Repeat blower resistor failure

Has anyone run into the front blower resistor going bad over and over? I've replaced it 4 times and it will last a few months. Then the van comes back with high blow only. There is an electrical component built into the resistor that has failed every time. I don't know if this is built-in fusible link or what. I've measured the resistance on a new one, which was basically 0 ohms, so I doubt it's a resistor, and can't be a capacitor. I've been wondering if the blower motor is drawing too much juice ( never blown the fuse ). If anyone has run into this, I would appreciate any tips, or if you know how many amps the blower should draw would be a big help. This is on a 2001 Grand Caravan Sport w/ rear ac.

I never had this problem with my dodge, but I did with a 93 VW Passat I owned. They were notorious for blowing the fan resistor switch over & over (one would last about 9mo to a year). If it's burned open, I'd say the fan is drawing too much current - but not enough to blow the fuse. I assume you're using OEM new parts (not remanufactured etc.). Don't know that there's much you can do other than maybe replacing the fan -any body else had this trouble?

I agree with 2Sheds, your blower is drawing to much power. Im' kinda thinking over my head, but has your heater motor been making strange growling noises for awhile befor this happened. Please post reply. Wayne, from the United States, Canada. And I mean that with the outmost respect.

There's no noise, plenty of air coming through the vents. Maybe I should just put a jumper wire over that piece and be done with it.

i have replaced my 99 stratus blower resistor 4 times too. its the blower thats broken.

I too have replaced the blower resistor pack on my 2001 dodge caravan four times over the past year. The last one lasted just one week. The part that fails is the small cylinder with a red cone on it which is in the center of the four resistors. This is a thermal protector fuse (open circuit below 141deg C or 288 deg F. They sell them at radio shack for $1.50. Two of the four resistors looked a little burned, so my guess is my blower is drawing way too much power, overheating the resistors and eventually blowing the thermal fuse. Does that sound reasonable? What does it cost to replace a blower?

Heres a idea, when you replace it again try to put some kind of heat sink on it to draw some of the heat away and there for keeping the part cooler so it don't blow again. Go to your local electronics store and they maybe can help you out some more. Hope you have room to do it.

I've just had mine replaced and found that there are extended warranties on the HVAC unit this resistor is seated in. Call your local dealership and see if your HVAC unit is covered under the extended warranty. I recieved a letter in the mail informing me that it was covered for 7 years due to unforseen problems (possibly the resistor?).

For now I bought the $1.50 part at radio shack and replaced the bad thermal fuse but positioned it a little further away from the resistors. I've also been thinking about the heat sink idea (a little tricky because all the resistors are bare metal carrying power) but I think the overheating is a symptom and not the underlying problem(bad blower? or restricted airflow over the resistor block??)

Tazman, Do you have any other information on the 2001 grand caravan hvac extended warranty you talked about? Do you still have a copy of the letter. I will try to call the local Dodge dealer later this week but any extra info you have would be appreciated.
Thanks

The only thing that will blow the thermal fuse is heat. Poor air flow will not dissipate the heat or too much current will generate more heat than the air can dissipate. With the resistor pack removed and fan on high put your finger in hole and see how much air is passing over your finger. Bypassing the thermal fuse could create a fire. If you find the current to be around the same value as other cars I would get a thermal fuse with a slightly higher value.

I too am having the same problem,but for the first time.Where are the resistors located for the fan?Also I am having a problem with the passenger side power window.It goes down fine but doesn`t want to go up.I f you are patient and wait every few minutes or so it will go up about an inch at a time.Oh yea 2001 grandcaravan.Thanks

Hi Guys! I just replaced the resistor on my brothers 96 caravan...turns out the plug was bad due to overheating and corrosion...the new original dodge resistor came with a wiring pigtail to splice into the wiring harness...work fine now....

Replace the blower motor AND the resistor at the same time!! The motor is drawing too much current over the resistor circuit!!

A few years ago I had to replace the resistor module. It is located on the firewall in the engine compartment on the passenger side. It was corroded. I got the new one from the Dodge dealer. It comes with a new harness connector which I soldered on. Never had another problem with it.

Hey guys just wanted to say a very big thank you for all the info about this topic.
My van had this problem and I looked it up and got to this forum. with this info i went ot radio shack and for $1.69 got the thermal cutout and with the very important info about putting an alligator clip on while soldering I didnt burn it up and it works great now. And more importantly my wife is stoked that I fixed it for a 1.69. I did get a slightly higher heat and amperage fuse. I think it was 15 amp and just a tad higher on the temp. THanks again guys I will be coming to back to this forum again Im sure. Lets face it its a dodge.
later
pdaddy

Glad to hear you found a fix. Just don't get too crazy with using uprated fuses. You may wind up with a pile of charred metal in your driveway. I doubt the wife will still be stoked.

I wonder if "the guys" are still around 4+ years after they posted.


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Replace the blower motor AND the resistor at the same time!! The motor is drawing too much current over the resistor circuit!!...AND replace the Blower Motor Relay! It's cheap (about $12) and when you replace all 3 components at once, you should get many years of reliability out of the repair. Double check the Resistor Block connection and make SURE it's in good shape... get some dielectric grease and slather up the connector pins before reconnecting it.

My o1 voyager blew 3 resistors and then I replaced the blower motor and it has not blown one again. I got mine at a salvage and paid like 35 dollars for it it came out of a later model. voyaer caravan And town and country all use the same one

Replace the blower motor that's what I had to do hasn't blown a resistor in over a year. Got mine out of a later model at a salvage for like $35

HI! Thank you for all your info on this topic. It has been very helpful for me. My husband and I are on our 3rd resistor and also changed out the thermostat on our dodge. We were wondering if the fouled thermostat could have effected the temp around the resistor and fouled that?

I had to replace the blower motor in my voyager to stop blowing the blower resistors has been almost 2 yrs and not blown a single one since

I had the same problem with blower motor resistor on my Grand Caravan 2005. The Solutuion for this issue was pretty simple. Just change your TCO (thermal cutoff = thermal fuse). The original TCO has 240V/144°C/10A. You can try to find it at any Radioshack Store in the States, but it is problem to find the same one in Canada. I did check all electronic component strores in my area and there is no way how to get the original one 240V/144°C/10A.

However I found another solution for Canadian "Dodge Troublesh oters".:) You can use another TCO for 250V/141°C/15A from NTE brand Part# NTE8139. Technical specs are here: http://www.nteinc.com/specs/8000to8999/pdf/TCOs.pdf (http://www.nteinc.com/specs/8000to8999/pdf/TCOs.pdf))

As far as the amperage for NTE8139 TCO is 10A continuous and original one is 10A also the 15A on NTE8139 is a Max. peak amperage. So it is fine to use a TCO that is higher rated than the one in dodge application but not one that is less. As far as the temperature rating fot NTE8139 TCO is almost the same, because the TCO tolerance is +/- 4°C you can use it.


You can easily find it for $1.68 CDN at any electronic component stores or Radio Source stores Canada wide. In Ottawa area you can find it at Reset Electronic store or Active components store (check yellowpages for contact details).

There is no sense to buy a new thermal resistor ($40.00 CDN) because you have no guaranry that it's gonna work for a long time.

could it be that the A/C filter is dirty and there is not enough air flow across the blower motor resistor. Mine stopped working around 90k miles and I had never replaced the filter. Filter was so dirty that it was restricting air flow. probably made the temp sensor run hotter then it was supposed to.

Not all of these vans has a a/c filter from what I understand only the top line ones do. My 01 does not and I replaced the blower motor and have never blown another resistor

My 1997 Dodge Ram van 3500 has this blower problem: It only works on high. This has been a sporadic problem for years. 4 years ago I replaced the resistor & the wiring harness to the resistor. 3 years ago the dealer replaced the blower motor. 2 years ago the resistor again. These previous repairs would fix the problem - for a while. I just replaced the resistor again & it didn't fix it. I have order the blower switch to replace it. ANy other ideas? The dealer just says bring it in & we'll diagnose it. But, they haven't been reliable & are cost prohibitive.

Replaced my blower motor after replacing the resistor 3 times and have never had a problem again(it has been 2 yrs). I used one from a salvage out of a later model caravan mine is 2001

usmailman,

I've already replaced the blower motor. Replacing the switch did not solve the problem either. Just dropped it off at the dealer for diagnosis.

Replace the blower motor. I did after replacing resistor 3 times and never have blow another resistor

The dealer diagnosed the problem as in the resistor wiring harness where it's spliced to other wires. They reconnected & soldered that & it works OK so far. Charged me $100.

Good info, guys! Unfortunately, my problem may be on the power side of the wiring. My 2006 3500 Ram's blower fan quit working, but after $109 resistor DID NOT repair the problem, I ran a temporary "hot" lead from the passenger side battery, disconnected the normal power lead from the fan, and connected the temp power lead, and the control switch, and blower function correctly. Can anyone help with a wiring diagram, or tell me how to find the fan power relay? I tried to trace the wiring, but the #8, or #10 blue wire does not exist in the harness at the left side firewall harness connection, or at the fuse/power center under the hood.

You can down load a factory service manual here.
http://pdftown.com/PDF-Dodge-Ram-2006-Service-Manual.html
Next time you might be better off posting in the Ram Pickup/Ram SRT10 section of this forum.

I had to replace the blower motor to get the resistor to last. Been almost 2yrs and no resistor failure after replacing it 3 times

I am confused. My blower is not working. We have tested the relays and fuses. We know the blower works. The only thing else would be the resister. I have read that on a 2005 Grand Caravan that it is next to the blower in the glove box area. Now I read there is a resister module under the hood on the passenger side. I am confused. Also I have gone to the Dodge web site and looked for a schematic for my van, but do not see one in the manual. Where can I find one? Any help would be so greatly appreciated.

If I am not mistaken up to 2000 the blower resistor was on passenger side under hood and in 2001 it switched to behind glovebox. Are you sure the blower motor is good? Also check the electrical connection on the blower esistor it could be melted. Mine blew the resistor 3 times replaced the motor and no more problems in 3 years it is an 01.

I am confused. My blower is not working. We have tested the relays and fuses. We know the blower works. The only thing else would be the resister. I have read that on a 2005 Grand Caravan that it is next to the blower in the glove box area. Now I read there is a resister module under the hood on the passenger side. I am confused. Also I have gone to the Dodge web site and looked for a schematic for my van, but do not see one in the manual. Where can I find one? Any help would be so greatly appreciated.

You have a blower resistor block if you have the manual temp control system. It can be accessed either from under the hood or from inside behind the glove box. You have a blower control module if you have the automatic temperature control system. It is accessed from inside up behind the glove box.
Are you getting power off the switch to the resistor block (or module)? I've read several reports of the control panel connector melting creating problems. Might check on it.

...and you have a schematic from ARRC.

Ok I had the same problem except the fuse didn't open, the resistor would burn open and I would only have the blower on high. After 3 resistor packs and a -25 temp outside,I got an idea why not add a heatsink to the ceramic resistor. So I beetled down to an electronics store and bought 2 small heatsinks made for the square SCR regulators, they cost a buck apiece and I used a thermal paste and a 8" length of insulated transformer wire and have them on the green ceramic of the pack. The paste conducts the heat and does not run and I had some varnished transformer wire sitting around anyway. I did have to bend the fins out a bit to fit into the opening but it was no big problem.
I will replace the blower motor in the spring but until then this is a cheap and easy fix that should take about 15 minutes to do

RIP I am thinking you sent me a link to a schematic for my 2005 Dodge Caravan, I know someone did. But I can not find the link and forgot to make more than one copy (blonde moment). One link that was sent was to a library and it asked for a library card which I did not have. Could you please send me a link one more time and I PROMISE I will make more than one copy. Thank you sooooo much. Really need it ASAP. Finally found someone to help me fix a problem I have but no schematic. :(

I had this issue with me and it was a faulty part-
NAPA part I went through 2 that were bad in 2 weeks. I went to the OEM dealer and it now works fine for 2 months

01 Grand Caravan. First my resistors were blowing so after replacing 3, I also replaced the blower motor and vacuumed out the filter. Since then, 2 blower motors have also failed. Today it is -20 C outside and I have no blower. Brrrr ...now what should I try?

On my 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, I replaced the thermal fuse from Radio Shack as recommended and it worked like a charm. The part number is 270-1320 and costs $1.99 (price has gone up slightly). Here's a picture of the part.

I disassembled the resistor assembly and soldered the new part into place, attaching heatsink clips to the leads to prevent heat damage.

Thanks for everyone's help. (Wife is pleased too.)
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j387/willtan930/thermal-fuse.jpg

You don't need to solder it, just use plyers and metal clips that are included with thermal fuse. Soldering is dangerous, it can damage your new thermal fuse.
Good luck.

My van is about to need it's 3rd one in the last 12 months. The joys of owning a Chrysler product, lol.

EDIT 1/7/11

My van actually needs the pigtail replaced this time. Resistor is not the problem I am having.

Bumping this back to the top. After replacing my pigtail roughly first week of February I am now experiencing yet ANOTHER resistor failure. I haven't checked yet to see if the pigtail is roasted AGAIN, but I am going to assume it is. I guess I need to replace the blower fan and see if I can get this system to last more than a few months without failure.

well this is an interesting read...i've replaced the resistor pack once and still had intermittent blower function...recently everything died...the blower slowed down, dash lights came on, the whole shebang....anyway i'm get infinite resistance on the motor itself, and still getting resistance values on the resistor pack. time to take the dash apart and fix the motor...hopefully this will take care of the problem...been without a/c in both cars all summer...

Gray

Can anyone help me locate and provide directions on replacing the Thermal Cutoff Fuse on my 2005 Grand Caravan with auto temp control?

Can anyone help me locate and provide directions on replacing the Thermal Cutoff Fuse on my 2005 Grand Caravan with auto temp control?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsazws_za4k&feature=related

On my 2004 the blower didn't work on any of the fan speeds until I replaced this.

Can anyone help me locate and provide directions on replacing the Thermal Cutoff Fuse on my 2005 Grand Caravan with auto temp control?

Auto temp control systems don't have the thermal fuse. They don't even have the resistor block the fuse is soldered to. What you have is a comparatively pricey ($60) solid state blower control module. It's located in the same area as the resistor block. Just disconnect the plugs and remove two screws. Install in reverse.

I am not getting any power to the module or the fan.
I know I poped something when I tried jumping across the module connector to see if the fan would operate. Any idea what fuse
or other componet I may have affected? I don't have a wiring diagram to refrer to.
Thanks for any lead you can provide

I am not getting any power to the module or the fan.
I know I poped something when I tried jumping across the module connector to see if the fan would operate. Any idea what fuse
or other componet I may have affected? I don't have a wiring diagram to refrer to.
Thanks for any lead you can provide

Power comes from the front blower relay then through a 10 amp fuse, both on the IPM (fuse box), then out to the blower control module. The Front Control Module (FCM) controls both the front and rear blower relays. If the rear blower is working then the FCM is doing it's job.

Check that fuse and swap the front and rear blower relays.

Something else to keep in mind...I've had to replace my 2005 Dodge Grand caravan blower resistor again at about the same time 1 yr ago. Exactly one very cold (-20 Celcius) day after having parked my van inside a heated shop for about 30 mins. Just enough time to have some of the ice and snow melt and enter the front heater fan & motor housing. I'm assuming that there has been just enough water that turns to ice overnight to cause the fan blades to bound up subsequently causing the motor to overheat and blow the resistor.

To test for a faulty thermal fuse, I first removed the blower resistor, re-connected all wiring, checked for power and ground then by-passed the thermal fuse and the fan worked on all settings.

This time I am only replacing the Thermal fuse if I can find one in the local area.

If you're burning up Resistor Blocks over and over, save yourselves headaches and money by replacing the Resistor Block, Blower Motor and Relay all at the same time...

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=340871

You'll get YEARS of trouble-free operation by doing so... I had a '96 GC LE for 14 years and over 300,000 miles. Been there, done that.

2005 grand caravan/3.8/ATC with digital display control head. First replacement blower motor module failed. Cause of failed first replacement is restricted cabin filter(lack of air flow), blower motor drawing 18 amp on high, during amp test. Replace blower motor, cabin filter and blower motor module.

mtech345 - you say your blower motor was drawing 18amps prior to replacement? Mine is drawing 17-19+ amps and is stuck on high. What did the new motor draw?

I bought a used motor, so I want to make sure 17-19 amps is blowing the new resistors before I return both parts for exchange.

Thanks