Hi, all! Just discovered this forum. I've a host of issues that I hope y'all can help me with, but this is the most important one, so I'll start here.
Car: 1999 Regal LS, just turned 100,000 miles (!). Engine, drive train reliable, but anything to do with the body, total crap.
Me: Been repairing cars, rebuild engines, transmissions, etc. etc. for 55 years.
The problem: Whack-A-Mole HVAC issues since I got this in 2007. I'm on my third blower; factory, then junkyard, then new two years ago. (New cabin air filter a year ago.) Replaced the auto climate variable fan resistor August 2016. No way in hades able to get it back in assigned space, just nylon tie strapped it to something.
About a year ago I started having problems with getting air to come out the right places. Then lost temperature control. Sometimes things would work and then go bad again. Nothing has worked in six or more months except front defrost mode. For awhile I stuffed some socks in the floor vents in hopes that more AC would come out the dash. I did my research, goddess bless this internet, and concluded that the activators were bad. Bought two on Amazon for about $35 each. I could find nothing on the net about left or right functions, even the official GM parts blowups are worthless.
Started the access and replace process and immediately realized there is no way in hell a normal human being can get his hands on, tools located, eyes on these parts simultaneously. I even tried having a large mirror on the floor which only adds its own problem of reverse image. It's like the car was assembled around these activators and resistors.
I've been resigned to let a shop do this, although I haven't screwed up my courage yet. I have had a shop do exactly one repair in my life and it was because I couldn't work on my car while living in an apartment briefly.
Then the fan started working intermittently a month or so ago, and now it's dead.
So, working backwards from my story, here are my questions:
1. What is the range of voltages that the dashboard climate controller sends to that variable resistor, and which voltages are maximum and minimum speeds? This will allow me to figure out where the "no fan" problem lies, controller, resistor, or the fan. This needs to get fixed before I go back to worrying about the activators.
2. Am I on track with suspecting the activators? If not, what else? Any replacement experiences, suggestions other than let a guy in a shop be the one to get frustrated?
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Car: 1999 Regal LS, just turned 100,000 miles (!). Engine, drive train reliable, but anything to do with the body, total crap.
Me: Been repairing cars, rebuild engines, transmissions, etc. etc. for 55 years.
The problem: Whack-A-Mole HVAC issues since I got this in 2007. I'm on my third blower; factory, then junkyard, then new two years ago. (New cabin air filter a year ago.) Replaced the auto climate variable fan resistor August 2016. No way in hades able to get it back in assigned space, just nylon tie strapped it to something.
About a year ago I started having problems with getting air to come out the right places. Then lost temperature control. Sometimes things would work and then go bad again. Nothing has worked in six or more months except front defrost mode. For awhile I stuffed some socks in the floor vents in hopes that more AC would come out the dash. I did my research, goddess bless this internet, and concluded that the activators were bad. Bought two on Amazon for about $35 each. I could find nothing on the net about left or right functions, even the official GM parts blowups are worthless.
Started the access and replace process and immediately realized there is no way in hell a normal human being can get his hands on, tools located, eyes on these parts simultaneously. I even tried having a large mirror on the floor which only adds its own problem of reverse image. It's like the car was assembled around these activators and resistors.
I've been resigned to let a shop do this, although I haven't screwed up my courage yet. I have had a shop do exactly one repair in my life and it was because I couldn't work on my car while living in an apartment briefly.
Then the fan started working intermittently a month or so ago, and now it's dead.
So, working backwards from my story, here are my questions:
1. What is the range of voltages that the dashboard climate controller sends to that variable resistor, and which voltages are maximum and minimum speeds? This will allow me to figure out where the "no fan" problem lies, controller, resistor, or the fan. This needs to get fixed before I go back to worrying about the activators.
2. Am I on track with suspecting the activators? If not, what else? Any replacement experiences, suggestions other than let a guy in a shop be the one to get frustrated?
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
