Cavalier Heater no working

[typerx7]

I've got a 96 cavi and the other day I noticed that when I turn on the heater/defrosters the fan doesn't blow at all.

I'm assuming this is just the blower motor has gone bad. The lights are still on but no air is coming out of the vents.

If this is the case, how hard is it to replace this part?
Do you recommend replacing any other parts first?

Thanks in advance.

[mkranch]

these fine GM products have blower motor resistor issues.
the contacts and connections corrode. if you just have high speed only then you resistor is crapped out.
ck your power at the motor, and replace motor if it's all there. usually replace resistor too!

[typerx7]

Does anyone know of any walkthroughs to replace the blower motor?

And to add to your answer it doesn't work on any speeds whatsoever. I was actually thinking of getting and electric plug in to get me through the winter and replace the blower in the spring.

[chris073]

I see that it's been a week since you posted but in case you haven't fixed this yet - replacing the blower motor is a pretty easy job. First, since you said you're not getting *any* action from your blower, you could start by replacing the relay in the fuse/relay box under the hood(<$10). If that doesn't work, the blower motor is located under the glovebox. Unscrew the trim piece and all you have to do is loosen the 3-4 hex-nut screws that hold the motor in place. After you let the motor drop, and if you have a multi-tester, this would be a good time to check and see if you are getting voltage to your motor. if you aren't getting 12V, then your problem is probably either a fuse, relay, or the dash rheostat(i.e.fan switch). If you are getting voltage, then inspect the resistor board (located in front of the blower wheel and sometimes referred to as a "resistor block") - the stock board is unshielded and any small amount of debris that gets into your fan wheel can whip around the fan wheel and damage the circuit board (thanks GM!) - aftermarket resistor boards are usually coated in epoxy to prevent this kind of damage. By the way readers, if your problem is simply that you have lost some speed settings on your blower, the resistor board is probably the only part you need to replace. (The fan setting switch on the dash of 90's Cavaliers is totally enclosed and it's rare that they fail.) To replace the resistor block requires a small hex-driver and a lot of patience and really tiny hands , or, you can just unplug the old one and leave it in its rediculous location, and plug in the new one and bury it under the the firewall padding - it dosn't have to be re-mounted up next to the blower. Wrap it in electrical tape to prevent shorting. But I digress...if you are replacing the blower motor you might notice that the fan wheel is smaller than the one you're replacing, but at least it works! This is a job that you will have to do on your back and snaked up into where your passenger usually puts their feet, but it shouldn't take more than 2 hours if you have the right tools. About $75 to replace the resistor board and the blower motor versus $200+ to have someone else do it for you...you make the call.