Blower motor quit- BUT...

[02SVTAZ]

Worked fine since I've had the car- no intermittent issues or anything. The other day I switched on blower for heat, and nothing happened. A/C light will come on, blower doesn't work on ANY setting, and at idle I noticed that engine RPM drops slightly when the blower switch is turned on. I checked the fuse (with RPM drop, I figured blower was pulling amps so didn't suspect fuse, but checked it anyway), and fuse is fine.

I've read other posts on here about resistor going bad, so before I tear the glovebox out I'm hopeful someone will have some insight here. I've also read that motor going bad can take resistor out, so I'm hoping my description might get me some feedback from someone who understands this stuff better than I. My suspicion based on my observations here is that the motor has seized, as opposed to the resistor which, I would think if failed would not even send power to the motor?

Resistor?
Motor?

Is the problem I described common at all? Just curious.

Thanks!

[sailor]

Sounds like time to check the motor, it's not too tragic a job to drop it out of the dash - access from behind the glove box & from underneath.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Bad cabin fan resistor = fan runs on speed 4 only
No fan on any speed= bad fan motor or fan switch

In your case, I believe it's the fan motor because you noticed your rpms dropping which might be that you're running in AC mode. Check to see if your vents are set to DEF/FLR, or DEF as both of those will turn on the AC.

[02SVTAZ]

Well, for the purposes of further documentation in case anyone finds this thread when searching, the saga continues. I've replaced both the resistor and the switch with new FoMoCo parts, and still nothing. I DID drop the fan out, and initially, it wouldn't turn, but then freed up and turns fine. I put 12v to it while removed from the car (battery charger), and it runs fine- no noises or anything. At that point, I had a new resistor in hand, and since there are no returns on electrical parts, I elected to go ahead and install it.

So, in summary, this is where I'm at-
Fan motor works (apparently) with 12v applied.
Resistor- NEW
Switch- NEW
Fuse- checked multiple times- good
Fan- still no workie. :(

[a_2000_se]

The fan motor running off 12vdc needs good brushes to run consistently, if the bearings aren't a problem - no noise, correct? Check your brush lengths to be sure they aren't worn to their minimum length.

[02SVTAZ]

UGH! This will likely be my last post on this site- mainly out of sheer embarassment. After pulling the motor AGAIN, and testing it AGAIN, and running through the list of options AGAIN, I pulled out the owner's manual and started reading SLOWWWWLLLLYYY the section on fuses, and realized that the 7.5A "recirculation air, air blower" (or something like that) fuse under the driver's side dash (#45) is NOT the main fuse for the blower motor as I had assumed. Under the hood, fuse number 64 is 40 amps, and was indeed blown. My theory is that the motor WAS jammed up, so I had to take it out to discover that. The motor faces up into the squirrel cage, and is exposed, so any debris can fall into it and potentially short it out or jam it up (which is what apparently happened in my case). When I was noticing the idle RPM drop when selecting the fan on, the fuse hadn't blown YET. I pulled it apart on the assumption that the fuse was still good, but apparently it had blown right when I shut it off.

So, I blew $70 chasing a blown fuse (and a jammed up motor). <sigh>

Just once, I'd like to come across a lesson I've ALREADY learned once before. :)

[sailor]

Don't run away from embarassment, after having the courage to post your results to help others who may have a similar experience!

Thanks for the update, too many threads leave folks hanging as to the final resolution when they are searching for answers....

Cheers!