Chrysler Repair: Cirrus Heater/Defroster: fan only blows on high, metal nuts, froster

Question
I own a 2000 Cirrus LX for two years and really had no major problems with it. However this winter I notice when I want my froster on my car seems like it has no heat even on the highest blow power, and when I turn on my heat all my windows get frosted over. I also noticed on my first three settings on my control I get little/no air blowing through my vents. Can this be a thermostat problem? If so, can it be easily replaced?

Answer
Hi Tiffany ,

The main problem I believe is that you only get air blowing through the HVAC box under the dash when the fan switch is set on high and that the blower is not working at the lower speed settings. This is caused by the failure of a small component called the resistor block. It is located under the dash on the HVAC housing's underside next to the blower motor (right hand end of the unit). You can replace it yourself by removing fasteners that hold in place the lower edge of the dash on that right side (four fasteners all facing up: two screws on the front and two sheet metal nuts on the back side). Then notice the wires, two twisted together coming from the round housing which is the blower. Those wires are plugged into the resistor block. The block also has a multi-wire plug. Remove both the plugs, then notice two screws on either end of the block, again facing up. Remove those screws and the block will drop out of the air duct into which it is mounted. Get a new one from a dealer for around $25 and carefully separate the resistors so they aren't touching one another when you insert it in the duct. Then reverse the steps.

See if that improves things. Note that the defrost setting requires for good function that your air conditioner be working because it actually uses outside air that has been further cooled to remove moisture so that when it blows on the windshield moisture will not condense on it but rather be evaporated by the dry air. So if your AC was not working well in the summer it may not defrost well in the winter. If you aren't getting enough heat either, that could be due to the blend air door, which is moved by the temp lever,is not adjusting. It sends air either to the heater core, the AC evaporator, or a mix of the two pathways. So it could be stuck on the AC side of the balance. But wait until you get your blower motor back into action and we'll go from there.

Roland