Variable speed controller on a blower motor

OK, this may be a bit long winded but gotta lay out the problem to get an answer. Last fall I replaced the column in my jeep due to a busted tilt mechanism. When I did this, the circuit that controls the turn signals, radio, and HVac blower motor was left dead. I was able to find the power supply wire to these circuits and ran a hot lead to them thru a toggle switch. All was good until it got cold last winter and I kicked on the heater. Well evidently the voltage to the blower motor resistor is reduced somewhere because, the resistor got so hot it melted the heater core causing a small fire. Of course I pulled the fuse to the blower to prevent any future problem.

Now it is fixing to get cold again and I think I would like to have heat in the heep. I donot want to tear the dash apart looking for the proper way to wire it up yet, plus here lately, have not had the time. Everything works as far as temp and defroster/heat/vent selection except for the blower. What I was thinking was putting the blower on an independant circuit directly off of a hot source with a variable speed controller. This would provide me with everthing I would need to keep from freezing. The problem Im having is locating a variable speed controller that would work. Im thinking something simple like a single knob with 3-5 speed selections. Something small that I can put on my console or dash. Anyone got any ideas?

On the first problem, I would guess it was the ignition switch either bad or simply misaligned after the column swap.

I'm not sure how the problem with the blower motor resistor is related, but it's not uncommon the resistors to melt their connector or self destruct. A bad blower motor drawing too much current can contribute to the problem. In a pinch, I'd just bypass the resistor and get full speed all the time. To fix it right, I'd get another resistor pack either at the junkyard or the local auto store for $20.

Anything homebrew and cheap is gong to look remarkably like the stock setup with a 4 position switch and some resistors to drop the voltage. Otherwise, you're getting into the realm of pwm type controllers which start around $100 for something that'll handle that amperage.

Rockauto has the resistor for $22, plus here is a 5% coupon.

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