Blower motor bad?

I have searched and sifted thru several pages, can't find an answer.

I have a 97 XJ 4.0 lifted etc, the blower motor for AC/Heat has been working sparatic since last spring, but now is getting much worse (hardly ever works).

Everybody seems to have resistors go, I think mine are OK as ALL 4 SPEEDS WORK when its working.

If its not working, I CAN TAP ON MOTOR WITH HAMMER AND IT USUALLY COMES ON.

Local dealer wants $219 for motor and said I may need a new harness for $67. What is the harness and do I need it? I found a motor online at http://www.chryslerpartsdirect.com/ for $152, but they don't list a harness.

What do you guys think?
Thanks in advance for your help!

P.S. Anybody have a low mile blower motor wanting to sell cheap?

I'm not sure where the blower motor connector plugs are but I'd pull the connector and clean it with a very small thin file or GC burnishing tool which is about the size of a matchbook striker only steel with an abrasive surface. Hitting it with a hammer usually means loose connector, dirty connector, brushes or a slight burned spot on an armature.
Changing the blower motor on a 97+ is one of those PIA jobs that requires evacuating the A/C and removing the dryer tower so that would be my last resort. I wonder if the motor grounds on the firewall thru the mounting bolts, could be they are corroded and wacking it with the hammer makes the connection.

i had my blower motor go bad, the one sign was the noise and the blowing of the blower motor resistor. that was frustrating as hell. i went on ebay and got a new siemens blower motor for 52.00 , popped out the old one, installed the fan onto the new motor, poppied it all back in and now its like new. no more blown resistors and working on all speeds now. before i knew what the problem was it was working on speeds 1 and 3 or something like that.

definitely with your issue, as RichP said , it might just be the contacts.

the resistors usually blow when the motor is bad from everything i have seen blower motor related and xj's.

Why does the AC need evac'd? Looks like it can be pulled from motor side.

Anybody else have an opinion or have a similiar experience?

on my 90 the motor would just blow fuses. so i pulled it out and the shaft was rusted solid. so i filled one of the holes that goes into the motor. full of wd-40 and squirted the shaft with oil. and beat the hell out of it with an aluminum pole. and low and behold it works beautifully.

It is possible the tower can be moved enough to get it out but the FSM says evac the system and remove the tower. I have not had to do it on my 98 yet [knock on wood] so I can't say first hand.

i would remove all the hose connectors that hold the hoses in place and you might be able to gain enough room.