QuestionQUESTION: I have a 2002 Toyota Camry. For the past two years or so the HVAC blower/fan would not work on the lowest setting, but would work on the 3 higher settings. Just recently, the second setting went out, and now the blower/fan will only work on the two highest settings. I have read on the internet about this common problem and most everyone says to just replace the Blower Motor resistor and everything should be fixed. For most people this seems to always work. I got a new resistor and replaced it in the car. Still same thing. This didn't fix the problem. I'm not sure what else to look at. I looked to see if there were any bad relay's or fuses, but everything appears to be ok. I was thinking about replacing the actual blower motor, but this doesn't seem bad, since it still blows out air, only at the highest settings. What else could it be? Thanks very much for any help you can provide.
ANSWER: The motor itself is not the problem since it works the other speeds, it seems that in this case the speed selector switch on the dash could be the problem.
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QUESTION: If I went to the dealer, is that the specific part name I would ask for, "speed selector switch"?
ANSWER: The fan speed control is part of the 'climate control panel' and is different for auto or manual air conditioning.
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QUESTION: Ok, so I would have to just replace the whole climate control panel (which looks easy enough to do)? Have you ever heard of a situation or dealt with this particular fan speed problem where the blower motor resistor didn't fix it and it actually turned out to be the climate control panel? It seems every where on the internet people namely point to the blower motor resistor as the problem and fix. I have not seen one instance where someone pointed to something else. Just curious.
AnswerI have seen a few control panels fail but only on the auto climate control systems which are button operated for different blower speeds, there may be a chance that the resistor you put in is defective, before replacing an expensive dash control unit it may be wise to remove the resistor and check the resistances according to the manual, the way it works is the resistor receives constant 12 volts to the input wire, the different speeds are attained by switching segments of the resistor to ground and so reducing the voltage to the motor. It seems like the resistor itself or there is a wring problem between the control switch and the resistor or a bad ground, I would recommend getting a decent repair manual and do the troubleshooting steps outlined.
You can also go to: techinfo.toyota.com/ for a fee of $15 or so you can download and print all the information you want for 24 hours
