A/C not working after replacing motor & resistor 2006 model

[gimmeshelter]

2006 Vibe base model 96k miles. I bought it used in 2010 with 68k miles. I don't know about the service history before I got it. I've had zero problems with the car before this.


I had problems with intermittent a/c functioning, so I lurked on the forums and found the advice about replacing the blower motor resistor and/or blower motor. I went ahead and replaced the motor and resistor just to cover all the bases. When I removed the resistor, I noticed the burned out section, so I assume replacing that fixed the original problem. Everything worked fine for about two months.

The motor stopped blowing air once again, it would not work at any speed. The a/c light comes on and I hear the compressor(?) start, but the blower motor does not start. One night, I decided to start checking the fuses. All the fuses were ok. Frustrated, I started pulling and shaking wire bundles under the dash to check for a loose connection. Suddenly, the blower started blowing cold air! I have no idea which bundle of wires did the trick.

This morning, I started the car and turned on the a/c. Once again, nothing. It was working last night when I drove home. This time, playing with the wires had no effect. I double checked the resistor and it's still looking good. I'm no mechanic, but I'm guessing that there is a short somewhere. I have no idea. It will be a while before I can take it to a shop, so I'm hoping there might be some ideas out there for a simple fix or a way to check for the problem.

[Chiadog]

I'm guessing a bad blower motor. I know you replaced it before, doesn't matter, these blower motors are a design joke! Its a miracle any of them last more than 2 years.
Start car, turn on AC with blower on "high" speed, give the lower dash - below the glove box a good kick. If the brushes on the motor are screwed-up, the blower may spontaneously start running. If the blower doesn't start, at least you'll feel better!

[trb]

Yes, if it is intermittent, probably the blower motor. My son's went out like that, and kicking under the dash usually started it for a couple of months, then I had to take out the glove box and open the cabin filter door, remove the filter so we could reach in the slot to manually start the squirrel cake on the blower turning. Eventually replaced it last summer.

Just be careful on kicking under the dash, the computer is right under the glove box.

[gimmeshelter]

Well, I feel kind of dumb now.

Thanks for the replies. I decided to get up and work on the blower motor before it got hot today. As I started the process of removing the blower motor, I got to the point of
unplugging the power connection to the motor. That's when I thought back to me making it start again by pulling on wires last time. I started the car, turned on the a/c and began
moving the power connection to the blower side to side.

Sure enough, the blower started working in a certain spot and stopped when I pulled too far to the right or left. As far as I can tell, it is plugged in correctly, but there is some
play in the connector. I got a cable tie and secured the wires to a good spot and it seems to be working fine now.

Thanks for your help.