GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My fan for A/C and heater will only work in the high position. The switch is dead for the other lower speed levels. Seems funny the high speed works but not the slowers speeds. I have a 2004 and if it was the fan it shouldn't be working at all,I would think, right?. Could it be the switch .the fan , or something else? And thoughts would be appreciated.

You probably need a new blower motor resistor more than likely. When those go bye-bye, you'll have some speeds but not others.Welcome aboard and good luck getting it taken care of!

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »You probably need a new blower motor resistor yep that would be it.

That blower motor resistor was pretty easy to find and remove. It was under the dash ,passenger side,next to the blower(fan). I wasn't sure what I had out was it. The dealer parts guy recognized it right off and said it's a common problem with Pontiacs. The new ones are made better . Hope so. Cost $40 .Still waiting for it to come in. Thanks again.

Quote, originally posted by Robin » That blower motor resistor was pretty easy to find and remove. It was under the dash ,passenger side,next to the blower(fan). I wasn't sure what I had out was it. The dealer parts guy recognized it right off and said it's a common problem with Pontiacs. The new ones are made better . Hope so. Cost $40 .Still waiting for it to come in. Thanks again. Did you happen to get a part number for the resistor from the order sheet or receipt?

Or, could you take a photo of it? I'll be needing to get one soon....low fan setting doesn't work anymore. Thanks!

the part is called a 707 resistor part no.88973260 $ 38.24

it's more likely a Toyota part. The Japs still have not perfected that part. I have had it only go bad on Asian cars. They break due to vibration. Could be cheaper at the Toyota dealer?

Quote, originally posted by Robin »the part is called a 707 resistor part no.88973260 $ 38.24 I just replaced mine in my GMC truck, $22.00 Can. In the USA it was only $15.00. It was 8 years old.

I am almost 90% sure its cheaper at the toyota dealer. All my parts are well over half the cost of GM dealers when I bought them at toyota.

you could try here:http://www.trademotion.com/par...gid=2I've ordered from them before and had good luck

Quote, originally posted by Robin » My fan for A/C and heater will only work in the high position. The switch is dead for the other lower speed levels. Seems funny the high speed works but not the slowers speeds. I have a 2004 and if it was the fan it shouldn't be working at all,I would think, right?. Could it be the switch .the fan , or something else? And thoughts would be appreciated.The default when the resistors fall is HIGH speed only... High just gets straight power and is that way for safety reasons. So you at least have some kind of blower and not none at all in a failure...

Hello, where is this resistor? I have the glovebox out, can see the connector to the blower motor, but can't find the resistor. Is it behing the switch for the fan speeds? Thanks

Quote, originally posted by robodog61 »Hello, where is this resistor? I have the glovebox out, can see the connector to the blower motor, but can't find the resistor. Is it behing the switch for the fan speeds? ThanksThe resistor is actually underneath the glovebox area in the passenger footwell against the firewall. See the picture below.Remove the harness clip from the resistor and move it aside. You'll see 2 screws that need removed, one toward you that is easily visible, the other against the firewall. You'll need to contort a little to get in there plus may need a pivoting screwdriver. I believe in my case I had to use a socket, not a screwdriver. I cannot remember the size offhand.Once unscrewed, just wiggle the thing down and it will pop out. Replace with a new resistor, screw back in, attach wire harness, and you're set.

Attached files

For size, here is the resistor removed (my old one) from the vehicle.

Attached files

Thank you very much for the information. I purchased a blower motor resistor for a 2003 Matrix (I have a 2003 Vibe) from the Toyota dealer. I am not sure that it looks like this. Where did you get the replacement part and about how much?

I used the part number above and ordered from my Pontiac dealer. I was questioning whether or not the Matrix resistor was indeed the same. I never heard otherwise on here so I didn't take the risk and just ordered it from Pontiac.

Thanks

Hello!Has anyone confirmed whether the Matrix resistor works for an '03 Vibe? I called my Pontiac dealer and they want $42 and have to order it. Toyota on the other hand only wants $14 and they have it in stock. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

bet it will. I'd spend the $14

Thanks for the reply. I'll give it a try and see what happens. I'll post the results so we have a definitive answer.

I stopped by the local Toyota dealer equipped with the pic. from this thread. I can now officially confirm that the Matrix and the Vibe use completely different Blower Motor Resistors. The one they showed me didn't look anything like the one in the pic. Thanks anyways.

I could have told you that.The whole unit is different .

I have the same problem and I replaced the resistor, but still only fan speed 4 works. So how do I replace the switch?Just curious what exactly does the resistor do anyway? I pulled it out and the fan still blows air out.

I think that the resistor uses different resistors inside it to drop the voltage to the fan to give it variable speed.

any one? Bueller? Bueller?...buddy of mine just bought a brand spankin used '03 vibe, and his fan only works on high, replaced the resistor today, and...no change. still only works on high. (had a HELL of a time removing old resistor. in the end it looks like it was GLUED onto the harness)tried to remove and reindex the blend door actuator @ the same time, neither of us was able to really reach it through the glovebox or radio openings. the really fun part? he's driving this from west central ohio to Virginia beach. TOMORROW. any suggestions short of pulling an allnighter pulling the whole dash apart?

Here's what my old resistor looked like for reference. Lots of what I think are burnt circuits. What a pain to remove and reinstall!Got a new one from dealer at 54$ CDN.

the material in the "resistor block" is some sort of soldered powder. Basically cheap. Mine had the same issue...only high speed fan. I also tried to fix mine like above and it just smoked.. But for less than $40.from an independent store...I said screw it. and replace it. It was easy for me. I think I used a 5/32" socket and a 1/4" drive w/universal. It's still a crap design.

Thanks to the advice on this forum and this thread, I was able to figure out and replace the blower motor resistor on my 2003 Vibe today.Purchased a AC Delco 15-80202 Blower Motor Resistor from Amazon.com for US $32.38.Used a 7/32 inch socket wrench to remove the two screws (and yes, it was time consuming to remove the rear one)One minor concern. The form factor of the replacement part appears to be different compared to the original Vibe part, but it does appear to work (so far). Will update the thread if something blows up!

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the white one should be the OLD one. Your picture says different.

Thread revival!Would you say this is the problem in this case: my blower feels the same on low, med and med/hi, just like what I would expect low to feel like, There is some air being pushed out for sure, but the same low on the first three settings, and then high is high... It's not as cold lately, but then I'm talking about 109degree heat so I am not sure that is a fair assessment...

Looks like I need a resistor

Thank you to everyone on this thread! Because of you we knew how to fix the problem - from ordering the part ($27 from AC Delco through Amazon) to installing it in 10 mins - VERY helpful to have the pics!!VERY APPRECIATVE!! Dianne

I just started having the issue of only high speed blower working. I read this topic and went and got a new resistor, replaced it and no luck. The fan still only blows on Hi. Any ideas?update: i had the problem after replacing the the blower motor resistor and went back and checked all my connections and realized that i forgot to reconnect one ...so problem solved...

Well, I replaced the resistor (a real knuckle buster if you're big) and I have all the fan speeds back BUT..........after a month the lower speeds are beginning to cut out from time to time just like they did before. Cheap resistor or bumps?Any ideas?

OK here's another weird one. Only 3 and 4 were working so I replaced the resistor with a BWD brand one from AutoZone. Now all speeds work but 1 and 2 seem to be the same speed - fast (seems like equal to 2) then 3 and 4 work as expected. Any ideas? Defective replacement part?By the way, here's a picture of the location, with the replacement part installed. YOU don't need to take apart the glove compartment or blower motor to get to it!

Attached files

mine just burned out again today...1st went 50k, 2nd 30k additional... The fan I can reach in and spins fine...damn

I don't believe in coincidences.

In 2008, my 4 year old 2004 developed blower problems just like all of you posted here on the forum. I ordered a new resistor, but it was DOA. Without a working resistor, I examined the old one with a multimeter, and found all the pins dead until I penetrated the pins with meter probes a little. I cleaned the pins with sandpaper and cleaned the circuit board with electronics cleaner, then tested it again. The resistor worked fine. I reinstalled it, and it has worked until today, although the fan speeds were getting inconsistent in the last few weeks.

I removed and tested the resistor, and it showed dead again. I sanded the pins and cleaned the board. It now tests OK, and works fine in the car. I used it a couple of hours this afternoon.

Since I don't believe in coincidences, I just have to believe these pins oxidize enough in 4 years to break contact. It is certainly easy enough to try before buying a new resistor.

Ok I had the same issues but........

For three years I had the same thing going on, I live in south texas so I just assumed the tiny ac could not compete with the heat. Then I realized that three settings barely blew cold air and MAX was really weak. There were times I would have to bang on the dash to get it to cut on.

I rarely drive the car anymore, because I work from home, but yesterday it went out completely halfway on a long road trip. No air at all. A buddy of mine looked under the hood and said it was all good (no pun), in regards to the compressor, he said the problem was with the fan blower SOOOOOO my question is.

What do I get.

The resistor http://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-15-80202- ... 16-8946500" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

or the Fan Blower? http://www.amazon.com/TYC-700160-Pontia ... B002E581BY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

or Both?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-G

try applying some dielectric grease to the terminals of both the connector and the pins on the resistor, this will help eliminate corrosion on the terminals.

Just replaced my resistor. Very, and I mean VERY bad located back screw!
It's good I have one of those pivoting extensions.
So funny though - I bought it (the extension) with one of these $5 ratchet kits
from Kmart 5 years ago... Great investment - it's not the first time it saves the day.

Got my 07 this year and she has more than 120k miles.
It looks like I am not the first one replacing the resistor.
I bought ACDelco 15-80202 from amazon for $21 (free PRIME shipping)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C9 ... 02_s00_i00
And the blown one is exactly the same.

Another important thing if you replace the blower resistor for the very first time:
YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THE GLOVE BOX OUT, OR ANY OTHER PARTS!!![/color]
Just clear the passenger footwell (valid for me) and passenger seat, get a 5.5mm or 7/32 socket,
shove yourself down there and "get 'er done"!