anyone had their blower controls go out?

[blueburbboober]

so yeah, my drivers controls dont work. i can change the fan speeds, i can change the temp, turn the a/c on and off, yadda yadda. only thing that doesnt work is the switch that moves the air from the floor to your face to the defrosters. it just all of a sudden stopped working. i know its the switch assembly, because i pulled t out and if i unplug one of the MANY harnesses on it, the defroster come on. nothing on the unit is sold separately, only as a whole. dealer wants $185 for the part.

any suggestions....

-Rob

[michelq]

you can buy this part from any AC DELCO dealer for less money about half price

[Firminator]

Thanks for posting on this subject. I suspect that the root of some of my 86 HeatVentAirConditioning problems are in the controls. The fan runs intermittently only if I can get it started on HI. I have better luck getting it to run with he Heat on rather than the AC. Also, when in the Vent position, the AC runs. When I tear into this, if I need a new unit I'll check out an AC Delco dealer.

[pgutierrez]

I have an '89 454 2500 sub. Since you guys brought up this subject I need to ask you guys somthing about the issues I'm experiencing. I'm blowing fuses left and right every time I use the heating/ac controls. If I leave the top controller lever at one position w/o moving to a different choice I'm fine...but when I move the selector to a different position..I blow the fuse for heating/ac/fan controls every time. Does this mean I need to replace my unit w/a new one???? Any help would be appreciated
Paul

[dirty dan]

What year burb are you talking about???
Most duct controls are vacuum operated. Many default to either the defrost or floor when vacuum is lost. Did you have some work done just before this problem??? Start by checking to make sure you are getting vacuum to the controller.

[dirty dan]

Firminator- Check your ground on the blower motor housing. Sometimes these get dirty and or loose. On my '89 the power for this is supplied from a terminal on the ignition switch. (Supplies a leg of the fuse box) I would loose the fan every now and then and when it would happen, I couldn't put the windows down! Try that in August in I-10 Baton Rouge traffic. It took a while to find the problem.

[dirty dan]

pgutierrez (long-name-no-can-say)
You're going to ground somewhere. Disconnect the switches one at a time and try to blow the fuse. It should be very easy to pinpoint the culprit.

[pgutierrez]

Originally Posted by dirty dan

pgutierrez (long-name-no-can-say)
You're going to ground somewhere. Disconnect the switches one at a time and try to blow the fuse. It should be very easy to pinpoint the culprit.

Dirty Dan..how do I disconnect trhe switches....sorry...this is my first burb and I don't know much..I will investigate tonight..thanks again Paul

[dirty dan]

Paul,
To get the A/C controls out of an '89, you have to pull the metal shroud just beneath your steering wheel along with your instrument panel cover (many phillips head screws). When the cover is loose, tilt the steering wheel all the way down and the shift the trans to 1. You'll kind of have to wrestle the cover out (pull from the top).
Then you pull the A/C controls by removing the controller as a unit. If I remember correctly the controller is held with screws that have a 9/32" head.
A Haynes Manual for your truck would be well worth the investment for a vehicle this age. There are adequate wiring diagrams in the back of the manual that will show you what wires belong to what.
Also, you can normally pick up the GM Service Manual set through E-Bay for a reasonable price. I would spend the money if you intend to keep this truck for a while.

[pgutierrez]

Dan,
I took everything off and was doing some experiments...I did notice that the fuse pops everytime the switch of the ac/heater control goes to the ac portion of the controller....I unplugged the pluggin at the ac condensor, put a new fuse and turned all the controls on switched in between ac to def. and the fuse did not pop....the I reattached this plug to the ac condensor and the fuse popped immediately when the controller was in the ac portion of the controller...what gives??????

[dirty dan]

I'm assuming you mean the compressor rather than condensor. Does it (fuse) pop when you get to defrost?? Defrost should energize the compressor also.
All that happens at the compressor when you turn the switch to A/C or Defrost is that your compressor clutch energizes and engages. Look for worn wire there and all the way back to your switch (goes through the pressure switch at your dryer). If a wire is worn, it's probably between your dryer and compressor. I've never heard of a clutch causing a direct short, but then again nothing is impossible.

If it's not popping when you go to defrost, look behind your controller and see if the moving section in the back of the controller is rubbing a worn spot into your wiring.

[pgutierrez]

Dan,
I'm sorry...maybe I should describe the item that I was talking about. I was assuming the item in the engine compartment was the condensor (it is silver in color and tall, it has a 2 prong plug to it that you can remove, is this the dryer oh!. You are correct the fuse does pop when I also engage the defroster. So the compressor is where??? Thanks for all the help

[dirty dan]

Your compressor's electrical connection is normally at the top of the compressor close to the fan belt. I would begin there to look for worn or burnt wiring.
Yes, the tall silver cannister is the dryer. The 2 prong connector is a pressure switch which cycles your compressor based on the pressure it reads.

Let us know what you find!

[pgutierrez]

Dan....boy you were correct on that call..I found the wire from the compressor that had been melted next to the valve cover. So I cut out the bad and put in new and it worked fine. Thanks for the help!!!!!!

[dirty dan]

Glad I was able to help!