Chrysler Repair: My AC fan keeps shutting off., plymouth grand voyager, grand voyager

Question
I have a 97 Plymouth Grand Voyager that I had AC work done on over 3 years ago.  At that time the air slowly warmed and would not cool.  They said it was a zone sensor and also had to be re-charged.  That was taken care of at the dealer to the tune of $800+.  About a year ago, I was driving with my AC on and stopped at the store.  When I got back in the van and turned the AC on nothing happened.  My AC in the front of the Van did not work.  My rear AC worked find.  I could feel cool air from the vent in front, but the fan was not blowing.  It was so Hot and I was so mad that I had spent $800 only 1 year ago that I smacked the side of the AC panel.  All of a sudden my Fan came on!  The AC worked fine for a month or so and then it stopped again.  Smack! (by the fan switch) it would start right up!.   Is this just a switch that can be replaced?

Sue  

Answer
Hi Sue,
It surely appears to be the switch for the fan or the wire connectors to it. There is also the possibility of the blower motor connector or the motor itself being a bit flakey electrically, so try banging closer to where you hear the motor on the bottom right of the A/C distribution unit and see if that also causes the blower motor to start up. If only hitting the panel near the switch does the trick then that would corroborate the switch as the area of the loose connection. The switch is inside the control unit but it may just have some surface corrosion on the surface of the electrical contacts in the switch. So one possibility is to look through the slot of the fan slider and see if you can, with the aid of a flashlight see any of the body of the switch to which the lever is attached. If so, then if you bought a spray can of electrical contact cleaner (available at an electronics store) that includes a thin nozzle to reach out of the way areas you might just try spraying the switch body on the hopes of improving the electrical connections within it. If that doesn't work, then removing the control unit from the center console to gain access to the inside of the unit and the switch itself is what will be necessary.
To remove the control unit:
remove the cup holder (pull the holder out and press the tab at the rear)
then notice the lower panel just below the unit (about 1" high and running a little less than the width of the unit). Take a tape covered flat blade screwdriver and pry the cover off, inserting the screwdriver between the top of the panel and the bottom of the control panel. remove the retaining screws that were hidden behind the panel.
Remove the two screws at the top of the bezel panel (just above the radio) and then remove the entire bezel.
I think the unit will then be removable, but when you get it out enough to reach behind you will have to disconnect the plugs on the read side of the unit.
Once you have the unit out, you will gain good access to the blower switch. Then you can look at the electrical wires connected to the switch and also examine the body of the switch to see if there are some holes or crack that would allow you to spray the contact cleaner inside the switch. Do that spraying and see if the switch then works reliably. If not, then you may have to open the switch and see if it can be repaired, or replace it.
Roland