Dirty Den Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 I've tracked down the cause of my heater fuse problems - the heater motor itself. I've had the unit apart and with someone more knowledgable than myself, we've found that the brushes are fine and that the unit spins freely - we've tried this wired directly to the battery and via the heater switch. Intermittently the heater motor blows the 10amp fuse in the fuse box. So, we wired the heater back in and tried a 15amp fuse. Success, the heater works and the fuse doesn't blow. After a couple of minutes, we smell a burning smell and the eventual result is that the wire to the positive connector heats up, along with the heater motor - a LOT! So I've no idea what the problem is with the motor (is there some kind of component that should restrict the current it draws?) and I think it's best to either get a new one or get the old motor reconditioned if possible - but as the brushes seem fine, I'm not sure what can be the problem/what can be done. Does anyone know what car the heater motor is from and have a part number? If I can't get one from a third party, do Caterham sell the motor on its own? Alternatively, can anyone suggest places that could fix the motor in the North Hampshire area? Cheers, Den 😬 - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Den Posted May 16, 2004 Author Share Posted May 16, 2004 I've been to my local motor factors with my old motor and a part number from this thread here but the part number wasn't of any use to them. Anyone able to help? Looks more like I'm going to have to get a new motor from Caterham etc - or pop the old one back. Den 😬 - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile! Edited by - Dirty Den on 22 May 2004 22:55:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Den Posted May 16, 2004 Author Share Posted May 16, 2004 😬 - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Den It could be that some of the insulation on the internal windings has failed and caused some shorting inside. This could still allow the motor to run but cause the motor to draw far too much current hence the overheating. If you need a 15A fuse, that's indicative of a big excess of current. Sounds like a new heater fan or a recon job. Chris 2003 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Mcalvert Posted May 17, 2004 Leadership Team Share Posted May 17, 2004 Yes, caterham do offer it on its own - I bought one a couple of years ago but it wasn't cheap. A couple of weeks later at the Stoneleigh kit car show, a stand was selling them for about a tenner. Sorry, don't know who though ☹️ Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Den Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 Chris, Michael - Thanks for the replies. I've ordered a replacement motor from Redline, so should hopefully have it all fixed in a few days.... Den 😬 - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Den Posted May 19, 2004 Author Share Posted May 19, 2004 Just wanted to post and say thanks to Redline - excellent service! Got the new heater motor and fitted it this evening. Problem solved! Cheers, Den 😬 - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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