First time DIY -- Blower Motor Resistor Issue

[Butsco87]

Hey guys. First time on DIY repair, figured I'd probably be alright starting out with something like my blower motor. I know some of you probably peruse the forums for the story, so I'll post that on here as well as my problem. The motor was clanking around for a good number of months and finally died on me about 3 weeks ago. I looked a few things up online and bought a replacement motor at my local Autozone. After installation, the blower motor wasn't working at all.

Finally I found a blown fuse, and it started working in 5 (the grand prix has one fuse for 5th speed and another for the other 4 speeds). Did a little more poking around online and I found out that the resistor needs replacing as well. After purchasing the replacement, I tested it with the blower motor (pre installation testing) and everything was in working order, so I went to go plug it all in under the dash and ran into a serious problem.

The blower motor is easy enough to replace after you unscrew the wire harness down there and pull the cords out of the way. The resistor on the other hand is a whole other story. The thing's a nightmare! I've been using a ratchet to get the screws out up to this point. There are 3 screws on the resistor, but the only one I could get out with the ratchet was the frontmost one. The other two are shoved way back there next to (from what I gathered) what is called the "firewall".

I can't get the ratchet back in there to loosen the screws, and I can't think of any tool that would help me get to the two that are flush with the firewall clear back there. The angle's just really bad for a ratchet, or any other tool I can think of for that matter. So as the matter stands, I've got a gaping hole in the passenger's side dashboard that leaks freezing cold air into my car until I can get the resistor replaced. HELP!

Scott

[discnik]

Are you using a 3/8" or 1/4" drive ratchet ? Sounds like a job for patience, perserverience, a small mirror, and snake light or very small hands.

[Butsco87]

I'm using a 3/8" drive ratchet. I can see everything allright under there when I lay upside down on the seat and look up there, and there's a courtesy light hooked up down there. I tried for about an hour to loosen the screws. The trouble isn't really finding them, but rather applying enough force to remove them. The socket itself fits on there just fine, but there isn't much room for more than that. The firewall comes down at an angle that makes using a standard ratchet impossible. I'm sure I've seen angled socket adapters for ratchets before, but I'm not sure what the tool is called and wouldn't mind confirmation from anyone who's done this particular thing before that the recommended tool worked for them. Hardware stores in the mid-west strike hard bargains on tools, and the return policy isn't always that great either. Wouldn't want to waste time and money trying something that isn't going to work.

[wlkjr]

Have you tried using a universal? They come in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive. You can get them at Sears or any autoparts store. It makes the odd angles a little easier.

[brcidd]

I do those resistor changes all the time-- use a 1/4 inch 5.5mm socket with a universal joint- and turn those back two screws out about halfway-- they are slotted- so don't take them out! remove the front one all the way- you don't need to see the rear two screws- just feel for them- it's not that bad- after you do a dozen or so, you get good at them....takes about ten minutes....the first one I ever did took about 30 minutes.....

[richtazz]

Once you take the blower motor out, just reach up in the hole, grab the resistor and pull it loose with a good tug. I've done 4-5 of them and never touched the rear screws during removal (I agree they are virtually impossible). After the resistor is out of the way, you can get to the screws. Loosen them each about a 1/4 turn, so the new resistor slides in snug, then just tighten the front screw.

[Butsco87]

Thanks for the help and advice all. My tool set is sadly lacking almost everything required for car maintenance (it's a small household set) so I'll be picking up the extras after work tonight. I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by richtazz

Once you take the blower motor out, just reach up in the hole, grab the resistor and pull it loose with a good tug.

Good point Rich. You can do that since the BMR holes are slotted. For install you do not need to tighten or overdo the rear screws/bolts.

[richtazz]

I'd like to beat the engineer that designed the heater box and put that resistor so close to the firewall. There is plenty of room to put it in a more accessable location. I think car companies should force engineers to work on what they design, that way they'd be a little more considerate about making certain parts easier to R&R when the time comes.

[BNaylor]

At least the job is DIY doable. The primary reason why the BMR is installed in that located is due to the amount of heat being generated from the BMR components when the blower is operating. The blower also helps cools the BMR.

Replacing the heater core or the A/C evaporator core is worse.

[Butsco87]

Alright! Ended up buying a universal joint set, and between using the U-joint adapter and pulling that sucker out of there I got it done. A little advice for anyone else doing this repair -- richtazz was right. I ended up unscrewing the front screw and the back screw thats in clear sight, and then just wiggled and tugged the Blower Motor Resistor the rest of the way out. The funny thing is the replacement part fit in there easier than the stock part did. I took some pictures of the stock part after I took it out, and it's easy to see why this one's out of order.


As you can see, it's completely broken in half!



And heres a picture of the whole thing after it's been removed.

Turns out that my Blower Motor was rattling around in there pretty bad and ended up breaking the resistor apart (which in turn blew a fuse). Long story short, repair your Blower Motor right away when it starts rattling on you.

As a side inquiry, if anyone knows where those pieces might've flown off to in there, please let me know! I have a horrible feeling they might've ended up in the heater core or somewhere else rather dangerous for them to be.

[doctorhrdware]

I use a ratchet extension that is called I think wobble. The socket moves all around. I also took out the passenger front seat, makes it much easier to remove the blower motor and the resistor. I bought my blower motor resistor from Autozone, it is an OEM exact replacement. It is the green style updated resistor.

[tfdg]

Your reply from 'richtazz' is DEAD ON. Read it on the internet somewhere, just did one the same way on my kids car. Follow his advice!

[jeffv]

i have replaced resistor, wiring harness and blower motor but still works only on 5???