2003 Durango Electrical Issue with Blower

[Hellcatcfp]

My Blower (for A/C - Heater) went out again due to burning inside connection. Blower power to Resistor connection. I thought it was blower motor (being old) and pulling more power. I changed out Blower motor (3 years ago) and redid all connections with brand new connectors. Now I unhook blower power from resistor and saw this buring again?

Here is brand new resistor connection.




Here is connections from current...damn...




What is causing this? Thought new blower was the ticket? Short somewhere? Not an electrician so my explanations may be off.

 

[Jack_Toepfer]

This is not uncommon, unfortunately. It’s a MOPAR thing, having replaced several on a variety of Jeeps and other FCA vehicles. FCA is not alone though, I got wired my mom’s Kia circumventing that resistor entirely and put a relay in mine with the blower motor so that it’s just on a switch.
I don’t know the root cause, I just know that sometimes they’re a huge pain in the ass to replace.
Good luck.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

This is not uncommon, unfortunately. It’s a MOPAR thing, having replaced several on a variety of Jeeps and other FCA vehicles. FCA is not alone though, I got wired my mom’s Kia circumventing that resistor entirely and put a relay in mine with the blower motor so that it’s just on a switch.
I don’t know the root cause, I just know that sometimes they’re a huge pain in the ass to replace.
Good luck.

Seeing some say replace with ALL Oem parts. I changed blower, wiring harness (pigtail) and resistor but wasn't Oem. Guess I will redo again with all Oem...damn. Thanks for the info Jack.

 

[MikeD1]

Lots of info here on your specific issue:

https://www.dodgedurango.net/search...]=1&c[nodes][0]=6&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

 

[Smitty]

My Blower (for A/C - Heater) went out again due to burning inside connection. Blower power to Resistor connection. I thought it was blower motor (being old) and pulling more power. I changed out Blower motor (3 years ago) and redid all connections with brand new connectors. Now I unhook blower power from resistor and saw this buring again?

Here is brand new resistor connection.

View attachment 40264
View attachment 40265

Here is connections from current...damn...

View attachment 40266
View attachment 40267

What is causing this? Thought new blower was the ticket? Short somewhere? Not an electrician so my explanations may be off.

Not just a Mopar thing. Same crap with my son’s Ford Fusion. My understanding is the blower pulls too much current and fries the wiring over time. I replaced the blower motor, resistor and pigtail and I’ll be damned if a few years later it’s doing it again. 🙄☹️

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Not just a Mopar thing. Same crap with my son’s Ford Fusion. My understanding is the blower pulls too much current and fries the wiring over time. I replaced the blower motor, resistor and pigtail and I’ll be damned if a few years later it’s doing it again. 🙄☹️

Same set of circumstances...out again. Guess I will try OEM parts this time. Sorry to hear but appreciate the info all.

 

[Jack_Toepfer]

OEM failed you the first time. I wouldn’t put a lot of faith in it.
(sorry for all of the typos in my first post, geesh, what a mess)

 

[AeroF16]

I just helped a buddy fix this exact issue in his 2000 Jeep Cherokee. I don't know the history behind it but he said the resistors were very common for being faulty. If the resistor fails in a way that reduces impedance, then current would increase (theoretically - ohms law).

However, the system should be designed to blow the fuse first, instead of letting wire/connections burn/melt. That's what I don't understand, his connections were burned up like yours (but worse) and he had to replace the pigtails and all, including a new resistor but all his fuses were fine and of the proper size. It still didn't work though.. I troubleshot it down to a bad blower motor relay. We had to destroy the relay to remove it because it had melted and fused to the connection it fit into. Wasn't obvious until we started trying to remove it from the socket.

Ultimately, we replaced the resistor and the blower motor relay. The blower motor itself was still good and original. My guess is the faulty resistor is the root cause. His would stop working on certain fan speeds. Eventually only worked on speed 4, then quit completely.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

I just helped a buddy fix this exact issue in his 2000 Jeep Cherokee. I don't know the history behind it but he said the resistors were very common for being faulty. If the resistors fails in a way that reduces impedance, then current would increase (theoretically - ohms law).

However, the system should be designed to blow the fuse first, instead of letting wire/connections burn/melt. That's what I don't understand, his connections were burned up like yours (but worse) and he had to replace the pigtails and all, including a new resistors. It still didn't work though.. I troubleshot it down to a bad blower motor relay. We had to destroy the relay to remove it because it had melted and fused to the connection it fit into.

Ultimately, we replaced the resistor and the blower motor relay. The blower motor itself was still good. My guess is the faulty resistors is the root cause. His would stop working on certain fan speeds. Eventually only worked on speed 4, then quit completely.

Originally when it failed I was in Yosemite (95+ degree) on a camping trip. Went through 2 resisters before finally doing the whole job (new blower, wire harness, resister). Now I'm seeing a video of a mechanic saying use all OEM parts...so not sure what to think? Not sure why fuse doesn't get tripped before frying the damn connections? Ordered parts from Mopar today and will see if Oem route is the path to success. Thanks again everyone.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Ordered OEM blower, resistor, wiring harness (coming Monday), and supplier (climate control clicks and sticks when changing temperature). Hopefully I have time to fix this week before my trip on Sunday.

Hoping all OEM is the trick...wasn't cheap.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Oh the fun that awaits...