04 vibe blower moter acting up

[jerryjoe28]

ok guys i need some help my ac/heat blower will work some times and some times it wont. ive found that if you tap around in the pass floor it comes on some times but if u hit a bump in the road it go's back off. i thoght resistor but when i have power it will blow on all speeds it just wont keep blowing. any ideas and has anyone else had this problem?

[jerryjoe28]

kinda lookd around today n talked to a few people i know. there thinking maybe blower motor its self

[pljenkins]

Mine is starting to go also. I have no airflow at the lowest setting. other settings are okay for now.. I've had this happen before in a Cavalier and it required replacement of the blower motor assembly. The switch is fine as the AC compressor will kick on with the lowest selection...P

[joatmon]

jerryjoe, I guess the first thing to check would be to see if all the connectors are firmly connected. I'd expect the actual blower motor to be the most expensive part in the blower circuit, so hopefully you can find some less expensive cause.pljenkins, The symptom of having the blower work fine at high speeds, but not at the lower one(s) is usually an indicator that the resistor pack for the blower motor is failing. Historically, genvibers who have had your symtom have cured it by replacing the resitor pack, so that's what I would check first. The resistor pack might also be a problem for jerryjoe, with an intermittent connection, but it's hard to say which component is shock susceptible without digging in to it in person

[aspuccini]

Your specific problem seems to be what mine was and that is the carbon brushes that spin the fan. There is plenty of post on how to remove the motor. I know this from experience. I have fought this for two years. After buying three motors and still having the same issue I decided to tear into one of these pups and see what the deal was. I live in Phoenix, AZ. Known for extreme temps. I run my AC on high non stop. These are similar carbon brushes that are in an electric drill that commonly ware out. I found a site on-line that has these parts that will need to be soldered on to the power terminal. You can save about $60 replacing the carbon brushes apposed to replacing the motor. I have replaced these carbon brushes and have solved this issue going on three months, full power no problems.

[joatmon]

1. welcome to genvibe2. Can you post pictures and a write up on how to replace the brushes in the fan motor? 3. What were your symptoms when the brushes fail? jerryjoe's was intermittent fan at any speed, while the symptom of a failing resistor is the fan works fine at the highest speed, but the lower speeds don't work at all. jerryjoe's problem is probably not the resistor, but I thnk there's a really good chance that pljenkins problem is the resistor. 4. You attirbute having four blowers fail to running it all the time, but could there be another cause? What year is your Vibe, and how many mikles on it? Have you replaced the cabin air filter? Is it unusually dusty or sandy where you are? Your high failure rate is atypical, just wondering if there might be some other cause for all your failures.

[aspuccini]

Hello! Sorry in my first post I kind of ranted on and provided no pics or other info. They will come soon! My problem was the same, kind of in and out on any speed. OF course on the highest setting is where you could really hear the problem. I replaced my air filter frequently. I bought 6 off ebay and would jut rotate them. The problem started really at 28,000 miles. First blower was covered under warranty. After diagnostic at Peoria Pontiac in Peoria,AZ they found no other problems with voltage regulation, filter, setting on ECU etc and replaced motor. Now I went through a few more motors, buying them online, because, I was out of warranty. Same problem each time, a good air filter everything else tested fine. I even went as far as to pull my alternator and have it tested thinking for some reason there could be a malfunction with the voltage regulator that is built in. That is what the problem seemed like. A loss of power and a quick regain. Until I pulled the glove box after the blower was not working at all, I reached in and pushed on the side of the motor where the carbon brushes sit and the motor kicked back on. So this lead me to take motor apart. I compared carbon brushes measured them and the size different was crazy almost a half inch warn off. Pictures will follow. I have a black vibe with no tinting. Trust me my wife hates me for that. We have temps that hit 120 degrees easily and you could only guess the temp in the car. All that to say that my blowers may be pushed beyond what they are suppose to be. This problem didn't start until I moved to Phoenix form the mid-west. Anyway, I will soon follow up with a complete post on the "cheap way to replace these" also ebay is currently selling blower motors for $75 plus $10 shipping not bad, if you don't want to pursue this route. I do agree that some people will have to replace the resistor if they don't have blower of some setting but others. I didn't mention this, but that was one of the first things I purchased. It is about a third the cost of a blower. So I believe the process of elimination has led me to the solution if your blower works on all speeds and loses power intermintianly it probably is the brushes being worn. Again a full layout of the process will follow. Also, before I forget, ACE Hardware carries these brushes for $4 in the automotive section. So for $8 and some soilder you can fix this problem.

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by aspuccini »Hello! Sorry in my first post I kind of ranted on and provided no pics or other info. They will come soon! My problem was the same, kind of in and out on any speed. OF course on the highest setting is where you could really hear the problem. I replaced my air filter frequently. I bought 6 off ebay and would jut rotate them. The problem started really at 28,000 miles. First blower was covered under warranty. After diagnostic at Peoria Pontiac in Peoria,AZ they found no other problems with voltage regulation, filter, setting on ECU etc and replaced motor. Now I went through a few more motors, buying them online, because, I was out of warranty. Same problem each time, a good air filter everything else tested fine. I even went as far as to pull my alternator and have it tested thinking for some reason there could be a malfunction with the voltage regulator that is built in. That is what the problem seemed like. A loss of power and a quick regain. Until I pulled the glove box after the blower was not working at all, I reached in and pushed on the side of the motor where the carbon brushes sit and the motor kicked back on. So this lead me to take motor apart. I compared carbon brushes measured them and the size different was crazy almost a half inch warn off. Pictures will follow. I have a black vibe with no tinting. Trust me my wife hates me for that. We have temps that hit 120 degrees easily and you could only guess the temp in the car. All that to say that my blowers may be pushed beyond what they are suppose to be. This problem didn't start until I moved to Phoenix form the mid-west. Anyway, I will soon follow up with a complete post on the "cheap way to replace these" also ebay is currently selling blower motors for $75 plus $10 shipping not bad, if you don't want to pursue this route. I do agree that some people will have to replace the resistor if they don't have blower of some setting but others. I didn't mention this, but that was one of the first things I purchased. It is about a third the cost of a blower. So I believe the process of elimination has led me to the solution if your blower works on all speeds and loses power intermintianly it probably is the brushes being worn. Again a full layout of the process will follow. Also, before I forget, ACE Hardware carries these brushes for $4 in the automotive section. So for $8 and some soilder you can fix this problem. Good info, thanks man! This makes me nostalgic for Phoenix, where we used to scoot around in a dark blue ford escort with NO a/c whatsoever. Had to resort to sticking our heads out the window, which in 120 degree weather is like having someone shoot a blow dryer directly in your face . ahh, memories.