any way to test them to see which may be bad?

Sure. Remove one headlight motor relay and plug it into the socket you're testing. Oh, just because a fuse looks good doesn't mean it is. Remove and inspect each fuse, one at a time, then reinstall it and give it a spin in the contacts to make sure they're clean.

The Cap'n

Thanks, I did earlier find a fuse that looked OK but was toast. Will check them all tomorrow.

Rick

If you substitute a known good relay in the socket and the circuits still do not work, wiggle the relay around while it is powered up and see if any of the circuits start working. If so, then the prong spreading and cleaning of the relay prongs and socket are needed. Mine was intermittent until I removed it and spread the prongs and cleaned the socket and prongs with some fine sandpaper.
If this doesn't work, then there are other issues. There are guys here who can walk you thru isolating the problem. I hope you have some electrical jumpers and a multimeter, you will eventually need them owning a 914.
Tom