If you've been experiencing a ‘no blower’ problem on your Ford pickup (car or SUV), then you've come to the right place.
Testing the blower motor to see if it's bad (or not) isn't hard and this tutorial will help you test the blower motor in a step-by-step way.
NOTE: This tutorial covers the vehicles in the box titled ‘Applies To:’ on the right column. But, the test procedure (described here) applies to any type of Ford blower motor that has a two-wire connector.
Contents of this tutorial:
You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Como Probar El Motor Soplador Del Aire Acondicionado (4.6L, 5.4L Ford) (at: autotecnico-online.com).
TEST 1: Applying Power And Ground To The Blower Motor
There's a good chance that the blower motor in your particular Ford does not look exactly like the one I'm using in image 2 of 2 (in the image above). This is no cause for concern.
Ford used two types of blower motors and the difference between them is that in one type the harness connector plugs into the body of the blower motor. In the other type, the connector plugs into an extended plug. Both work in the same way!
Both types need battery power and Ground to run and both are tested in the exact same way!
The way we're going to test the blower motor is by manually applying battery power and Ground with jumper wires or a power probe.
NOTE: If you use a jumper wire, make your own fused jumper wire to apply battery power to the blower motor (as a safety precaution against shorting the jumper wire to Ground). You can make your own fused jumper wire by using an inline fuse holder that you can buy at your local auto parts store and insert a 30 amp fuse into it.
Alright, these are the test steps:
- 1
Disconnect the blower motor from its two-wire electrical harness connector.
- 2
Connect one end of the fused jumper wire to the blower motor male spade terminal labeled with the number 1 (in the illustration). This is the terminal that connects to the BRN/YEL wire of the connector.
Connect the other end of the fused jumper wire to your Ford's car battery positive (+) terminal. - 3
Connect one end of a jumper wire to the blower motor male spade terminal labeled with the number 2. This is the wire that connects to the ORG/BLK wire of the connector.
Connect the other end of the jumper wire to your Ford's battery negative (-) terminal.
The blower motor should run as you soon as you connect the other end of this jumper wire to your vehicle's car battery negative terminal.
Let's take a look at what your test results mean:
CASE 1: The blower motor ran when you applied battery power and Ground with the jumper wires. This is the correct and expected test result and tells you that the blower motor is good.
If the blower motor is not running at all or not working in some speeds, you'll need to test the blower motor resistor and/or the blower switch.
CASE 2: The blower motor DID NOT run when you applied battery power and Ground with the jumper wires. This test result tells you that the blower motor is bad and needs to be replaced.
The next subheading will show you where you can buy the blower motor and save a few bucks.
Where To Buy The Blower Motor And Save
You can find the blower motor in any auto parts store. If you're wanting the buy the original Ford Motorcraft blower motor, you can buy it online for a whole lot cheaper than somewhere local.
The following links will help you comparison shop for the Ford Motorcraft and after-market blower motors:
Will the above blower motor fit your particular Ford pickup (car or SUV)? Don't worry, once you get to the site they'll make sure it fits (by asking you the specifics of your particular Ford vehicle). If it doesn't fit, they'll find you the right one.
More Ford 4.6L, 5.4L Diagnostic Tutorials
If you enjoyed and/or found this ‘How To’ article helpful, I have written several more Ford 4.6L, 5.4L specific test articles. You can find them all in this index: Ford 4.6L, 5.4L Index Of Articles
Here's a small sample of the articles you'll find there:
- How To Test The Fuel Pump -No Start Test (Ford 4.6L, 5.4L).
- How To Test The Crankshaft Position Sensor (Ford 4.6L, 5.4L).
- How To Test Ford Coil-On-Plug Ignition Coils 4.6L and 5.4L V8 Engines (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).
- How To Test The Throttle Position Sensor Ford, Mercury, Lincoln 4.6L and 5.4L Engines (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).
- How To Test The FORD MAF 4.2L, 4.6L, 5.4L Round Air Filter Canister Assembly MAF Sensor (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).
- How To Test Ford MAF Sensors Using A Multimeter (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).
If this info saved the day, buy me a beer!
