Date:         Mon, 15 Jan 2001 17:05:48 -0500
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Ground wire from heater blower warm
Comments: To: EVEHART33@AOL.COM
In-Reply-To:  <ae.fd8bf05.2794c5ab@aol.com>
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At 04:29 PM 1/15/2001, Ken Hunter wrote:
>The heater blower motor on my 82 Westy draws my system voltage down from
>13.9V to 10.9V when running at high speed according to my VDO volt meter and
>my handheld VOM.

Depends where you're measuring the system voltage -- but that's an awful
high drop, even right at the blower.  Trace the supply lines back until you
find where that drop is occurring.  Might save yourself a fire or melted
wiring.

>I thought that I might have a poor connection at the ground
>termination clusters under the dash so i pulled the fuse panel down out of
>the way to have a look. I noticed that the ground connection from the blower
>was warm to the touch and would even spark when I reatatched it.

Poor ground would get warm/hot, must fix.  This does *NOT* however account
for the blower drawing down the system.  Sparking is normal.  If the motor
were drawing too much the whole wire would be warm (and the fuse would blow
-- you did take off the tinfoil, right?).

>Does this
>sound like a short in the motor itself? I'm stumped.

Probably not, but you can measure -- the motor draws just about twelve amps
at high speed.

david


David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"