a/c blower stuck on high.

Posted by: Mario

a/c blower stuck on high. - 07/31/08 11:55 PM

I bought a 1997 Grand Prix SE, I noticed that the speed nob was broken off a/c, and thought nothing of it, then I noticed trip computer lights were off. My wife looked down on floor of passennger side and said whats this, and pulled a wire hooked up to a toggle switch from under mat,Hmmm, I turned on toggle and a/c fan came on and so did the trip computer lights, the only thing is that the blower is stuck on high(5), with knob broken off, I stuck needle nose pliers in and turned the blower speed switch to the left towards off possition, and the only thing that happened was the trip computer lights went off. I shut car off and started it back up with toggle still in on possition, blower still on high, turned speed knob back to 5 and trip computer lights came back on, but there was a clicking noise on left side of dash and head lights were flashing on and off. turned toggle off, turned car off, restarted car and clicking and flashing head light were gone. anyone had this prob, So I can fix it and trace line to toggle back to its soarce and hook it back up.
the power to toggle is comming from fuse box to toggle and red/black wire going to a/c somewhere.
I bought car off mexican lady who says "I dunno" when I ask her about it.
Posted by: ordonez1307

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/01/08 10:36 AM

whoa. i have no idea, but this sounds entertaining

But to answer one question, the power wire in the glove box is going to the power drop. There are 3 wires back there
Posted by: davmac

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/01/08 12:39 PM

^ My reaction exactly.
Sounds like someone came up with a creative solution to some electrical problem. The original prob might have been as simple as a bad fan resistor pack - or not. Check circuit diagram and see what components are common to blower and trip computer ...
Good luck in undoing the "fix". You might be in the market for some working but used electronic components. You might try Morad Parts or visit his ebay store for some replacements - once you figure out what you might try.
Update this thread. I'm interested in the outcome and wish you good luck.
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/01/08 01:11 PM

These are quotes from another Grand Prix gp,se forum.

Originally Posted By: I have a 97 grand prix se and there is a problem with the fan. Pretty Much this is what happens:

Fan speed 1-4 never worked
Fan speed 5 worked until yesterday
When in 2-4 the headlights dont turn on
When in 5 now you hear a clicking noise coming from somewhere in the dash and the headlights repeatedly go on and off and then just stop working all together.

Ive heard this is a common problem with the car. What should be my first step from here. Its pretty annoying not having heat in the winter.[/QUOTE



Originally Posted By: ]sounds like the exact same thing that i was having problems with last year. for the longest time my dad and i thought it was a problem with a relay and swapped in a new one, but didn't fix the problem. the problem was difficult to diagnose by our mechanic because it came and went and always functioned perfectly for the mechanic so he couldn't do anything until he finally found the problem and fixed it. it turned out that there was a short in the ignition wiring harness thus the problem with the fan speeds and the flicking on/off of the headlights and of course that annoying clicking noise from the left part of the dash. i had a new one put in and it has worked perfectly since. good luck


[QUOTE=
he is right. the ignition harness is a common problem on the GP's. this is what is causing your problem. not sure how much automotive experience you have, not sure if its gonna be a DIY job for you, but this is what the problem is


Thank god no one here is pointing their finger towards that ignition harness problem as being the first culprit. I will get a fan resister pack, and trace thst red/blsck wire back to its soarse and find a wiring diagram (hopefully someone here has a diagram they can email me or something), and put it back where it belongs.

Is this the fan resister pack I am looking for? Its all that would com up after finaly just typing resister in search bar.

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=NIE&MfrPartNumber=DR702&PartType=861&PTSet=A
Thanks gentlemen
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/04/08 08:08 AM

[quote]Originally posted by Mario:
These are quotes from another Grand Prix gp,se forum.

Originally Posted By: I have a 97 grand prix se and there is a problem with the fan. Pretty Much this is what happens:

Fan speed 1-4 never worked
Fan speed 5 worked until yesterday
When in 2-4 the headlights dont turn on
When in 5 now you hear a clicking noise coming from somewhere in the dash and the headlights repeatedly go on and off and then just stop working all together.

Ive heard this is a common problem with the car. What should be my first step from here. Its pretty annoying not having heat in the winter.[/quote
[QUOTE=]sounds like the exact same thing that i was having problems with last year. for the longest time my dad and i thought it was a problem with a relay and swapped in a new one, but didn't fix the problem. the problem was difficult to diagnose by our mechanic because it came and went and always functioned perfectly for the mechanic so he couldn't do anything until he finally found the problem and fixed it. it turned out that there was a short in the ignition wiring harness thus the problem with the fan speeds and the flicking on/off of the headlights and of course that annoying clicking noise from the left part of the dash. i had a new one put in and it has worked perfectly since. good luck


Originally Posted By: ]he is right. the ignition harness is a common problem on the GP's. this is what is causing your problem. not sure how much automotive experience you have, not sure if its gonna be a DIY job for you, but this is what the problem is[/QUOTE


Thank god no one here is pointing their finger towards that ignition harness problem as being the first culprit. I will get a fan resister pack, and trace thst red/blsck wire back to its soarse and find a wiring diagram (hopefully someone here has a diagram they can email me or something), and put it back where it belongs.

Is this the fan resister pack I am looking for? Its all that would com up after finaly just typing resister in search bar.

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=NIE&MfrPartNumber=DR702&PartType=861&PTSet=A
Thanks gentlemen


Anyone?
Posted by: Blackarrow98GP

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/04/08 01:11 PM

Yes, and there's a cheaper one, if you're interested: RU867 As for knobs, try Ebay or the local junkyards. Good luck! cheers
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/04/08 06:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow98gp:
Yes, and there's a cheaper one, if you're interested: RU867 As for knobs, try Ebay or the local junkyards. Good luck! cheers
Thanks bro, Nice pontiac also. And cheers to you too!
Posted by: 20gtp02

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/04/08 06:38 PM

I was going to be the first to say the resistor, but with that crazy electric mess, I was not wanting to attempt to untangle the mess.
When speeds aren't working, it's usually the blower motor resistor.
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/05/08 08:18 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow98gp:
Yes, and there's a cheaper one, if you're interested: RU867 As for knobs, try Ebay or the local junkyards. Good luck! cheers
Thanks again, I hear schucks isn't the best place to buy electrical parts from, And I had bad experiences w/their starters and alternators from being faulty from the get go, but never purchased resistors, or anything like that from them.
Don't know what it involves replacing these resistors, but I try anything once.

a/c assembly is loose and mobile in its compartment and there are screws in trays, so hopefully when dash is apart I can secure it and the knob will popp back in.

Quote:
Originally posted by 20gtp02:
I was going to be the first to say the resistor, but with that crazy electric mess, I was not wanting to attempt to untangle the mess.
When speeds aren't working, it's usually the blower motor resistor.
Yea once I get the dash cover or whatever It is I have to remove to replace resistor, I should be able to find where wire goes.
Posted by: Blackarrow98GP

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/05/08 09:21 AM

Here's a couple of write ups for you, Mario: How to Change the Blower Motor Resistor and Dash Removal
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/05/08 08:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow98gp:
Here's a couple of write ups for you, Mario: How to Change the Blower Motor Resistor and Dash Removal
Wow can't believe how easy it looks on both, the way the previous owner had wires hanging it looked like it would be a task, thanks budd, getting on it this weekend.

There's a car dealer license plate cover on license and leftover strips of paper on window,{sides of car lot for sale sign}, and the welcome and thank you paper mat covers on floor mats. I called the chevy dealer, gave the vin, and she said they sold car for 5999.00 march of last year, but couldn't match the name of person I bought it off for $3000.00, think the lady i got it off had someone rig up toggle and must of thought it brought value of car way down, so she dropped price to 3,000. beautifull,inside and out, and powerfull.
once I get my camera out of pawn I'll post some pic's. Thanks again for write ups.
Posted by: Zalfrin

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/06/08 11:40 AM

How many miles? I bought my 97 SE 3-4 years ago from a dealer for something like 4500. 3000 doesn't seem out of line depending on mileage, 6000 seems extremely high. You could easily get a nice GTP for that kind of change.
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/07/08 08:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zalfrin:
How many miles? I bought my 97 SE 3-4 years ago from a dealer for something like 4500. 3000 doesn't seem out of line depending on mileage, 6000 seems extremely high. You could easily get a nice GTP for that kind of change.
115,000 miles, when I got it, don't know how many miles was on it, when it was on the car lot.
Called the baydo chevy car lot, they said it had 105,500 miles when sold for $5999.00 Probobly after taxes.

You see stuff like this on craigslist over here. Look at the milage on that one.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/ctd/786978052.html
Posted by: Zalfrin

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/07/08 01:43 PM

Wow, that just seems very pricey for the base model with 200k miles (not yours, craigslist ad you posted)!
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/08/08 09:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mario:
Quote:
Originally posted by Zalfrin:
[b] How many miles? I bought my 97 SE 3-4 years ago from a dealer for something like 4500. 3000 doesn't seem out of line depending on mileage, 6000 seems extremely high. You could easily get a nice GTP for that kind of change.
115,000 miles, when I got it, don't know how many miles was on it, when it was on the car lot.
Called the baydo chevy car lot, they said it had 105,500 miles when sold for $5999.00 Probobly after taxes.

You see stuff like this on craigslist over here. Look at the milage on that one.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/ctd/786978052.html [/b]
The lady had 97 grand prix se on roadisde listed for 4000.00 didn't get any bites, my olds quad 4 broke down and I needed a car quick never met this lady before, but talked to her brother reguarding a pathfinder in the back parking lot that had 1500.00 tag on it, he said sister was willing to take 300.00 a paycheck payments until paid in full, but it was a stick and wife said no. Lady said she got two automatics, one beat up Audi for 1500.00 and the 97 grand prix for 4000.00, after showing her the wires hanging and rusty colored water in resivoir(dex coolant, Shhhh!)I got her to drop down to 3000.00 @ 300 every two weeks. She let me take car before 1st payment, so I cant complain.
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/08/08 11:24 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow98gp:
Yes, and there's a cheaper one, if you're interested: RU867 As for knobs, try Ebay or the local junkyards. Good luck! cheers
How about this one from autozone do you trust it?
http://www.autozone.com/R,967706/vehicleId,2326103/initialAction,partProductDetail/store,1690/partType,01160/shopping/partProductDetail.htm

Acually when I was adding a vehicle to the part search area it got to "engine" and it said this:

6 Cylinders 1 3.8L SFI SC OHV (found in 17% of 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix)
6 Cylinders K 3.8L SFI OHV (found in 76% of 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix)
6 Cylinders M 3.1L SFI OHV (found in 07% of 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix)

I chose the middle one:
6 Cylinders K 3.8L SFI OHV (found in 76% of 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix)
and got that resistor part, hope its right.
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/08/08 12:32 PM

Ok looks like the prev. owner just spliced wires from resistor and ran hot wire to toggle and then to fuse box. red/black striped wire is nothing, just wire they spliced it with(I hope). on side of resistor plug on blower motor there is a bare single male plug that something plugs on to. any idea's what plugs on there? with blower motor resistor unpluged from blower motor, the trip computer lights come on when car is started. doesn't come on when resistor is plugged in. Weird.
Posted by: Blackarrow98GP

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/08/08 02:25 PM

Here's a wiring diagram for you, Mario:


cheers
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/08/08 06:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow98gp:
Here's a wiring diagram for you, Mario:


cheers
Beautifull thanks bud and again cheers too you too. I am actually starting early, so litteraly this bud is for you and all at Grand Prix Net.
Since I pulled plug out of blower fan the trip computer lights been working, the headlights are good(come on when I start the car and off when I shut the car off),so far the mpg reading is at 13.3 mpg, but go up the more I drive. When the trip computer first came back on it read only 6 mpg, but that was what it said when I turned toggle off after resetting the mpg featur(what's average mpg, considering new plugs, wire's and all filters are new?).

You and the others are great. Thanks for the help!
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/09/08 02:38 PM

Ok after having fan resistor unpluged from fan and seing trip computer working for a day, ahhh my car doesn't make the alarm sound anymore when locking or un locking the doors w/key controll, and the gas tank guage went all the way to full and range was at 200 mi. so I pluged fan resistor back in and everything went back to normal. No trip computer, alarm sound, and gas guage on 1/8 of a tank,(dam it, looked better on full). So cant wait to get resistor replaced.
Posted by: Mario

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/09/08 08:59 PM

Weird now that I unplugged fan resistor from fan and pluged it back in after a couple glitches in electrical system, now the dang a/c works and all the speeds work (1-5) and the trip computer. oh well gonna still get a new resistor next thursday.
Posted by: Blackarrow98GP

Re: a/c blower stuck on high. - 08/09/08 09:50 PM

That's just the gremlins messin' with ya... devilwink Put some dielectric grease in the connectors; it'll help keep out corrosion.