dodge stratus air conditioner blower

[pgg75482]

I have a 99 Dodge Stratus. When using the air conditioner,blower switch only worked on high speed,this has been for a couple of months. I drove the car on some errands,and blower was workingwhen I stopped the car. I got back in and the blower would not work at all. Fuses have been checked on inside paneland are ok-any ideas as to what this could be? Just thw switch or the blower motor? Thanks

[cmattson]

I just sold my 2001 Dodge Stratus. My only complaint with the car was that it kept blowing the blower resistor (twice in the 3 years I owned the vehicle).. and the results were just as you've described: the blower fan only works on high speed.

The part costs only $6 from the Dodge dealer. On the '01 Stratus sedan, the part is located un the venitlation duct behind the kick-panel in front of the passenger seat. So, if you stuck your head under the dash on the passenger side, there was one nut that retains the kick panel (10mm I believe?). After you remove that piece, you'll see the part stuck into the ductwork. I believe there was another bolt holding the part in place & you just unclipped the wiring harness from the part, plugged in the new one and put the nut & bolt back in place. It's a really simple job; took me about 10 minutes to do. Good luck!

[cmattson]

BTW, in case you are wondering, the reason they put the part in the duct-work is that the resistor generates heat when 'stepping-down' the voltage to the blower fan. Basically, it cuts voltage to the blower motor down from 12-volts to 12,9,6,3,0 volts, depending on what you've set the switch at. I've heard that this is a pretty common repair on several different model vehicles (i.e. it isn't just a Dodge problem).

[ozziepartsguy2003]

Thanks, those are the exact symptoms my '97 has, I'll gamble 6 bucks before I rip the dash apart.

[ozziepartsguy2003]

I ordered the part today, 17 bucks, I'll have it tommorow. Still cheap if it fixes the problem.

[eXcelon]

i have had mine changed 5 times already. heres a how-to to change it

http://www.stratusphere.us/forums/in...howtopic=20297

[ozziepartsguy2003]

I swapped it out today, took all of 5 minutes, blower is working properly now.
Thanks for the tip.

[BoatCop]

If the blower motor resistor keeps frying, it's a good sign that the blower motor itself is faulty. High resistance in the windings overloads the resistor and causes it to malfunction.

One resistor replacement every five years or so seems pretty common, but if they only last a few months, a new blower motor is in order.