99 blower motor dying

[Photodan]

Hey guys,

For starters, I know for a fact the my blower motor resistor is bad and needs replacement because only speeds 1&2 stopped working. I haven't had time to fix it and I blanched when the dealer told me $120 to replace it.

My real problems started 3 days ago (of course during the peak heat of the summer) when the blower started making a vibrating sound and eventually slowed down to nothing. It's been very intermittent ever since and usually ends up not working. It's clear to me that the motor is dying but not many have described removal of the motor.

Is it as simple as removing the kick panel beneath the glove box, removing a wiring harness and taking out the 3 screws that hold the motor? (of course I'll also replace the resistor while I'm down there)

Thanks for any help!

-Dan

[GTP Dad]

You are correct in your assessment of how to replace the fan motor and resister. I would call a local wrecking yard for another fan. I bought one for $25 and it works fine. A lot cheaper than what the dealer wants for one.

Welcome to the forum!!!

[Degtr]

My blower made the same "death" sound when the resistor went, and it turned out that the blower motor was fine and all of the problems were due to the failing resistor. If you can get a replacement blower motor on the cheap, it's not much more effort to change the motor and resistor all at once, but you might save a few bucks by running 12V directly to the blower motor and see what it does minus the resistor. If it runs OK, you likely just need to replace the resistor.

[Photodan]

Originally Posted by Degtr

My blower made the same "death" sound when the resistor went, and it turned out that the blower motor was fine and all of the problems were due to the failing resistor.

Wow, no kidding? Thanks for the tip, I'll try the resistor first since I haven't grabbed a used motor yet.

-Dan

[Photodan]

Well, I broke my back replacing the resistor and while I now have all my blower speeds, it still dies after about 20 minutes of running. (giving it a quick tap with the wrench frees it up just like a bad starter) Looks like I'll have to replace the motor after all.

Thanks for the replies, guys!

-Dan