Why does blower motor resistor keep going out?

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DK - 31 Dec 2007 16:35 GMT

I have an 02 Grand Caravan, and every winter, the blower motor resistor goes
out and has to be replaced because the fan only works on high.

I replace it, and it'll last about a year and then go out again.

Is the only fix to replace the blower motor? How much would a typical repair
shop charge for that? Someone told me that it could be moisture getting
where it shouldn't (the blower motor wiring?) and causing the problem. Could
this be true, and if so, how can I check that and seal it up?

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. I can replace the resistor,
but I'm not a mechanic, so detailed suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!

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daytripper - 31 Dec 2007 17:14 GMT

>I have an 02 Grand Caravan, and every winter, the blower motor resistor goes
>out and has to be replaced because the fan only works on high.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>but I'm not a mechanic, so detailed suggestions would be appreciated.
>Thanks!

Just a guess, but the blower motor might have a shorted armature winding, and
if it stops with that winding in contact with the brushes, the next time you
turn on the fan the resistor will see a very low impedance path to ground. Et
voila, toasted resistor.

No idea how hard it is to replace the blower on that model...

/daytripper
'05 Hemi Durango Ltd

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maxpower - 31 Dec 2007 20:18 GMT

> I have an 02 Grand Caravan, and every winter, the blower motor resistor goes
> out and has to be replaced because the fan only works on high.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> but I'm not a mechanic, so detailed suggestions would be appreciated.
> Thanks!

Are you replacing it with a MOPAR part or aftermarket part? Mileage on the
vehicle is?

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

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DK - 31 Dec 2007 22:46 GMT

I get the part from the dealer, so I assume it is a MOPAR OEM part. The van
has about 109k miles on it. It started doing this at about 80K and we
replaced the part three times now, about once per winter.

Signature

>> I have an 02 Grand Caravan, and every winter, the blower motor resistor
> goes
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> Glenn Beasley
> Chrysler Tech

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maxpower - 01 Jan 2008 13:01 GMT

> I get the part from the dealer, so I assume it is a MOPAR OEM part. The van
> has about 109k miles on it. It started doing this at about 80K and we
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> > Glenn Beasley
> > Chrysler Tech

The motor is probably worn out and causing the resistor to burn out. If this
vehicle does not have autozone the blower motor is really easy to replace.

Glenn

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