I figured out how to fix the A/C blower switching problem caused from bad resistors without buying a new resistor pack. My dealer wanted $30 US plus tax for the pack and so I figured I’d try to fix mine. 2 reasons why. Mainly, the dealership where I live is like 40 minutes away and plus it was a little cheaper. It was fun too.
Anyway, I just removed the coil type resistors from the pack after it was removed from the blower motor housing. second I went to Radioshack and bought 3 (.47 ohm, 5 watt) wirewound resistors for 1.49 a peice. I came home and soldered them up in series and viola, it worked. if anyone wants a deeper explanation let me know and I’ll give a how-to kinda thing. If not, Ill just be content knowing I saved myself 25 smackers.
Make up a detailed thing with lots of pictures and send it to Neil, he’ll post it on the teg tips and you’ll be famous forever. When/if you do this, make the directions in lamen’s terms. Go through each step simply.
BTW, is this for fixing the “Only the last 2 switches work” thing?
Is this about the “last two settings work” problem? Cause I’m kinda prepared to replace the blower motor resistor… I just wanna make sure I’m getting the right part.
Okay I have the same problem on my car (works on 3 + 4).
I just took it out to make SURE it was the resistors and not my motor. Sure enough, the middle resistor was in multiple pieces…
Anyway, you say you used 3x .47 ohm resistors. But the original resistors are all different values (I measured 1.1 and 3.3 ohm for the remaining ones, though it was hard to get a good reading).
So if you were using only .47 ohm resistors, your fan must be a lot faster on settings 1 through 3 now, right? (it would be the same on the 4th setting of course)
Just wondering if you noticed a significant difference.
Well honestly I hadnt had 1 and 2 for so long that I dont remember what it was. And you are right about the ohms. I measured the resistors and they were all different. But when I went to radioshack I had limited selection. I honestly was just trying it cause I didnt know if was going to work or not. But it seems to be great. all 3 levels are different and i use them all based on how cold it is. I suppose it the fix doesnt last, I can always go to the dealership and get the pack. Hope that helps.
Originally posted by White 90 Teg wzup fellas…how did you guys remove the A/C switch from the dash???
We didn’t… you don’t need to. The resistor pack is on the blower assembly (behind the glovebox). You can get it by just removing your glove box (this may not even be necessary, but it sure makes things easier). You’ll see a black thing with some blue wires plugged into it. Unplug the wires, take the 2 screws out that hold the black piece into the blower. Pull it out. That’s the resistor pack.
If you actually need to get the A/C switch out? I suggest you read the teg tips on fixing your climate control lights.
thanx alot 90Rio GS…my problem is my A/C doesnt work at all. It was fine last summer when I bought the car but one day some mist came out of my vents. Also, the A/C light on button doesnt turn on either. Thats why im making the assumption I have to take out my A/C switch in order to fix it. If you or anyone else has had experience w/ this type of situation, any input is most appreciated. TIA
does somebody know the part number for the blower motor resistor pack? I don’t want to bother with doing it myself, the replacing of the resistors I mean. I don’t have a chilton’s manual so… thanks!
90RioGS I think that was one of the first things I checked last summer but I could be wrong. Man I hope your right though. Thanks for looking out. Peace
I found the approximate values… had to clean off the wires on the resistor for the DMM to get a reading – they were corroding so the multimeter couldn’t make clean contact.
For future reference, the resistor values (approx. to the nearest 0.2 Ohm) are as follows:
LO - M1 = 2.2 Ohms
M1 - M2 = 1.5 or 1.6 Ohms (Edited)
M2 - HI = 1.0 Ohms
archivethis
These resistors, since Radio Shack only carries a VERY limited selection, can be found at most electronic hobbyist shops, electronic parts suppliers, etc… check your yellow pages.
~Eric
NOTE ON EDIT: The ones most easily found are the values above. 1.0, 1.5, and 2.2, were all available at a local hobbyist store, whereas numbers in-between were not. This is why I edited this post to include the COMMON numbers. All resistors I purchased were 5W rated and are very similar to what was in there before (except these new ones are in a nice plastic shell, are flame-resistant, etc…)
Thank you Eric! I’m gonna be picking up a resistor (or maybe it would be worthwhile to replace all 3) today!
Does anyone know what the power rating on these resistors should be? I know, in the original post, he used 5W resistors, but is that necessary? Even if someone knew the resistance of the motor, it would be easy to figure out the voltage drop across each resistor and then how much power they absorb.
