Such a Little Part (Climate Control Resistor)
February 13, 2022
You expect your heater/air conditioner to work like it should. You have a control for temperature and one for fan speed. You even have a control for what vents the air comes out of.
Don't be surprised one day if your blower fan develops a mind of its own and starts going crazy. Most of the time, you may find that it starts blowing at full speed, and nothing you do to try to control it does any good. This is what may be happening.
Your blower motor has an electronic component called a resistor. It does what its name says; it offers resistance. When you want the fan to run more slowly, you turn the fan speed down. That resistor accomplishes that by turning its resistance up. When the resistor fails, the power has nothing to slow it and the fan speeds up.
It's a small part and can fail due to age or corrosion. It's usually not an expensive part, either, but it's often found in a location that's not that easy for the technician to get to. That means labor costs will vary depending on the design of your vehicle.
Occasionally, a faulty resistor can cause the blower motor not to work at all or only partially come on. But other things can cause that as well, such as a faulty fan switch or vent control.
This is where a technician's training comes in. Special equipment can track down precisely where the issue is so you can be assured the correct part is being replaced.
It's just not pleasant when the blower motor isn't following orders. Have your service facility check it out so you can be the blower's boss, like it should be.
Sterling Tire & Auto
34701 Van Dyke Rd
Sterling Heights, Michigan 48312
586-264-7775
Need Service?
More articles from Sterling Tire & Auto

Why did my vehicle fail its emissions test?
April 6, 2025
We all want to breathe clean air and keep our planet green. One of the ways to do that is by requiring all vehicles with internal combustion engines to pass an emissions test. Thats because these vehicles can be big polluters. Everyone wants their car to pass the test so they can continue the... More

Lubricate Driveshaft
March 30, 2025
See if any of these are happening to your vehicle. You feel it vibrating excessively underneath when its running, or you hear strange clunking, grating, or grinding sounds coming from beneath. Maybe its hard to turn your vehicle, or you can hear squeaking when youre going slow. Perhaps you fee... More

What Is an EGR Valve? (EGR Valve Service)
March 23, 2025
If you've ever felt your vehicle hesitate, go, then hesitate again, you might think there's something wrong with the transmission. After all, it's not moving smoothly down the road. But there are plenty of malfunctions that can cause those symptoms, one of them being something you may have nev... More