AC fan speed

[BigG]

'96 XJ Sport. Stock.

The fan for my AC/heat/vent/defrost will only run at high speed. The fan will stop if i have it in the other 3 positions. The Fan will still transition between the different mode fine, just the speed control is acting up.

[jocko463]

Most HVAC blower motors have a resistor block used to control the speeds. Each blower speed has a corresponding wire resister; the slower the fan speed, the higher the resistance of the wire. The resistor block usually resides in one of the air plenums so that when the blower is running, air flow will keep them from burning out. I don't have my FSM handy so I don't know exactly where the block is on the XJ.......the resistor block would be my first item to check.

[rstarch345]

Remove the kick panel from under the passenger dash. There are four screws. Two up under the dash (bit_ch to get to) and the other two mounted to the fan housing by the floor board.

Once the panel is removed, you'll see a rectangular box at the bottom of the fan housing. Remove the wiring harness and two screws holding it in. The resistor assembly can then be removed.

And did I mention that you need to stand on your head to do this.

[XJING]

If you cant follow rstarch's directions. (although they are spot on) heres the write up. Good Luck
http://www.geocities.com/chmwatson/FAQs/Jeep/HVAC-fuselink_fix.html

[BigG]

Yeah, gotta love those head stand repairs.

[90xj06]

sorry to hijack this but i have a black wire that just hangs there near the blower and is not connected to any thing its a 90'. i haven't looked for where it could go but if any one knows off hand that would be great.

[xj incubus]

is it possible for these resistors to completely go out? mine was doing the high speed only thing, and now it won't blow air at all. or is the blower motor a factor? sorry for the thread hi-jack! :wave1:

96 XJ country

[Gunner]

Ok I had the same problem and followed rstarch's and the links directions. BUT when I pulled it out the larger single coil pretty much broke off. Can i take heavy wire and make it work? It wont solder..?? Crap talk about bad to worse. Any ideas? Thanks

[old_man]

It is special high resistance nichrome wire. You need to replace the unit.

[BigG]

Since I don't have a soldering iron, how much would the resistor pack cost at a junkyard?

[Gunner]

Hey old man, would you be worried if it looked melted and brittle?

[old_man]

The wire is nothing more than a heating element. That is why they put it in the air stream, to keep it from burning up. The "wire" will get real hot and will look burned and grey. The base can melt a bit as well. I think they run less than $10 at Autozone. I will do a bit of checking.

[Gunner]

I got a resistor at the Jeep dealer for $7, shocked the hell out of me. Autozone said they don't carry it. But I have a feeling they just didn't know what I was asking for.

[Gunner]

Put it in. Now I have all ranges of the blower. Thanks for the help guys.

[BigG]

Finally got my new resistor pack in. All the fan speeds back. None of the writeups care to mention that the Air Re-circulation Vacuum Actuator is anoyingly close to one of the screws holding the pack in. PITA!

[savage1978]

What if I only have speeds 1 and 2?... If I go to the dealership can I get the assembly at a reasonable price? How hard is it to get to in a 97? Im assuming that if the assembly is available for under 50 bucks than it will be a plug and play typeof operation.....Thanks for any input Kenny