Need Help W/Blower Motor

My 98 TJ's blower motor went out so I picked up a new one and the guy at the dealer told me the easiest way to change it out on a 98 is to pull the ENTIRE dash, turns out the motor is accessed right behind the battery.

Anyways I have the new blower motor in and when the truck is not running but key on and I hit the switch for the heat the blower motor and relay wine but nothing happens, when the truck is running and I turn the blower motor on I get warning tones, the dash light goes on and both turn signal indicator lights are fixed on, the ONLY wire I unplugged under the dash was for the passenger side airbag. Is this why the blower motor isn't working & I'm getting all the stuff on the cluster when I switch the blower on?

I've been told that 97-01 XJ's are setup the same way...

sounds to me like a ground problem, and when you turn on the blower it's grounding through paths it shouldn't be, causing all sorts of weird symptoms.

Could it be the computer by any chance? I've left it unplugged from the battery overnight. Years ago I had a 98 Voyager, changed the battery and similar symptoms happened when I'd touch anything electrical, $65 later at the dealer it was fixed

When I put the old blower motor in NOTHING happens, I just get a click from the relay.

I tested both motors and the only one that works when hooked up to power is the new one.

I think there's a short somewhere, when the new blower motor is hooked straight to the battery it works as it should, when I cross the leads that go to the blower motor I get all the stuff on the instrument panel I get when the blower motor is plugged in.

Any ideas?

Figured it out, bypassed the ground and it works as it should