On Monday morning, just as I was beginning the drive home to Waterloo from Ottawa, about six hours in the sweltering heat, I discovered that the blower in my truck had stopped working properly. Between the time I gave the truck to my friend Jeff to drive for a day, and the time I got it back, something in the fan control broke. Jeff of course denies any wrongdoing, knowledge of, or involvement in this startling development. I think the facts speak for themselves.
Truck: 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab.
Symptom: Fan only works at highest speed setting. In all lower settings, the fan just turns off.
I suffered with the A/C at full blast the whole drive home (better than turning it off), then hit Google to see if anybody else had encountered this. Turns out it is a somewhat common problem. The fan speeds are controlled by a high-power resistor in series with the fan motor. Apparently it is quite common for these resistors to burn out. This problem affects many makes of car, not just Dodge.
Fortunately, the resistors were quite inexpensive at my dealership’s parts department, and very easily replaced. The resistor comes as a module that is bolted into one of the air plenums in the passenger footwell. On the outside is a wiring connector, similar to the connector on halogen headlight bulbs (and similarly difficult to unplug). The resistors themselves are on a card that sticks inside the air plenum, presumably so the resistors will be cooled by the air flow.
The original appeared to be a card of fibreglass or mica or something, presumably with the resistive elements printed on it, and then painted black. Seemed very cheap to me, I’m not surprised it burned out. When I removed it, it was covered in moisture. And the paint was flaking off in one corner, which probably allowed moisture to seep in to the resistive element and corrode it. Tests with an ohmmeter showed that only two of the five pins appeared to have continuity with each other, the others were all open circuits.
The new resistor card cost me $13. It was somewhat different in design than the original. The replacement is using a ceramic core, with resistance wire wound around it, and dipped in epoxy. This is more like high-power resistors are supposed to be made. On the top is what appears to be a thermal fuse. The new module has continuity with all pins, the resistance to pin 1 from subsequent pins steadily increasing, up to pin 5 which had I think 2 or 3 ohms resistance.
I suspect that the fan speed selector provides power to one of pins 2 through 5, representing speeds from highest to slowest. Pin 1 is then used to supply the motor. Pins 2 through 5 appear to be a 2 or 3 ohm power resistor with multiple taps. The first tap (pin 2) is actually at 0 ohms resistance (pins 1 and 2 are shorted together), giving full voltage to the blower motor.
On the whole, this is actually quite an inefficient motor speed control. At speeds other than off and full-speed, considerable power is wasted as heat in the resistor. A more modern and efficient design would use a switch-mode transistor control. That would allow infinite variation in fan speed, waste less power, and probably last longer too (if implemented properly). It could probably be implemented on a plug-compatible module. That would be an interesting aftermarket part: an infinitely variable fan control. The hard part would be replacing the knob on the console.
354 responses to “Dakota Fan problem”
Smitty…
I did NOT wreck the fan speed control in your truck! Sabby and I drove from home to Merivale plaza to buy some groceries and bits and bobs for the new house. I admit we used the AC and that we used it on a setting other than MAX, but I noticed no malfunciton during my journey.
Note: Had I intended to wreck your truck, I assure you, it would have cost you in the thousands to repair, not $13.
Note also: It’s about time you got back to some electronics and hacking about like the old days — you’re getting soft. We should build a new locust car or some thing bigger and buggier. The world is ours for the taking!
I’m glad it’s fixed and you can thank me later for teaching you something about Dodge trucks.
Jones.
Thanks for posting this information. Google found your blog for me! I couldn’t find this in any of the enthusiast web sites – but there were plenty of messages showing how to get 5 more HP.
FYI the part number from Dodge for the resistor pack for my 2002 Dakota is 5174618AA. It cost me $12.71USD in Fairfax, VA, US
Thanks for the info, I was looking for the answer to the same problem in mine. Also thanks Richard for posting the part number.
This is GREAT! I have an ’01 Dakota, and you’re right Ron – speeds 0 and 4 are safe, otherwise you’re CONSTANTLY burning out the resistor. Smart. They need an electronic speed control that you can steal from any RC car. Anyway – I was told by my brother (full sized Dodge) that the heat would use TWO resistors — so I bought two. I have yet to install, and can’t tell a lot from the photo (thanks for posting ALL of this by the way) – but saw only one the other day when I peeked under the passenger heater area. When I picked up the parts from Dodge in Portsmouth, NH – they were only $9.45 EACH! Buying two’s fine! Anyway, the jamoke at the parts counter didn’t know squat about installing. I’d already (mistakenly) replaced the heater control unit and didn’t wanna pull a dash apart again.
I said: ” Lemme make my question direct: DO I HAVE TO RIP APART THE WHOLE DASHBOARD?” He replies: “Oh yeah – of course.”
PLease tell me he’s wrong or my whole weekend will be a bummer (no garage and freezing out in NH).
Thanks guys!
-JA
I only had one resistor to replace. I guess the Ram is different. It was right there in the passenger footwell area, no need to pull the dash apart. I had to unbolt one plenum to move aside, just so I could reach the second screw on the resistor. On the whole, a very easy job.
I know the picture sucks, but it was the best I could do. I would need a much wider-angle lens to get a decent shot in there.
Great post, thank you! I live in the same area and have a 2001 Dakota Quad Cab and I just had the same thing happen to me (in winter so only having the high setting really blows!). I am going to go get that part tomorrow and fix this ASAP.
I have not fixed my problem but it is the same on a 2001 ClubCab. What is the Part Number for a 2001? And thankyou for this post, i have been looking for a while and havn’t pin pointed the problem, i was about to replace the controls.
Please email the information, thank you.
-Anthony D. NC
Thank you for the post. I purchased the HVAC resistor card and it worked perfectly. Installed it within 20 minutes. Only 2 boltes + the plenum, which I was able to get by with undoing just 1 bolt.
I asked the dealer for a fan blower resistor and he gave me the exact part. The only thing I had to do was clip the ears off.
Thank you again for you post.
Thanks a bunch to all you guys who posted. This saves me a lot of money and posterior pain. Having only one setting (high)is excruciating in this Florida heat.
Thanks again!
Thanks for the post – we were able to fix the same issue on a 2001 Dakota (the pics above are great!) The resistor was $19.95 – a cheap alternative to a dealer repair.
Thanks for the info above….just fixed my Dakota using it. The dealership charged me $102 the last time this happened. It cost me $13.01 for the part and took 12 mins to replace.
I have another question if anyone has any input. My truck just started idling high, then low then high, low….etc…. anybody have an idea what it could be?
could be the throttle position sensor which is right on the intake tube under the big plastic cover on the top of the intake manifold. easy to replace and only cost me around $60 at local napa store.
Thanks for saving my marriage! I had been living without #1 fan speed for a year and then lost 2 & 3. My wife wasn’t going to leave me alone until I fixed the problem. I didn’t want to take it to a dealer so I started looking on the web for a fix. Thanks to you it cost me $10.63 for the part and about 10 minutes (mostly on my head) for replacement.
Thanks again!
This site was very helpful. Thank you for posting it. I just fixed the exact same problem in my 2003 Dakota club cab. I wanted to give everybody a tip as well with respect to getting the plug undone, as it was a bit of a challenge. There was a red tab on the one side of my plug that had to be slid to one side before the connection could be undone. Once this red tab is slid, then you can undo the plug the same way that you would for a halogen bulb for example. The part was priced at $14.95 (Cdn $) in Calgary at Renfrew Dodge. Interestingly it was $21.50 at Crowfoot Dodge. This is not a surprise considering the bad reputation that Crowfoot has with respect to taking advantage of customers.
Thanks again!
I just installed the resistor in my 2001 Dodge Dakota. The part # for the HVAC Resister Card is 1-05174618AA. The resistor fits 2001-2004 Dakota and 2001-2003 Durango. As mentioned above, Dodge is using an updated version of the resistor. $10 at my local Dodge dealer. Made in Slovenia, the original was made in Mexico. So much for made in America. This was a really easy fix. Thanks so much for the info!
I am no mechanic, but this post has turned me into one. The total time to replace was under 20 minutes, including 5 minutes spent looking for something to clip the new part. Thank you for this post, it has been a gigantic help.
For Timmy J,
I just fixed the idling problem on my ’01 Dakota. The IAC (Idle Air Control) motor/valve is most likely the culprit. On the 4.7L V8, it is on the right side of the throttle body as you are looking at the engine from the front. There are two connectors there, I forget which one it is. I needed a torx-head driver to remove it. After you remove it, clean all the gunk off of it and clean the inside on the throttle body as well. After I cleaned it, I put it back in and the truck quit “hunting” at idle speeds. Note: I was told after you put it back in, you might have to rev the engine with the accelerator until the IAC valve “reprograms” itself. Hope this helps. I am glad to find out the blower resistor is only 12 bucks.
you can also unhook the battery for 30 seconds and it will clear the program. it will reprogram itself quickly as you first drive it. I ended up replacing both the IAC and TPS (throttle position sensor) also replaced the air flow sensor right in the same area as I broke it trying to unplug the TPS. truck ran like new after.
I’ve got an ’01 Dakota Quad. Last week the fan quit altogether…none of the speeds work. There’s power at the fan harness and the fan works when I hotwired it. I pulled the resistor card and the coating doesn’t appear damaged. I’ve got full continuity on pins 1,2,3 & 5, but when I hit pin #4, I get a half second of continuity, and then it cuts out – Every time. Anybody think that could be the problem? I’m sure I’ll gamble on the $13 bucks on the part anyway, I’m just wondering how that could be happening, and if that could be causing a complete failure of the fan. By the way, this posting probably saved me a days worth of head scratching already. Thanks.
Hello, I have an ’01 Dakota Club cab SLT and I got the part down here in Florida, $12.84 w/tax. It took about 10 minutes to install and works like a charm.
Thank you SO much, you need good AC control down here in the summer for sure…
PS The old part looked like a plain black card, when I first pulled it out I wasn’t sure if I pulled the right part.
Rick, I have the same problem with the fan not working at all.
I had a Caravan that only worked on the High speed and found a similar post about the replacing resistor pack. I replaced it and it worked fine. Just not sure if it the same with my Dakota as I have not taken the pack out yet to check. If you get anywhere with this, OR if you replaced the pack and it worked, please let me know.
If anyone else has any suggestions, I’d love to read them.
Thanks
jimmylee@adelphia.net
hey thanks for showing that pic i have same probly fan only works on high but now that i seen the pic i know were to go and replace my resistor
Thanks for posting this. New resistor worked like a champ on my 2001 Dakota. I’m sure it saved me at least $100 from bringing it to a dealer for repair. I love the Internet… 😉
Thanks for your information, $10.85 and 15 minutes of mostly trying to get the screws back in.
JD
Thanks for the posts. I had the problem with none of the blower settings working. Picked up the part and it works like a champ!!! Thanks again!
I just replaced mine today, cost me $17.84 cdn. at Wendell Motors in Kitchener, works great.
I thought it was funny when i was reading the original post because mine stopped working (1,2,3) after I let my dad borrow my truck, then 4 when I let somebody else borrow it, haha, wierd.
THANK-YOU for the posting. I couldn’t believe it when I started calling around to get this fixed. The local dealership wanted $120 for part and installation. I thought there’s no way so I bought the part for $15.79 came home and Googled the issue. Lo and behold your page came up and 10 minutes later problem fixed. My wife said, “seriously that’s it?” I spent most of the 10 minutes looking for the right socket. My opinion charging labour for this is criminal. Makes you wonder what else they try to hose you for!
Great info here. I had this problem on my 2002 Dakota and was figuring on spending over a 100 bucks to fix it. I found the part at the Dodge dealership in Kearney, NE for $10.50. Everything was exactly as you described! Only took 5 minuted to fix. Thanks again!!
Good thing I googled this before going to the Dealer. I have the same problem with my 03 Dakota club cab. The last time I went to the dealer it cost me $9.87 for a plastic gas cap and $49.95 for them to put it on because of an engine check light was on and my inspection was up. They said I had a rusted gas cap. (plastic dont rust) My wife put gas in the truck the night before and didnt screw it down tight.
I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota and the fan speed only works on high. I replaced the resistor and the fan still only run ons high. If you have any suggestions I sure could use the help.
I just wanted to thank everyone for this information. I was driving home on Sunday when all of a sudden my cabin fan stopped and all that was left was the smell of burnt electronics. First thing I thought was that the entire motor went bad. After reading this site though I went to the dealership and got a new reisistor. Cost me 21 bucks and took about 10 minutes to install. Only reason I tell my story is to reiterate that even if you loose all fan speeds (such as I did) rather than loosing everything but the high speed, it still may be the resistor. So go spend the 21 dollars or check it with an ohm meter before ripping the entire blower motor out. Thanks Again!
I have a 2004 Dakota. My fan would only work on ‘High’ for the past couple of months. This morning even that stopped working. I thought I”d have to be without my truck for a day or two while it was being serviced under warranty, but after reading these posts, I think I’ll do it myself. Thank you!
PS-The air flow while driving is sufficient to heat/cool the cabin, but defrosting/defogging would be tough while driving 🙂
Ok, follow-up…I just unbolted the part, but I can’t figure out how to remove the wiring. Any tips to make it easier? Thank you.
It’s a latching connector, very similar to the ones you see on modern-style halogen headlamps. You just have to find the magic little tab you have to push to release it. I can’t really help much with that.
Thank you Piper, that should help…I’ll try again tomorrow.
Ok, bought the part, installed, smiled when the fan started pumping out air! Thanks for information. BTW, seeing the new part completely cleared up any question about how to remove the wiring from the old part. $16 for the part, 10 minutes for the install.
Well this is just the help I needed. My problem is I have a 1996 Dodge Dakota and it does not appear that the resister is in the same place.
Anyone have an idea or a pic of the layout?
Thanks much..
Ray
Thanksa for the great help. Easy part to get, fairly cheap, $18.00+GST (Tower in Calgary), easy fix. I unbolted everything before removing the harness. Made it real easy, maybe 10-15 minutes. Thanks again.
This site just fixed many problems with my 01 Dakota.
Fan doesn’t work–will try resistor pack change, no dealership parts department open on Saturday.
“Hunting” idle–cleaned IACV, idles great now!
Another problem I was having–rpm’s going up and down as I drove down the road. Transmission seemed to be downshifting and then upshifting for no reason. Really it was the torque converter unlocking and locking. Gas mileage going down the tube. Checked the throttle position sensor with an ohm meter. Sending very dirty signal, replaced with a new one ($80.99) and the truck runs like a champ. What a difference a couple simple procedures have made.
Hello, I wanted to thank you for providing this information.
My fan quit working just as the snow started to fly. I got on the internet and googled your site. Armed with the information provided I bought a resistor at my local Dodge dealership for $14.95 CDN. It took me 15 minutes to replace the resistor. My fan was completely inoperative on all the fan settings, now the fan is functioning at all levels, I’m ready for the snow and ice. Thank you so much for posting this information, I’m sure my local Dodge dealership would have charged me an arm and a leg for the repair bill. All the best!
Thank you so much for posting this , I live in Minnesota and do to the temp changes we get here I have already had this part replaced once before. This time I wanted to do it myself and save the money. your pictures are very helpful. I should have looked sooner because my dash is now on my garage floor, I thank you deeply for this posting!
Fan now fixed. $12.70 from dealership and 15 minutes. Thanks.
Your info is greatly appreciated. I replaced my resistor board and got all my fan speeds back. But after a couple of days, I only had high speed again. I changed the board again, and after a few days, it only worked on high again. I think I might have an electrical problem. Mayby the fan motor is drawing too much current? Does anybody have any ideas on a solution to my problem?
Same issue here with 2001 Dodge quad cab. Replaced what you said and worked perfectly. THANKS MAN…..I love GOOGLE
great post. exactly the same symptoms, same problem part, accurate assessment of the failure mode. thanks much
greg
Haven’t tried this yet… Kinda stumbled across the site while researching a P0442 code. My blower has only been working on the high setting for over 2 years. I’ve been able to ignore it all that time because I wasnt about to pay the dealer to fix something that shouldnt be broken to begin with. And after reading about just how many people are having this problem (on this site, and others), I am a bit disappointed (but not surprised) Dodge did not issue a recall for this.
I will be visiting my Dodge dealer ASAP to buy this replacement part! Thanks Guys!
Thanks for the info, i had this same problem twice now on my ’02 Dakota SXT. The first time was at only 19,000 miles and just again at 49,000 first time it was still under warranty so no cost to me. When it happened this time i suspected it was the same problem and sure enough it was. just replaced it with the updated card for $11.25 from the dealership hopefully the newer style resistor card holds up better than the old “wich was what it was replaced with the first time”
Thanks for the information on how to fix the fan issue on my 2001 Durango. I did a google search on the issue, not expecting to get any results and was very happy to see you created this web site. My part cost me $11.99 including tax in Minnesota, it took me about a 1/2 hour to change it out. Thanks a million!
Piper,
You are THE MAN!!! Thank you so much for posting this. I lost all fan speeds for the first time two days ago at about 90K miles on my 2001 Durango. I called the Dodge dealer to get some intel on what could be going wrong. He ran through the usual suspects and this resistor pack came up. He said it was really hard to get to up in the dash and would take about an hour and a half of labor to change out. I did a Yahoo search and found your site, paid 15$ for the part and it took me about a half hour to replace. It would have taken only 10 minutes if I’d had a 1/4″ universal for my socket set to get to that pesky back bolt.
Again, thanks a million.
–LAD
–Chicago
I have a 2001 Durango with rear air in addition to front control. Last week, front and rear both would only work on high and I assumed that the resistor would fix the problem since I had run into this 3 years earlier. Replaced the resistor and front control works fine now. However rear control still only works on high. I assume that there is another resistor for the rear but don’t know where resistor might be located. Ideas???
WOW, Nothing excites me more the not being gouged by my local dealership. The fixed worked exactly as stated above. Two things I can offer is the newest part number is 5174618AA. One dealer wanted $40 another $27 and obviosly the one I bout it from was $11.93 with tax. The other suggestion I can make is for better visibility when working is place a small mirror on the floor and it is easier to see the screews and align the holes
Regards, Chris
Wish I had seen this before replacing heater control unit Which by the way was not that difficult to do Just a few screws along bottom of dash and 2 screws above instrument panel and the whole dash pops off.Thanks for the info on the resistor because thats probably the problem. I was able to locate the resistor so replacement should be easy.Thanks for saving me a trip to the mechanic!!
Thanks so much,
the fan went out last nite,found your site today & hopefully have the part tomorrow.
the photo was a huge help.
Local dodge dealer (3255 n.cicero.Chicago ) has the part in stock.
Mopar part# (05061575AA)
piece of cake install.
good luck all
$15.26 out the door
Thanks for the tip.
Had the exact same problem in my 04 Dakota.
Cheers
Awesome information!!! I am the proud owner of a FULLY operational heating system in my ’01 Durango. Although I have to pay $29.95 from Dodge Allen Motors in Derry, its still far better than the $200.00 they wanted to do it!
Super easy installation, the part no. I found here was dead on, I am so happy.
Thanks again everyone!!!!
Thank you very much for the info on the resistor. It cost me about $20 out the door in SoCal, but a lot better than the $120+ alternative. 🙂
Thanks again!
Thanks for the info. Fan stopped working in the summer but did not care b/c i would just ride with the windows down. Did not know that the resistor was so cheap. Got a new one for $16 bucks from the dealer. Thanks for the info
Hi i have a 2001 dodge dakota sport 4×4 truck, 3 months ago i lost heat except for high setting, my dealer replaced a resistor for 150 with labor, for the last week it is only working on 2 highest speeds, now today it isn’t working at all. i agree with the fellow, dodge should call a recall.
AWESOME! Googled theroblem, sent me here, went grabbed the part, installed in about 10 minutes and I finally have my life back! I can’t tell you how irritating it is to me not to have my normal climate control.
On a side note, I did notice the moisture residue on the card and it made me think of all the time in the past few months when I noticed my passenger side floor had a huge puddle. Can anyone lend me some insight to whether or not this water problem may be connected to this situation? When I had the puddle, it was NOT antifreeze. It was definitely water but I could not figure out where it was coming from. And it was during arid times of the year as well.
Thanks again!
Wow, that was the easiest replacement, thanks to this site. It actually only took a couple of minutes to change once I had the right socket and squeezed my 220lb body under the passenger dash. 2004 Dakota, 95,000km, all fan speeds stopped working, $13.01 Cdn +tx. I really thought I was in for huge dealer gouge. Works like a dream now. Thanks to all involved, red slider on the plug, cutting the tabs off, and just where to find the problem … life savers all of you).
Great website and thanks for the info. I just changed out the resistor in about 10 minutes (screws are 8mm). It went smooth except for the upside down part under the dash. Turns out I knew the parts guy at the dodge dealership and he gave me his discount, sweet huh? Thanks again for everything. I LOVE STICKIN’ IT TO THE DEALER!!
Yet another vote for “Great Website”. I had the blower in my ’02 Dakota die while at Home Depot, and with the rear split window open for lumber at 9 pm on a 4degree (F) night, that was a COLD trip home. An hour looking online and I knew what had happened. $12.15 US at my Dodge part desk, 10 minutes, and I have a fan again. Thanks!
I am in on the “Great Website” vote . My fan would only work on High. Got the part from the dodge dealer for $12. Took me about 20 minutes, could do it alot faster now that I have done it once. Thanks for imfo
thank you, you saved me a lot of money.
My fan would not work at all on my 2003 Dakota. Dealer told me that it could not posibly be the resistor. I told him about this sight and how about 10 people had that same problem I had with no fan at all. He told me again that there was no way that it could be the resister, “If the resistor goes bad you will have no/high speed fan, must be you controls or the fan motor”.
“Ha Ha, parts counter guy” It was the resistor $14.00 and good as new.
My dads 2003 Dakota also needed a new resistor about a month ago, his was no/high speed problem.
Well, from what I could see of the construction of the resistor, the dealer’s statement, that it couldn’t be the resistor, is not entirely unreasonable, given your no-fan-at-all symptoms.
The reason most of us have not lost high speed is that high speed is actually using zero resistance, the high-speed terminal is basically just connected through to the motor by solid metal. It can’t burn up like the non-zero resistance elements for lower speeds do, at not without drawing really excessive current that would probably blow a fuse first.
It may be the connector was just loose or something, perhaps kicked by a passenger.
I’m glad the resistor pack fix worked for you, anyway. I’m just saying the dealer was not necessarily just blowing smoke up your ass when he said that.
Hi there,
Bought a 01 Quad Cab off EBay today, checked it out….NO BLOWER! Typed in dakota fan problem on MSN search, this site was there, I think it will be problem solved when I pick it up tommorrow!! Thank You!!!!
I need to thank eveyone for their postings. I had scheduled a time at the dealership to have this repaired for later this week. They were happy to fix it, for $130. After reading this information, I ended up being able to fix it for $13 and about 10 minutes of my time.
That was the prob! $18 and 3 minutes…fixed….Thanks again!!
Just like the rest of you – having lost all other fan settings except “high” was my problem too. Unlike an earlier post-er, I’m the wife, and the truck is mine (96 Dodge Dakota Sport), so I can’t justify pestering my husband to fix it. I’ll just get the part myself…except I’ll have to pester him for help seeing as how I’m 6mos. along and unlikely to fit in the passenger well and reach the spot I need to get to. Here’s hoping this is the fix! Thanks for posting this!
I had to laugh reading over some of the previous postings. Piper on March 18, kind of sounds like he’s the dealership guy that mislead Michigan Bob also on March 18. Anyone who has done this job can attest to the fact that there is no way you can kick the plug loose, in fact there’s no way you’ll get it off at all until you slide that red tab. Sorry but we’re not going to pay the Piper this time.
Just curious to know if someone could clear something up for me. I have an ’03 Dakota and the fan just started doing the “Only works on high” again. I had the resistor replaced in ’05 as well but I was still under warranty and didn’t get to see it done. In regards to the “red tab” I looked around today and saw what looked like a rectangular piece that had a red tab that slid back and forth that was held in by two plastic screws. Then closer to the front part of the dash area saw what looked like a round plug similar to that of a halogen bulb plug but didn’t see the red tab. Which one of these is the right one? Thanks for any help you can give.
Thanks for the information in changing the resistor. The pictures were a lot of help. I paid $12.44 for the resistor. This site is awesome!!!
Just replaced my resistor. Blower now works!!!! Just wanted to add my blower DID NOT WORK AT ANY SPEED. Thanks to all for the info here. THE INTERNET IS A WONDERFUL THING!!! And google is your friend
Jason: Just changed the resistor on my 2003. It’s the rectangular piece with the 2 screws and the sliding red tab.
My 2002 Dakota Quad Cab and only the high speed fan
working. I thought maybe the A/C lost it’s charge but it this was an easier fix that that it cost $11.25.
Using a small dressing mirrow laying on the passenger side floor made it easier to remove and replace the resister block. You rock dude thanks for the info and part #.
Thanks for all the posts, right down to the part number and socket size. Only my lowest two settings would work, no high speed. Checked price at two Dodge dealers, one priced at $11.25 and the other over 15 dollars. Hardest part of the whole job was tightening the back screw on the duct that I had to remove. It is getting hot here and I needed that high speed. Oh what a relief it is!
I had a bad blower motor at 50,000 miles in my 2003 Durango resulting in the resistor card going as well. I replaced the motor and card and it worked great. Now at 78,000 miles I smelled the electrical burning scent and knew the card was going. I changed the card, and it lasted for about 10 minutes. I checked it and it was very hot. Today I removed it to install another, and found the insulation burned off the black (w/ tan tracer) and the blue (w/ yellow tracer) wires. I pluged it back in making sure the bare wires did not touch and started the fan motor with the card on the floor. After about 1 minute, it started getting hot again so I shut it down. The plug is now melting so I need to replace that now. Any ideas out there? Thanks…..Mike
I see people talk mostly about the 2000 models Dakota’s I have a 99 model does anyone know if the resistor is in the same place for my model as well? If not where should I look?
I just answered my own question, it is not in the same place. Must be hidden out of the way someplace not noticeable. Anyone know about this 99 model I would sure like to know.
Thanks
2002 Durango, fan stopped blowing on anything other than high. Replaced the resistor pack and it worked great…for 10 minutes then fried again. I’m thinking blower motor and causing a problem at lower speeds.
Anybody agree or disagree? All wires and connectors look good. I have another resistor but can’t locate the blower motor and do not want to just plug in another one.
Thanks for any help.
I had the same problem, the fan on my 2002 Durango sxt would not work at all. Went to the dealer after reading this site and the tried to sell me a blower motor fo 190 dollars (canadian). I took the brand new motor out to my truck and it did not work. Even though there was power going to the motor. This was tested by a meter. Bought the resistor, took it home and installed it…..Works Great!!! Thanks for the info, I got to make the dealer look like an Idiot. Cost me 20 dollars instead of 190.00. Ha!!!
WOW! It worked like a charm on my 2004 Dakota! Fan problem done!!!
Now all I need is a way to fix my left blinker! Rear Blinker wire has a short or something. I had it in less than a year after I bought the truck – and at that time, they said it would have been an expensive fix – if it weren’t under warrenty.
The problem is – it’s NOT fixed. 6 months later, it showed up again. Sometimes, when I slam the truck bed shut – it works for a while… and then a few days later – the rear drivers side blinker returns to not working. I’ve replaced bulbs, but that doesn’t do it. I was once told that I should check the ground, but can’t find where the ground for that light might be. The other 3 blinkers work fine. Just this problem child that gives me fits….
Thanks again for the Fan Fixage instructions!!!
Works great!
This was the best time on the internet I ever had. Wife’s 2004 Dakota Quad SXT fan stopped working on Friday. Its a nice truck. I go way back with Dodges though so I told her when we bought it, “expect this sort of thing” and man this brings back memories!
Found this site Sunday night and went to the local Dodge dealer at lunch today.Monday night up and running! Thanks for the information and the part #’s , tool specs., etc. This was great.
anyone have the fan running at high and it blowing somewhere other than at you. sounds like it is blowing into dash somewhere but very little comes out the vents. every one wants to leave the truck for a day and rip it apart at 95/hour to see what they can see. any hints
The fan in my 2002 Dakota Quad cab quit altogether yesterday. I was about to rip the dash out and check the selector switch when I decided to check the internet first. Good thing I did. I found the resistor. Just 2 bolts. I didn’t even have to remove the plenum. I went to the dealer and picked up the new part for $19.95 Canadian (including tax). I installed it in the dealers parking lot in 2 minutes. Works great!! This forum solved my problem. Now if someone can tell me how to get white paint (over-spray from the street line repainting) off of my black truck I will be laughing.
2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. Well, my experience has been much like the others. Information on this site was extremely beneficial, and saved me $200 for the control module, and lots of frustration. It also gave me an excuse to buy a set of 1/4″ drive sockets with a “screw driver” style handle, a universal joint, and a 6″ flexible shaft extension. These, along with the mirror idea, made removal and reinstallation of the $12 resistor an easy project. Thanks for your help.
The link from Google was also fantastic.
Is this a dealer only part?
Am having the same problem as tim. When I start up and take off, as long as I leave the cabin air setting where it was when I started everthing is fine. If I change it while I’m driving it seems to not completely go to the new setting (max a/c, defrost, etc.) or goes to the new setting and then drifts off. Can hear the air blowing, but it is not coming out of the vents very well. Have replaced the control panel, but that did not fix the problem. I can tell by the control panel that the settings are controlled by vacuum, but that is about as far as my knowledge goes. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.
I could not get it at autozone, listed as “not yey available”
Well, add my thanks to all those above. The fan in my 2004 Dakota abruptly stopped this morning. With temps in the mid-90’s and high humidity, I was toast. Pulled all the fuses because I thought I must have blown one. They were all okay. Before taking it to the Dodge dealer to get fixed, thought I’d search the net for a solution.
Many thanks. $18 later and my A/C is back working again!
Hi,
Thanks for the info and pictures!
I had no fan at any speed. Fuse was OK, Pulled out the fan resistor. Mine was the older fiberglas PCB design. Seemed to check out OK with an ohm meter (no opens) but I could see some white corrosion under the middle fuse link. I scraped off the black coating and found the PCB land was almost completely corroded away. (but not enough for the ohm meter to catch it as an open. I cleaned up the trace on the board and soldered a jumper across the break and it fixed it. (At least until I can get to the dealer to get a replacement).
This is my second resistor card. The first time it failed I only had high speed. It was still under warranty so the dealer replaced it free.
Here is some info for reference.
NOTE: This data was taken on a 2001 Dodge Dakota 4×4 club cab. I cannot say if the information is applicable to any other model or year.
The dark Black/Gr is the gound side of the fan. This reads about 12V with a meter if the motor plug is intact, the motor is not open, and the fuse is good. Grounding this line should run the fan if the motor and fuse are OK. For safety use a fused wire or an in-line (series) 12V test lamp. (The test lamp should light and the fan run but not at max speed/brightness)
(Sorry if the table gets out of wack.)
Fan control resistor block connections, Resistance to gnd at cable w/out board with fan control at position shown.
‘-‘ is over scale on meter
Switch position 4 = high.
SWITCH | Br | Gr/Y | lt Bl | dk BL/Gr | Bk/Br |
——–|—-|——|——-|———-|——-|
off | – | – | – | – | – |
1 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – |
3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 27K |
4 | 0 | – | – | – | 1.6 |
Card resistances measured after repair.
I used the corresponding wire to show connectivity as I cannot se a pin 1 designator. Meter is only good to about 0.1 ohm so take these numbers as a reference not a spec. This may help someone else to evaluate their card.
dk BL/Gr TO Dk/Br = 0.4 ohm [high speed]
dk BL/Gr TO lt Bl = 0.6 ohm
dk BL/Gr TO Gr/Y = 1.4 ohm
dk BL/Gr TO Br = 3.2 ohm [low speed]
Also note the low speed resistor (Br) is on for all speeds. If you would like to calculate the series motor resistance in ckt you need to do the parallel resistance calculation on the two values in each selection.
Thanks again!
Holy crap- you saved me a ton of money. The pictures helped a lot. Thanks!
Hi. I have a ’96 Dakota extended cab with the 3.9L v6. It’s been a great truck. It has 135k miles on it. Currently the blower isn’t working, and it’s been 100 degrees around here. Until recently it ran only when on high. My wife was driving, and said that when the blower stopped working, the fan switch seemed to be stuck. Then she forced it over, and it wouldn’t work at all. Last week I replaced the resistor. All the fuses are ok. I took the blower motor out, and it ran when I hooked it up straight to a spare battery. The plug which goes into the resistor was melted. I took soom wireless connectors, attached them to the wires, and plugged them into the prongs coming out of the resistors. Still no air. I am thinking that it is the fan switch, and will try that next. Any thoughts?
I have a 1996 Dodge Dakota…lost fan motor on all speeds. read this post, cost me $8.56 for new resistor. Now works great. Thanks, this save me a bundle, dealer estimate was $500 for new motor and switch!
Dar
North Carolina
Roy, you might try swapping the relays to determine if the one for the blower moter is bad.
The relay in the PDC along side of the battery.
Thanks to all on this site. I purchased a control unit from a wreck for $75.00. when I got home from my trip I was going to change it but because of the heat here in Fl I decided to check on the web first. Am I glad I did. When I had checked with our local dealer in Chiefland they wanted $238.00 for the control part.I haven’t checked for the resistor but I’m sure it will be a lot less than they would charge.
I’m glad I did not change the control panel.I guess I’ll put th control panel up for sale. R.A.B.
Thanks guys. Dar, I had tried switching relays. I went ahead and bought the control unit from the dealer and switched it out last weekend. It was a couple hundred bucks. The old one out had some melted plastic in the back, so there was obviously a short there. They don’t just sell the fan switch, you have to buy the whole control unit.
In the post above, I meant to say that I used “solder-less” connectors to connect the wires into the resistor, not “wireless”. That didn’t make sense. The new plug was going to be another $95 from the dealer, and I seem to be able to get by without it.
The blower works well now. Now I just need to get the AC recharged.
Thanks again.
After reading a majority of the questions and responses on this site, I realized that I too had the same issue. After spending $13.50 and 10 mins the issue has been resolved, and my wife is very please.
I’m surprised Chrysler isn’t trying to have this info removed. Totally cutting into the “easy fix/big profit”
Thanks for the info- my 2001 CC 4×4 just went to high speed or no speed this week. Found this blog and got three different prices from three different stealerships in my area- Greenbrier Dodge was 11.25 plus tax. It took rhis old girl about 20 mins dragging ny feet to change it out following the posted experiences. Bought a spare for future use or in case my friends 04 acts up! I was about to have a stroke before finding this though!!
Virginia Beach, VA
Thanks for the info………but not sure if it is the resister in my case…
I have a 2000 Dakota Quad 4.7l with 192,000kms. My heater blower motor started acting up last winter. When I turned the heater blower switch on in any position nothing would happen. BUT if I tapped on the blower motor houseing(under the passenger side dash) or anywhere in that area the blower would start up and STAY running(in any switch position) until I shut off the truck or switched off the blower all the way off( the center dial to off). Then if I turned it back on most of the time the fan would not come on again in any position until i tapped on the heater housing?
If I did not bother to tap on the housing to get the blower running after starting the truck and turning on the heater…..and i started driving, sometimes the blower would start up if the truck hit a bump. and stay running, like I said untill it was shut off.
As time has progressed I noticed after having to tap the housing to get the blower running, it would start but running slower and slower and making some noise. ?? Progressively got worse over the months and…..
Now it does not work at all. SO im pretty sure it is not the resistor unit.
How hard is it to replace the blower motor? My Chilton manual says that I have to disconnect the AC lines and release the coolant(refrigerant) as part of the procedure to replace the blower motor? Is this absolutely nescessary? That would mean I would have to put it in the shop to recharge the ac, etc. If I could replace the blower myself would be cheaper for sure and would be nice not having to frig with the A/C part of it.
Any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks
Your site is great. After reading it last night I went to the dealer the next morning to pick up the part. But instead of just going to the part counter I stopped at the service desk to get an estimate to get the problem fixed. This is where it gets funny. The guy quoted me $189 for the fix. I just smiled and asked why it would be so much? I stated that the book stated it takes 1.4 hours to install and the part was $12.99. I then told him it was a 5 min install with a basic 1/4″ socket. He then went to talk to his manager and he came over and stated he over quoted the fix. The estimate then went down to $54. I think he thought I was from the local TV station. I just laughed and then went to the parts counter and picked up the part(by the way it was $10.99) went home and installed it in 5 mins. I love the power of the internet. Thanks for a great posting and a laugh at the dealer…Oh I works perfect…Pete
Much help bro ive been drivin threw arizona summer with the problem sweatin to death….much help
Thanks so much, this is very helpful. Unfortunately I spent 6 hours ripping the dash apart to check the control module, blower fan is out and I finally got to the resistor card. Wish I would have checked on-line sooner but I at least know what the problem is now and should only cost $15 to fix.
Thanks again
When I was having problems with my blower only working on high speed on my 2001 Dakota blower my son Chris said I should check on the web for a fix. I came on this site and with all the information was able to fix the problem, The part number really help. My cost from AuotZone was $14.99 plus tax. It took about 3 days to get and fixed the problemi I did have to remove one screw from the plastic duct work from the passager side to be able to remove one of the mounting screws on the resistor. Thank you again from Genoa IL.
Thank you for this great info. Cost me $15 and 15 minutes to remove/replace 2 screws. The hilarious thing is the parts guy at the Dodge Dealer told me I’d have to disassemble half my dashboard. And thanks to the guy who posted about sliding the red tab.
I have a 1998 Dodge Dakota and I still can’t find the risistor! any Help?
Great, very useful, much appreciated!
$23 in Victoria BC. It’s not that $23 bucks is a lot of money, it’s the arrogance of the parts people who swore up and down that there was no way I could get this part for anything less than what they were charging! Stay away from Wille Dodge in Victoria BC!
Joe
Thanks for the information. It is much appreciated.
Your friend didn’t do anything. Same thing happened to us. Hubby drove the truck to work — it was fine. I get in it — the fan doesn’t work. He looks at me and I look at him. In the end, I think the part just wore out.
great site worked for me cost me $22 can. 10 min. to put in thanks ( grab life by the horns )
Thanks for the blog with the pictures. Very helpful. My local dealer wanted $84 to replace the part or $126 to perform an “analysis of the problem” and then replace the part. I said thanks very much and walked up the parts window and paid $11.85 + tax for the part. I replaced it in less than 5 minutes in their parking lot (just for fun). I had the old one already removed. The old part was made in Mexico and the new one is Slovenia. As someone else stated, so much for America made.
Thanks again for the blog. “Grab life by the horns and replace the part in the dealer’s parking lot…”
Thanks for the great advice. $12 at the local dealer and 15 min later ac is blowing cold. Thanks again to all who posted.
Hi guys, a little help here please! I own a ’89 Dakota SE.
My blower quit completely a few days ago. I’m not sure if it’s the resistor, or if the resistor is even in the same place as newer model Dodge’s. Here’s what I know: I popped the hood to follow some wires out from the passenger side floor through the firewall. Up high, just under the wiper blade on the passenger side firewall, was a wiring harness attached to a connector bolded directly on the firewall. After some wiggling, the blower motor started! So, I popped the harness off and cleaned all the contacts of corrosion on both parts, and replaced the harness. Problemk solved, right? Wrong. Blower is again, as dead as a doornail. Any help please! Winters coming and its hard to defrost your windsheild while drivin/// 🙂 thanks
Jake
Thanks for the assistance. Its 30 degrees outside, I will look at it after lunch. 1996 Dakota
On the 1996 Dodge Dakota V6 the resistor block is locatated passanger side under the hood. Cleaning the dirty contacts was all that was needed. Thank you
Stan
Not that we needed anymore replies, but I thought I would chime in with mine. That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The only difficulty was getting the bit head on that last $#%#ing screw. NOw my fans work like new and I don’t have to listen the wife complain anymore! It was $13 for the part, even here in Boston. (Go Red Sox!) Thanks again for the advice, you just saved me $150.00!!
Thanks for the advice. Otherwise I would have spent a couple hundered dollars at the shop. The problem was very easy to fix $12.00 at local dealer. Thanks Again
thank you for the advice ….. This saved me … I don’t know how much time and money !!!! I walked into the parts counter with the part and the girl looked at (from a distance) and said “fan controll resister for a dakota” ….. I was amazed !! $12.50 later my heater was back on. It took longer to go get the part than to change it …. once again THANK YOU!!
Thank you for posting this fix. Very helpful. I lost the ‘low’ speed setting on my 04 quad cab and was quoted $190 for labor with 1/2 day turn around. Ouch. Googling led me to your site and saved the day. The part was $16.59 (Doan Dodge here in Rochester NY). Took 15 minutes. Again, thank you all for your useful tips!
-Gary
Man…this posting seems to have save people thousands of dollars over the years! Thanks for posting it. Below is my story.
One day, out of the blue, my 2001 Dakota Quad Cab’s blower just stopped working all together. I had never had any previous problems with any of the individual settings going out. I called my local dodge dealer (in Brandon, FL) and told them my problem. They told me over the phone that it was probably a problem with my blower motor or blower motor resistor. They also said that it would cost me $125 just to officially diagnose it, and then probably upwards of $400+ to fix it. They did say that they would credit back the $125 if I had them fix it. Wasn’t that mighty nice of ’em.
Despite their generosity, I held off on making the appointment with them and decided to search the internet for solutions first. Within minutes I found this blog. So I went to the dealership parts counter and waited for more than 20 minutes to be helped. Keep in mind that I was the only one at said counter. I bought the new resistor for $22.80 with tax, installed it (in less time than it took for me to purchase it), and now I have a fully functional blower again.
Thanks.
Don
Hi,
I have a 2002 Dodge ram 1500 quad-cab…I have the same problem, The air only works n high, I called the dealership to find out how much this part was and they said sevety-two dollars is this right??
Also is it located on the right side as is the dakota??
Thanks eddie.
I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota R/T which I purchased a month ago from a dealer a month ago. Wouldn’t you know it but 2 days after my purchase the fan blower went and I only had high speed. Replacing the resistor wasn’t covered under the warranty with the dealer – naturally.
I contacted my local Dodge dealer (Langley, BC) and was given this and that scenerio and a $400+ estimate to diagnose and fix the problem. I called another dealer near my workplace in Vancouver, BC who was able to diagnose the problem over the phone and confirmed that my resistor had gone.
I goggled my problem so see how involved replacing the part would be and came across this awesome website. $24.00 CAD later for the part and 10 minutes tops for replacing it and I’m good to go. Thanks everyone.
Found this page and ordered a resistor pack for a 02 Dakota. That fixed the problem. Same symptoms as above. Only HI fan worked. Quick easy fix! $19 and some change including tax from my local Dodge dealer.
Thanks for the resistor heads up.93 DAKOTA it is on the pass. firewall 2 5/16 bolts and 19 bucks and my fan works again
I have a 1996 V6 Dakota. I have had no fan in my truck for a couple of years now. I even went to the extent of adding a by pass switch, great for high fan speed. After reading this post I went and cleaned the terms and speeds 3 and 4 worked, howly cow!. I have even pulled a used heat and A/C control module and had no luck. Since a new heat-A/C module cost $100 from the dealer I have learned to live with one speed. Thanks for the post, I’m sure now that I have found the solution to my 3 year struggle.
Thanks for the help everyone. I have a 2004 Dakota and this is the second time the resistor has gone. The first time it was covered under warranty, but this time the dealership was going to charge me $225. The part cost $15 dollars and it took me 20 minutes to fix. Thanks Again.
My blower motor on a 2002 dodge dakota 4.7l quad cab was only working on high. I was about to buy a new control until I found your blog online. The part cost 14.00 from the dealer and it only took about half hour to replace and now works like new.
Thanks for the info.
Just wanted to comment based on all the people having this same issue. There must be someone out there with enough electrical savvy to make a simple unit to replace this half
vast product MOPAR gets from Slovenia. Today I replaced the unit for the second time in exactly one year. The unit that the dealer installed is exactly like the “new model” cost was $ 23.99 plus $ 75.00 to install. ( 1 hours labour ) this time I did it myself, part was $25.20 including tax. took me about 20 minutes, however now that I know the routing I’ll bet I can do it again in 10 minutes !.
Anyone who can do this type of work with confidence should advise their friends how simple it is and maybe even do theirs for them, ” pay it forward ” it’s time to give these dealers and their ripoff fees a run for their money.
Merçi fantastique suite a vos renseignements j’ai mis 20 minutes a changer la piece $16,70 au Quebec (on demandait $50.00 pour changer la piece)Thank again.
My husbands 2004 Dakota Quad resistor seems to have gone bad a second time. Does anyone know why this could keep happening. The last time it was during the summer and now about six months later it occuring again. Any solutions out there?
Thanks
Hey great tips! Had the same problem with my 01 Dakota Sport! Here is a link I used to purchase the part online!
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=searchCatalogOEM&siteid=214583
Just input the part number ( 5174618AA )
Thanks everyone just purchased and installed my resistor, for the low low price of 14.96. I timed it on my watch 7min33sec. Thanks again
Hi guys: 2004 QC. took me a bit longer because I was trying to get the clip off before I removed the screws. Take the screws out first. Thanks nice to have a blower in the winter.
I want to thank the original blogger/emailer who assisted me to correct the problem. Initally, I checked both fuse boxes. Then I went to my trusty “Chilton” manual. The manual gave me an idea. Then I went to google and found this link. Who cares how much exact time it took an individual to do it. So long as you installed it correctly. If you want to know $12.45. Like 20 minutes. what do you got? Keep up the good work
Thanks for the support. I was ready to take the dash apart. After reading the blog the job took 15 minutes.
My adapter that holds the resistor melted too, I can’t find a replacement part for that short of buying the whole dash wiring harness which of course isn’t an option, anyone know where I can buy that 5 pin female adapter?
I too have the same resistor problem as everyone else in my 02 dakota sxt. although when I went to take it out and replace the new one my resistor plug was also melted. I went to the Dodge Dealer here in St. Joseph, MO and they told me that they no longer sell just the plug anymore, now you have to buy the whole damn plug with the wiring which is $78. The parts guy said that “I can have the part to you by monday”I told him to stick the part up his ass for $78. I’m gonna look for a plug in the junk yard. Anyone else have any idea where I can get a plug?
I want to thank you for this post, also the web site owner, bang up job on not trying to make us pay to share info. A small tidbitm if you have a battery or any 12 volt device one can tet test the fan to make sure what part to replace, if the fan works than the resistor is a good next step. Either way thanks very much! I ma in Canada so no fan is a big deal for me.
My 2002 Durango front blower wire harness was melted to the resistor too. Did anyone find a place to get the plug end other than a junk yard? $78 for the wire harness is a bit steep!!
I own a 2003 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. Around one year ago fan speed 1 stopped working. Just yesterday speed 2 and 3 stopped working. In the july/august 2008 “The Family Handyman” on page 84 they had a small generic article on this. I went to Google and found this posting with exact directions for my vehicle. Just like everyone else, for only $15.95, and two screws later the job was done. I found it easier to take out the resistor first, and then unplug it. Thanks a ton for the help!
Thank you to everybody! I have an ’04 Dakota SLT and my fan just went a few days ago on every speed except the highest. I turned to Google to get a general idea of what was wrong before I took it into the dealer, because I always seemed to get screwed. After reading all these postings I decided to try to fix it myself. It worked like a charm. I don’t know anything about cars, but can turn a wrench. If this girl can do it, anybody can. The hardest part for me was unplugging the wiring and knowing where to pull after unlocking the red tab – use the new part as a guide. Thanks, again, everybody!
I have a 2004 Dodge dakota sxt 4×4.All the fan speeds went out except for high. Then about two months later the High also stoped working. I went to the Dodge dealer yesterday and asked for the resistor pack for the blower motor 15 minutes later problem fixed. Thank you so much for this Post worked out great.
Thanks Again Scott
WHATS GOING ON HERE?
OK, thanks to everyone here for the good information… but my problem has an added twist. The other day I turned on the fan with the a/c, I think it was on speed 2 or 3. It worked initially, then went off after about 3 or 4 seconds. At that time, the blower fan did NOT WORK ON ANY SPEED, including high.
I researched this post the same day and was all set to order the resistor card, but when I got back in the truck the next day, everything worked fine! Anyone else have this problem intermittently? It’s been fine now for a few days, but I don’t want to take any chances with winter coming. I guess the card is cheap insurance, but could it be something else?
As an aside, since I got the truck 3 years ago, I’ve had another intermittent problem with the tach not working. Within a few miles of driving it pops to life again and works fine for a month or two. Weird. Any help is appreciated. Truck is a 2001 QC 4.7 with 163k miles.
my problem started last winter when it was real cold i wold start my truck in the morning or after work and some time the fan worked fine.
but some times it till a few miles down the road even after letting it warm up.
then as the out side temp warmed no problem.
untill the temp got in to the 90s it started again.
some times i drove 20mls.before it started blowing.
now its in the 80s and its working fine.
when it starts it works on all speeds when it dosn’t it won’t work on any speed.
ha it cost me 8 bucks 4 a restor for my blower motor 🙂
mark s that would be a bad blower motor buddy
After the fan quit on my 2002 Dakota, I found the fix via a google search. However, I’m curious if anyone else has noticed melted wire clip with the bad resistor. Putting the new resistor in worked, but the wires get real hot when on high. Is there more to the problem than just burn’t out resistor?
All I can say is that i went to start the truck in a terrible post IKE windstorm and there was no fan and no A/C. We ran on High only with A/c and then came home and looked up this post. What a time and life saver. Blessings to those who post this type of info and all they do for fellow drivers and owners.
Doc832
Yahoo
2003 dakota, High fan speed only,,,Tore dash apart remove controls, tore them aprart , all looked good, called dealer parts department for price of new control,,,,guess what Dodge parts guy said problem may be with this resistor saving 100 hundred dollars or more. Then I realized I should search web (normally I do first but many years ago wife’s pontiac had same problem and controls where replaced) then found this site and will het part tomorrow.
Great post
i have a 97 dakota v8 and can’t seem to find this resistor…i’ve taking the bottom half of my dash off still i don’t see what everyone else eays is so easy less then 1/2 hr….i already bought the new resistor….just can’t seem to find it…also check on fire wall undarea under wipers…no go……please someone must have the answer to an easy question
thanks
pat
look under glove box u will see a wiring harness follow wires from heater motor green and and one black wire there will be a junction splice ,follow splice to heater realay card
Great Fix, AI have been lookin gfor the repair on thi sfor quite some time. Now here is one I don’t know if everyone has heard of. 2001 Dodge Dakota, heater is set on the floor and it is still blowing up in the upper cabin area. Whatever I do it still blows in the upper area. Any thoughts?????????? The heater works great but the controls seem to only work in the upper or defrost area no floor.
Thank you VERY much. I worked on my buddies 2001 Dakota and couldn’t figure out why his blower fan wasn’t working and Your site NAILED IT. I saved my buddy lots of money and he bought me a case of beer.
I just wanted to say “Thanks”
Thanks Piper, your blog just keep on giving. After testing my resistor and finding no connectivity between pins number 1 and 4, I didn’t think that it explained my complete loss of all fan speeds. But sure enough, a new resistor and everything works again. Now I only have to put the rest of the dashboard together, should have googled this right away. Thanks again.
Jerry
Wow. That was awesome. I have a 2002 Dakota Quad Cab. I’m the world’s worst mechanic/handyman and that was the easiest fix I can remember. You just have to open the passenger door and kind of shimmy on the interior floor on your back. Make sure you have a light with you. Look up and the 2 bolts are right above you. Part cost me $13 Clarks Chrysler in Methuen.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! My hubby has been driving his truck since we got it two years ago with only the high heat, it crapped out on me two days ago, and of course i got the blame! as i was looking for a cheap way to fix the problem i found your site, and WA-BAM! i fixed it and couldn’t be more proud of myself! You all just got me out of a lot of hot water
Thanks
Cyndi
Thanks a ton!
Pat,
After reading several sites, you should be able to locate your resistor on the top of the firewall, nearest the passengers side. Good luck!
same problem here 01 dakota fan don,t work at all I gona try new resistor tomorrow
Had the same fan problem on a 2002 Dakota Quad Cab-only high blower speed worked. Son found these posts. Part cost me $15. Dealer has them, but so do some aftermarket stores. In Minnesota try a NAPA store, that’s where I got mine. Thanks to all of you for your posts bunch. ps- install by removing 2- 8mm screws in lower air duct housing first. Back one is a &^$&%&*%*%, tools get hung up on the floor, but it is doable if you use some ingenuity. Front one easy. Then take out 2- 8 mm screws holding resistor in place. Whole housing drops out. Move red clip towards steering wheel (it will only go one direction!) Squeeze electrical fitting and remove. Replace with new resistor and reverse process, but note: use tape (I used a narrow slice of duct tape) to hold screw in socket-otherwise, you are going to spend a lot of time in an awkward position trying to get screw into correct hole. I hope this helps someone else. I couldn’t be happier about this!
I have a 2002 dakota quad cab, the blower on mine would not work on any setting. I pulled out the resistor and there is some obvious heat issue where one of the pins has melted the housing around it on the reisitor. the female receiving plug also appears to have some melting as well. Gonna replace the resistor, and hope that the female plug is ok, it seems like a much bigger deal to rewire that plug.
$16 at the dealership, and ten minutes to fix. 2nd time for this 2001 QC 196k. I remembered the %100+ fix from last time and put the power of the internet to work. Thank you.
I have replaced 3 resistor cards. 2 within the past 2 weeks. The Dodge dealer said it may be a wiring issue. The one connection was burnt up. However he told me to replace the 1 pig tail connection. I tried getting that out. After an hr it still wasnt out yet. I cut all five wires and out wire connections on them and slid them onto the heat resitor. Not suren how it may work. But now 2 and 3 are the same an 3 and 4 blow the same. Atleast I have heat but cannot seem to find the wire harness at all.
Thank you for the information $19 and a case of beer for my buddy saved me $175.
Have a 2004 Dakota with resister problem .Have gone thru two fo them in two weeks . Wire harness to resister has burned wire .Dealer claims i have to change wire harness and blower motor.anyone else have this problem with wires shorting out.
im starting to think this is a factory problem relay card keeps overheating and fusing plug together . have replaced harness and carde twice now. dodge tries to tell me that its a wiring fault in the system , so why does it melt or fuse the card to the plug. that would seem to me that a sending unit overpowers system to cause it to melt together
I have the same problem with my 2001 Durango. I have been through 5 of the resistors. The last two times the wiring harness has melted as well. Do we have enough people here to encourage a recall or to coerce the manufacturer to fix these for free? We are all obviously victims to some very poor engineering/manufacturing. I have put hundreds of dollars into this, not to mention lost 7 days of vehicle use. Enough is enough.
read your blog about 3hrs ago.2001 dakota no fan,drove to dealer and froze my butt off,picked up resistor and now fixed.. under $11.. mucho thanks
You are the man. Saw your blog. My 2001 Dakota went out last week. I am not rea hard pushed to fix it right now with beautiful weather in Phoenix, but I ordered the part from auto zone today for 10.56 and I removed the old one, a little bit of a pain at 51 with just having shoulder surgery. Thanks for your info….
This was exactly the problem….heater went out at -10, and with a half hour of work, it was back in buisness….great site. Thanks
Extending the problem with the 01 Dakota heater resistor. The wiring going into the resistor has overheated and welded the connector to the resistor. I have looked high and low for a used one at the auto wreckers with no luck. The new part at the dealers is $ 100.00 plus. I would be buying the dashboard harness apparently and I just choose the wires I want to use. There are not many wreckers with Dakota’s in them. Good truck, lousy heat control system.. Anyone out there offer a simpler solution ?? Many thanks to anyone who can offer help.
Bryan.
After reading a dozen websites on why i only get high speed on my bloer this was the one that helped me the most. Not only did it show the picture of the old one by the replacement. i removed mine with a klein tools 10-1 and it took 5 min.
Thanks for the post. I had the same problem with my 2001 Dakota. I looked in the Haynes Manual and found what the problem was, but their description and pictures did not help me fix the problem. Once I saw the Your picture and read the decription, I was able to locate and remove the old resistor within a few minutes. Amazing with all of these posts, you know there are thousands of others with the same problem. Dodge should just recall the bad resistors, but then they probably knew they were bad when they put them in. Thanks again.
3 6 2009
I looked high and low for amps pull at the different speeds on the blower motor, none found. Call a tech service to see if they had any numvers and someone who responded back from a shop that subcribes to their service said that 13 amps was ok 20 is bad motor. I plan on testing my new motor in all 4 speeds and record the pulls at each. This may help in both the need to replace the resisiter and or blower motor. Resister is cheep right now at a dealer for 7 dollars plus tax. Motor units are not cheep and they can run from 160- 250 dollars. When i contaced a dealer as the offical shop manial did not even show the motor and no amps numbers to test the unit i asked if this was such a common porb;om why not a recall? The answer was it is not a safty issue so no recall and you all get to eat something that is a bad part or design. I noticed that on the new blower the fan has cut outs in the bowl and i beleive that this will facilatae the removal of heat buildup from the motor as the original desing does not have this and heat exrtraction seems inhibited by design. Maybe this will eliminate the problem so many of us have been having. CarQuest had the most info and the best warrenty 2/24 that i could find. Thanks to all of you trail blasers who asked and maybe we have solved the problem and how to better diagnois the problem.
Ron,
You are the man. I had a heater problem on my 2003 Dakota Truck and Googled for a repair. I found your site and it was just what I needed. Got the new fan speed resistor module for abot $16.00 and installed it and now I am back in business. I want to complemt you a your web site. It is professionally written and the pictures are well done and show exactly what everything looks like and how to remove the old and install the new.
We need more instructional sites as good as yours
Many Thanks,
ART
Thanks for the info.
Part cost $18.00 here in Coquitlam B.C.Canada
Fairly easy to replace. Two hex head screws to undo and the
remove the red retainer. Install new resistor and the I replaced the hex screws with Philips head screws for eaier replacement now and in the future.
This is a common problem with many vehicles. Note to all, if you are constantly burning up resistors and rerplacing often then you need to put some thought into replacing your blower motor. the reistors are burning up due to bad motor. I discovered this after replacing 4 resistors in one year.
Upsate NY
Best regards to all
I say, recall, this has been a complete hassle more than once. We had our resistor replaced…….$100. Then we went on a trip to BC at christmas, the resistor went again. Stuck with no heat in the middle of winter, we couldn’t find a dealership that had the part or could get one until after New Year…..That was a week after we had to be home (2500kms away). Luckily we found a auto wrecker that happened to be open on Christmas eve, bought a plug and installed it ourselves. 2 months later, it goes again…….now the dealer wants to charge me another $100 to replace the fan……..so, what happens when it goes again??????Another $100???? It is very rediculous I am so angry, especially since I haven’t even had the truck for 1 year.
MAN !! Thank God for the internet.
2003 Dodge Dakota. Motor worked fine, when I found this thread I had to try and replace this thing. 2 MINUTES !!! AND only $8.56 with tax from my local dodge dealer. He even told me that those go out a lot, and about 50/50 the high speed will work.
By the way, mine didn’t blow on high or any speed til I replaced the resistor.
Thanks guys !!!
What a time and money saver finding this web site. SAme problem as all the rest here. Paid $6.70 plus tax for the resistor at Harry Lane Crysler/Kia in Knoxville, TN and just a few minutes replaced the defective part. The two screws that hold the harness come out with 5/16 drive socket; Remember to slide the red tab over. A mirror does help you with this job. Isn’t it awesome to avoid the dealer rip off to repair. Thanks to the guys that posted this!
great post! thanks for the info, this is the problem in my 03 dakota right now. only selection 4 works for fan speed, 1 2 and 3 the fan doesn’t even work. looks like i’ll be buying a blower motor resistor, thanks.
I would like to say I am a Mercedes Benz automotive Tech. I was always taught that if the blower resistor is bad you will only have the high fan speed. Although I own a 2003 dodge 1500 quad cab that has lost all fan speeds. I will try the resistor and update the results to verify if this corrects the problem..thanks
2001 Dakota. Chrysler installed 2 resistors, I’ve installed 2, and am now ready to install my 3rd. However, the connector melted and fused itself to the resistor so I had to cut the wires. Dealer wanted over $100 for the connector and had it in stock. Said this was a common problem. I was skeptical and priced the connector at another dealer. It too was in stock and $100! Will go to the wreckers to find a connector.
Three wreckers did not have a connector. I checked the resistance of each terminal on the (rust free) inside and the existing resistor seemed good. Terminals on the outside were rusted bad! I believe the rust corrosion created a resistance which caused the melting.
Removed some of the plastic so the outside terminals are exposed and cleaned the rust off with a file. Soldered 4″ long pigtails to each terminal and used Marr connectors to join into the existing harness.
Blower works great! Ran it on a 2 hour trip and the soldered connections are cool. (Dealer said melting was due to a faulty blower motor drawing too many amps (without blowing a fuse))
Total cost of repair – Zilch, zero, nothing!
2003 Dakota 4 door 4×4 V8 73K. One fan speed high. Replaced the resistor card with new card worked great. Paid $7.30 at Dodge dealer Marion OH. We have the same 2003 truck at work and same problem at 38K but it was a zero speed fan that time. I also dropped the fan motor and found leaves and small sticks in blades.
Thanks everyone for tips!
Thanks so much, I truly neede this info as my girls wont ride in the truck without ac and there’s a trip planned for next week so thanks again from all oaf us.
I have an 2005 Durango that had intermittent A/C blower problems. I found this site and was able to determine that the Durango had the same resistor as the Dakota trucks (no big surprise). I went and bought the same part for $13. It took 10 minutes to change!! Thanks!!
gracias caballero, estuve buscando ese aparatito como un loco, sin poder encontrarlo, gracias a tu nota, me agaché y lo vi, no lo podÃa creer, tan facil fue que no salgo de mi asombro, nuevamente gracias, este informe vale Oro para mi,Je!!
Thank you, very very well, good note. you saved my helth!!!
Great site. Bought new resistor only to have it fail. One pin appears to have overheated. plastic is burnt. Lookes at female harness connector and slot has corrosion. Hope I do not need to change blower motor. Does anyone know the part number for the harness connector or do I need to replace the blower also.
Thanks.
Thanks – exactly what was wrong with my 2001 Dakota. New resistor fixed it right up.
Just replaced on my 02 Dakota. Great thread! FYI if your connector is melted or the resistor keep failing you will more than likley need to replace the blower motor. The issue is that the motor is drawing too many amps.
Thanks!! I have the same problem with my it was not working and then one day I turn it on and only the bottom blower worked and then the whole blower work, and the next day nothing, no blower no a/c. But I am about to check that resitor right away. Thanks guys that’s awesome of you guys helping us non-mechanical owners, this will save me tons of cash.
I’ve burned out at least eight of these in two years. Finally I
decided to have a mechanic check the voltage. He said the voltage to the fan was normal but the harness plug was burning out. He replaced that. $ 150.00 later, I supplied the new resistor.. Two weeks later it burned out again. This time I took matters into my own hands. Cut out the resistor at the top of the unit.That the little diode type thingy, tinned the cut tips with solder. Then took a 20 amp Glass tube fuse, used in older vehicles. Tinned the ends of the fuse with solder. ( MUST BE A GLASS FUSE). Now with an electic solder gun solder the fuse between the two contacts you tinned in step one. check it to make sure the connetion is well soldered. Re-install.. I have not had any problems since April of this year.2009. Runs well on all speeds and even with the heater running it seems to be ok.. I’ll repost if it fails any time soon…..
Great fix! Thanks for all the people that took the time to post on this problem. Money is tight right now (I’m sure I’m not the only one) and I couldn’t put off getting this fixed much longer with out heat and defroster. On my truck, 2003 Dakota, it just went, didn’t even work on high. But though i would take a shot and replace the resistor 1st. It worked! cost only $17 in NJ at a dodge dealer. Probably saved at least $80-$120 easy. Took 15 minutes to fix. Thanks again!
Great advice!!! My 2004 Dakota quad cab had the same problem as most with the blower only working on high.After reading these blogs I went out and bought the resistor, $30 at the dealer. It was a little more than most paid but beats paying for labor. It now works like a champ! Thanks.
I must provide my story. Similarly, my 2001 Dodge Dakota’s blower/fan began only operating on high. I lost 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 speed. Not having a clue what the problem was, I inquired with my local Dodge dealer. They told me for (just) a diagnosis it would be $94.00, then the cost for whatever part was required, and at least 1 hour to install/repair (at $70.00 per hour). After reading all of the above I purchased a MOPAR Blower Resistor (PART #05061575AA)for less than $10.00 and followed the install instructions as outlined above. Must admit the rear screw was EXTREMELY CHALLENGING to get out; but all in all the problem has been fixed for less than 10 bucks. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And the new part looks EXACTLY as you showed in your picture.
Killer post, dude. Mine had the same problem. Got a replacement part for $25 at the auto parts store. 30 minutes later I had my motor working on all speeds again. Thanks!
Like many of the others I feel your advice was dead on. I bought
the resistor for $14 and was told it has a lifetime warranty. The only info I would add is to be sure to remove the extra nubs on both sides of the screw holes. The salesman never mentioned that (but he also thought the resistor was located on the fire wall). 2002 Dakota
Thanks Again
I had the same problem in my 2003, no low speed settings, then one day it just crapped out. Jumped the blower motor and it ran fine, did an online search and this is what I found. Thanks.
Same problems with my 2004 Dakota, 3 resistors in 2 years, and burned pins on female harness. Has anyone found this connector other than the $100 part at the dealership? I have a new resistor but am reluctant to install it with that connector.
Another thing that happens is the after you’ve burned out enough resistors (on my 3rd resistor for my 10 year old Dakota)the actual connector that plugs into the resistor may get fried and/or damaged form excessive heat. Dodge sells a repair kit for this connector (The non resister side since the new resister will be all set right?) but they wanted $95 dollars from a dealer for this repair kit. Needless to say, I wasn’t going to pay $95 for a connector “repair” kit. So what I did was I bought a new resister (to replace the fried one) which cost $13 and I went to Radio Shack and bought some butt connectors.
These Butt connectors are round barrel type connectors that are about an 1″ long and the diameter of them was about 1/8 inch. To use them you typically plug a wire in each end of the connector and crimp the wire in to connect the wire. No soldering or anything.
Using butt connectors, what I did was I marked the blower resistor where each wire would have plugged into if the connector were to plug into the resistor. Using the but connectors I bought for $2.50 for a pack of 10, I flattened one end of the butt connector so that it was now oval shaped. The other end of the butt connector I crimped onto each of the wires in the harness. When I was done I had a butt connector on each individual wire (5 wires). I then plugged the appropriate wire into the appropriate spade connector on the new resistor block.
It works like a charm and the best part is it only cost me $2.50. I was concerned about heat build up on the butt connectors since the “official” connector actually got melted a bit…so far, no problems.
I used a die grinder to cut away the plastic around the connections and the new resistor and soldered in wire instead of paying the $100 again for a new harness 1 harness and 2 resistors in 1 and a half years no problems with it did it 1 year ago
meme probleme avec mon dakota 2003 4×4 moteur 4.7litre
meme probleme avec mon dakota 2003 4.7litre 4×4
12/21/09, Drove my son’s truck today a 2003 Dodge Dakota. When I started the truck the fan speed control was on high so I turned it all the way down. I ended up driving a couple of miles and tried to turned the fan on and it wouldn’t come on. Just that quick it quit working. I went through and check all the fuses and was determined it was the climate control swithc gone bad. I researched the internet a couple of different times so i could try and fix it myself. I stumbled upon this blog and found that there seemed to be a consistant issue with the inline resistor for the fan control. Order it the next day for 13.99 and it fixed the problem. Amazing, saved me about $100 not replacing the climate control switches and the trouble of taking it out. The resistor was just like the first blog, located in the passinger floorboard of the truck. After talking with family member on two different vehiles. A 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan and a 2000 Ram truck both are having or have had similar issues. Thanks for the blog….
Same problem as Jay meltdown in 02 Dodge Dakota, and the female receptacle. Looking for replacement female receptacle as the local Dodge dealer was asking $78. for this end of the heater wiring harness. I also have a new resistor but can’t insert it into the receptacle because of the melted plastic. I don’t have a die grinder to modify and remove the melted plastic and really need the new female receptacle with short wires just can’t seem to even locate a used one.
Thanks for the blog pointing out the problem.
I got alot out of your article. My blower fan on my 1988 Dodge Dakota only worked on high … except once and awhile it would work right for all speeds. Thing is, the older models don’t have them where they are on later models. Try as I might, I just couldn’t find it! Went to the dealer and he told me that the older ones are under the hood … I suspect one of those on the firewall or wheel wells area. Well I had an appointment set and it was going to run me a couple hundred and they couldn’t get to it till next week to analyze and then if it was the resistor try to find a replacement. Well when I got home, I decided just for the heck of it to plug and unplug a couple of the little boxes that looked like it might be going to the blower motor. I wiggled others that I was less sure of but might be it. Low and behold now the blower switch works again in all speeds! So a little embarassed I called up the dealer and told him the scoop and that I’d pass on the $45 diagnostic test and go with it as is now that it’s working fine. Now tomorrow it could go out on me but I think in this case it was just a loose wiring situation. Wish all fixes were so easy. 🙂
Thank you, You saved me a lot of time and money! Great Post, This is the first time I’m ever leaving feedback or post.
Thank you, Ron
01 – 04 durango resistor and wire repair kit on e-bay for 60 bucks. I replaced all .resistor, new female clip, now blower moter. IF the blower moter is just alittle tired it WILL melt that female conector. I will probly solder tham on like Serge did and search boneyards for a spare connector. just a BAD design! good luck all.
I changed mine in 7 minutes ! Who can beat that ?
I changed mine in less then 5 minutes in a mcdonalds parking lot lol.
Thanks for the tip. The part was $10.00 and change at the local Dodge dealership in Waterloo. It took longer to go and get the part than it did to change. It works great…..thanks again for the tip and savings.
I googled the problem and it took me right to this site. Mine just quit this week in my 2002 Dakota. I feel lucky mine lasted this long compared to some of the other posts.
I too googled the problem and came to this site. Thanks very much. I really needed it to work properly and had no idea how to fix it. The ventilation was not safe to drive with during the winter!!
I got charged $21.00 for the part and took me about an hour to get it fixed. It wouldn’t connect properly and to had to ‘MacGiver it’ a bit (cut a little bit of plastic back). Now fits nice an’ snug.
Thanks again!
just put a new resistor in on thursday got in my truck on Wednesday had smoke in the cab and was back to only high speed on the heater fan again
Has anyone stopped to ask why so many failures are happening on such a simple piece of equipment.
Judging from the many posts this has been a historical dilemna for Dodge…and the true cause doesn’t get fixed as the dang thing keeps burning up!
Thanks a million for saving me time and most importantly saving me lots of money from being ripped off at the dealer for having them fix it. It really is very easy to replace it.
Thanks again!
Tom
Odd mine lasted 9 years before going out (2001QC), going to pick up the new part tonite.
Thank you for the nice write up.
Googled this issue a few minutes ago. Experienced no fan except on high as other have. Great initial posting and pictures. Pulled resistor and will grab a new one later today. Hopefully will resolve the problem. Dodge Dakota 2004, Q cab.
How do you remove the module from the wiring harness?
Sid
Thanks for the tip. Went to NAPAs today and got the part only to find the same problem as Sid, the harness connector has fused to the part, making it impossible to disconnect. Had to cut my harness – now I’ve got to find a connector! Mine is a 2004 Dodge Dakota – this is the third time this gets replaced, but the first time I do it.
On the wife’s 2004 Dakota the fan just quit. After finding this information, went to work and located the resistor. The connector was difficult to remove since it was fused with the resistor. Wound up cutting the entire connector. Used 0.110 inch female push on connectors and worked fine. Found at the auto store or a Radio Shack. If you want a spare resistor it can be bought on line for about $10 to your mail box. Now since the problem is fixed will look for some heat sinks to add to the resistor to dissipate some more of the heat rather than rely on the air box flow.
Glad to Know this info. did not know it was common with dakotas glad it is a chaep fix. is the replacement form auto part stores a better made part?
Thanks!!!, I found this fantastic blog yesterday after the blower on my 2002 Dakota just quit working all together, no low, no high, nothing. After reading this, I figured that this is my problem. I went to Autozone to pick up the part for 16.99. And the counter worker insisted that this would not work, and my blower itself had to be bad, just because the high setting didn’t work at all. I admit I was suspicious too, so he was able to talk me into buying the blower for 99.99 as well. Last night I removed, and metered the resister and saw various resistances, so I was thinking that the higher cost part was going to fix my problem. Guess what?!! IT WAS THE RESISTER, I’ve always said that the combined knowledge of internet bloggers was way better than any mechanic, or individual auto part worker.
Thank you Ronblog, and Respondents for helping me fix my truck faster than I ever had before.
PS. Autozone better take back that 100 dollar blower, cause I don’t need it.
just bought a used 2003 dakota and found the fan only works in high speed.now i know how to fix it.Thanks alot.
Thank you
I hope to provide everyone with additional valuable information.
1) The main reason for all the problems is that the blower motor’s lubrication dries out due to age, dust and dirt. this binds the shaft and causes the blower to draw too much current. The impeller on a well lubricated motor should spin freely by hand. Too much running time on a motor with dry bearings can burn the insulation on the windings causing shorts that draw even more current than the factory resistors can handle.
2) The connector for the resistor module is a lockon type. You will have to slide the RED lock to one side so that the connector will release. There should be a solid end with a raised part to pull on and you may have a latch lifter in the middle of one side of the connector, where the wires enter the connector. Press the lifter and slide the red locking device out from the solid end. Using a straight blade screw driver and four hands helps. Be careful not to stab yourself or your buddy with the screw driver, it shouldn’t take that much force. After this, the connector should easily release from the module. You may have some other type of locking connector but in most cases it will be locking and you should study it to find out how it unlocks. It is unlikely that the plastic of the connector is melted together, resistors burn up first.
3) The factory replacement part is too weak to last without installing a new blower motor. So I would only go with a new resistor module from an aftermarket provider such as the one found here. Also, these are made in USA and appear to have a thermal cutout on the end of the block (great idea):
http://tinyurl.com/Dodge-Dakota-Blower-Resistors
4) Find your replacement resistors at Autozone or OReily for around $16.00, other places I have found are more expensive.
Now, how can you fix it yourself? It’s fairly easy for most Do-It-Yourselfers.
Remove the passenger side floor duct work (2 screws and it slides off its mating piece). Remove the resistor module and blower in that order. Do them connected together because it is easier to unlock the connector when you have them out of the vehicle and you’re not standing on your head trying to see what you need to do to unlock it. It’s also easier to figure out how your particular connector lock works so you can take it apart. Plus the job may require another pair of hands which is easier done out of the vehicle.
When you get the connector apart, you will need to inspect your motor to decide if it is salvageable or if you will do better to replace it.
Removing the impeller is an option that makes cleaning and oiling the bearing for that end of the shaft easier. Don’t consider removing it if there is any chance that you don’t have the tools, bars or blocks suggested here or you might damage the shaft or impeller.
The impeller is a compression fit to the shaft of the motor so there is nothing to loosen. It is possible to remove it which allows easier access to the bearing. To remove it, use a brass rod smaller in diameter than the shaft opening on the impeller. This is necessary to avoid damage to the shaft end and the flat area on the impeller. Support the motor and impeller with something thin enough to fit between the motor and impeller with the impeller up and motor down. I use two pieces of 1/8″ steel bar stock. Support the bars on the sides of something like stacked 2 X 4 blocks so the motor is hanging free and supported high enough to drop away from the impeller when you give the end of the shaft a sharp blow with the brass rod and a hammer. Be very sure that the brass rod is not going to damage the impeller in any way and center it on the shaft properly. The motor should drop to the ground with 1 sharp blow to free it and maybe some light taps to remove it. So be sure to place something like waded up rags below the motor to cushion it as it falls from the impeller. This will prevent damage to the motor case.
Blow out all dust and dirt with a strong air stream or vacuum. Blow from the cleaner end and vacuum from the dirtier end. This is necessary to easily inspect the motor and clean it for better cooling under operation. Look at the windings through the vent holes in the motor end caps (doing so in direct sunlight helps). They should be varnished copper (dark but not black) in appearance and not burned looking. Turn the motor shaft by hand. This will indicate how dry and free the bearings are and allow you to check ALL windings for the same color appearance, there are several overlapping sets of windings. One burned winding will often be a different color than the one next to it. Smell can also indicate burned insulation caused by overheated windings. If they smell and looked burned, it is wise to replace the blower as well as the resistor module as a motor with burned windings or dry bearings will only cause more resistors to burn up, wiring to overheat, insulation and connector plastic to melt, speed selector switches to burn up and could possibly cause a fire.
Find a new blower motor here for about $50:
http://tinyurl.com/2001-2003Dakota-Durango-Blower
Other prices I have found were anywhere from $120 to $200 for the same motor with impeller.
I have been able to add lubricant (a good 30 weight oil) to a blower so that it would spin freely again. Follow all directions below and if the motor is not burned, it should perform like new and not burn up resistors until the bearings dry out again.
You should be careful to just apply oil into the bearings only (one at a time) for both ends of the shaft. After blowing out the dust and dirt hold the motor so that the shaft is vertical and slowly apply oil through the vent holes for the bearing at the bottom end of the shaft. Start with the non impeller end first, it’s easier to work on and will give you experience for the harder to do bearing if you have decided to not remove the impeller. Inject the oil so gravity keeps the oil on the bearing only. Using an oil can with a flexible spout or an old syringe will help. Slowly inject enough oil so that it runs out of the vent holes. After injecting the oil, support the motor with an empty vegetable or soup can or something similar to keep the oil off the motor brushes ( at the wired end) and on the bearing only. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes to give the oil a good chance to soak into the bearing. After 30 minutes of soaking, turn the shaft by hand to get a feel if the shaft is freeing up as compared to your initial inspection. If it has, slowly turn the motor on its side being aware that any excess oil will drain out of the vent holes. If no oil runs out you could apply more and let it soak in for another 30 minutes. If oil does run out, allow it to rest on its side till all excess oil has run out. Now invert the motor so that the other bearing (impeller end) is down and repeat the oiling steps for that end (impeller shaft). If you should happen to get oil into any part of the motor other than the bearings, don’t worry about it shorting out the motor, oil is an insulator unless it has been contaminated. By now, the shaft should turn without binding. If not, go through the oiling process until it does. This will insure that the blower runs at the most efficient speed and current draw. It will also give you better heat and A/C ventilation.
When you are happy with the way the bearings are lubricated (free spinning shaft), carefully press the impeller onto the shaft with the open end away from the motor. This step has to be done right or the blower will suck and trying to remove it again could damage it because the rim is fragile compared to the base. You can start the shaft on being sure it is straight and finish it by laying the open end of the impeller on a board and pushing the motor down until the shaft hits the board and the end of the shaft is even with the impeller.
Just install the blower, new resistors and connector. Check for proper operation of the system and reinstall the duct work that was removed to get at the resistor module. Enjoy that feeling of Doing It Yourself along with great heating and cooling while driving.
Holy Mackerel!!
Thank you so much for your crazily thorough explanation! I will be using this to sharpen up my 1978 Dodge plow truck. Invaluable.
GREAT POST LYLE
BTW Where is the blower motor sold for $50?
I looked at Advanced, OReily, Murray and Auto Zone and all their blowers are selling for $100.
Your tiny URL didn’t work for some reason and I can’t figure out where youe were referencing.
Please advice. THANX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like everyone else, I would like to express my appreciation for creating this blog post. Without it I would have been replacing the wrong parts in my fan system trying to get it working.
That being said, something weird was happening while I was changing the part out.
After I changed the part, I tested the fan before reinstalling it into the ducking. For some reason it would not work. After playing with it for a little while I gave up and just installed the part into it’s proper place and figured I’d get back to it in a few hours. Once I was done installing it, I tested it again, and it worked.
Anyone have a guess as to why it worked fully installed, and not just plugged in on the floor?
I also wanted to mention that the factory might now be using the same aftermarket part. I picked up my new part from Autozone, and other than a single number on the part, it was identical to the one I removed from my truck (which was replaced under warranty 14 months ago at the dealership.
If I had to guess, I’d say that the blower might not have a return path for the electricity unless it is physically connected to the chassis ground. The wiring harness may carry only positive voltage, and no ground.
That technique is common with automotive wiring. You may find lamps have only one wire going to them. Where’s the return path for the electricity? It goes through the metal chassis when the bulb is installed.
Piper: I totally follow you, but that seems very unlikely since when we attach the assembly back to is the plastic vent housing.
Furthermore, now that it’s been a few days, my fan will not work consistantly. For example when I got into my truck this after, the fan was working at a low speed, but once I bumped it to full, it stopped working altogether. If I were a betting man, after the truck cools down (sometime tonight) the fan will start working again. Frustrating, any idea what my new issue might be?
I have replaced multiple resistors, my fan and the switchboard but my resistors keep blowing. It has 5 prongs or pins and it is always the second one that is blown. Any ideas?
Problem is with my 03 dakota. Fan stopped working on high last week. I would guess that it is prob resister again. Replaced that last year. Other Problem is that A/C stopped working this week. Light comes on on dash but doesn’t sound like compresser is kicking in and no cold air. If i press button for A/C again, the light will go off but it is delayed. Same thing happens when I press it to turn it on again. Could it be the dash switch or something else. Everything worked fne until a week ago. Are the two problems related? Help!!! Thanks
You just saved me 55 bucks install charges for the heater fan resistor. Thanks
My 2004 Dakota did the same yesterday. Hopefully it will be this $10-15 fix everyone is referring to. Crossing my fingers. THANK YOU!!!!!
Hey Ron – Just wanted to say you saved me here, man. I’m down here in Houston, and August is no time to be without air. Mine broke two days ago and sure enough as soon as I saw this I went out and looked under the hood and saw a wire that had broken from corrosion. A couple of minutes and a set of spade connectors later and I’m back to having a civilized truck.
THANKS!
My problem with 2002 dakota fan is opposite of others? Fan runs all speeds except full . I suspect I could bridge from pin 1 to 2 at zero resistance to get high speed back ?
Original part was replaced about 3 years ago. As I recall part was not different from the original Truck has not done much mileage since.
Will go in next lousy day & report back .
Well i BRIDGED ACROSS THE 1 & 2 pins by installing a similar size wire upstream of the wiring harness soldering both ends .
I could not get the connectors apart because I think of rust which was evident on the resistor pack parts in the air stream It now works at all speeds!
Makes you wonder why designer bothered to make a zero resistance connection inside the air stream?
Thanks Guys Cost me about 1 inch of solder & 8 inches of electrical tape
Truck-2003 Dakota QC 4.7L V8 Dodge has a myriad of design/engineering problems with this model they refuse to acknoledge, PCV freeze-off in extreme cold -25c (canada) caused a 600 dollar bill to discover! Bitch here the TSB fix covers every 4.7 built except ’03 Dakota. Anyhoo, to find a ten dollar self fix for the blower rocks! Thanx RB. p.s. still love this truck!, 4.7 has more nuts than anything simalairly equipped, especially full sizes, no supprise.
My wife has driven her 2004 Dakota all summer without air conditioning because the fan would not move any air. When it first started the problem was intermittent. Sometime it worked, sometimes it didn’t, then finally DEAD! Found out today from my auto mechanic that the fan motor draws too much power causing the wires to melt and destroy the above mentioned resistor component. He says that just replacing the resistor is not a cure. The original fan motor will continue to cause these types of failure. Any comments?
I might addd, our resistor got so hot the mechanic was unable to unplug it from the connector. The local Dodge dealer just gave him a bag of connectors for him to rummage through to find the correct one he needed. I don’t think I’ll be buying anymore Dodge trucks. He quit buying them several years ago when he had trouble with one his wife drove.
Well, my fan failed again 1 week after I installed the new resistor. I finally got around to working on it again today (impending cold propelled me). I started by pulling out the fan to see if it was frozen. It wasn’t but didn’t spin as freely as I think it might. I pulled it apart and oiled it as previously suggested. Once reinstalled, it still didn’t work. So I pulled out the resistor again to see if it was blown. It appeared to be mostly fine. on the connect side, the connector had previously been ‘scorched’ and that scrotching was transfered to the new resistor. while playing with the connector of the resistor (plugged in) the fan started working. This told me that my connector is the problem. I was able to get the connector to finally function. I do plan to visit a local junk yard in the hopes of finding an unburnt connector.
Having gone through this now, I’m guessing that was the real problem I had the last time I replaced the resistor.
my daughter has a 2003 durango 4.7, blower works only on high –will check the plug/resister thanks everyone
I have 2001 dodge dakota club cab also and the fan only works on high thought it might be the cabin filter but after searching for how to find the cabin filter came accross this site sounds just like the same problem I have thanks for posting this sounds like alot of people have the same problem
thanks bud’s, cost $16 dollars here in calgary at auto value (horizen square-north east)…2003 durango 4.7..thanks again, john…ps, it was burnt out, well one pin was anyway, mahalo again
changing the blower resistor worked. i was ready to spend over 200 bucks for this part. thanks everyone for your help with this.
My 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab blower was only working on high. And in Hawaii, I definitely need A/C. After reading this blog, I bought the blower resistor and replaced it, and it works! Thanks for sharing the info and for saving me tons of money!
replaced the blower resistor switch and as it was melted had to use a screwdriver to knock melted plastic off of plug.tried it and now have a blower fan working again.thanks to all the comments here only cost me 15 dollars
Thanks for the great information. My fan stopped working tonight… After reading the posts, it wiggled the wires and the resistor. Now everything works fine again. Thanks!
Why do we buy these pieces of shit, this has been a problem since 95????
Greetings All
2003 DDQC. Went to the store on a cold day with heat going no problem. Came out to continue my driving and whammo, no heat control, just very low heat through the defrost……..having read enough posts and coming across this one, off I go to NAPA for a blower motor resistor card……thanks everyone for your stories
was without blower for 6 weeks,read this blog yesterday, picked up resistor at local dodge dealership less than $20.00,had it replaced in less than 20 min. Works fine now. (03QC)
I have replaced my resistor three times in seven months, this is getting very frustrating, the last time it blew in one day again. i have a 02 qc dakota. Im worried about the wire harness is starting to look fried on the end. I have herd there is a pig tail that I can use between the resistor, anyone know about that?
Great Post! resistor went on my 04 dakota and it melted the female pigtail end to the resistor male end. So I bought a new resistor and used straight connectors as suggested by many of you guys and it worked great. Saved myself $80 for a new female pigtail.
Thanks,
Brent
I was having the same problem on my 2003 durango except I had no fan on any speed. I picked up a resistor and tried to install but was unable to disconsect the connector. in the process I snapped the locking mechanism on the connector. after an hour of trying to disconect I got frustrated and just reconnected. To my surprise it now works on all speeds except high. My question is am I putting my family at risk driving on the highway with this vehicle. Any chance of a fire
Straight wire it! Bypass the resistor
Hey Kevin, I’ve been looking for a way to straight wire it. I’ve been through countless resistors, and someone said it’s the motor putting out too many amps. Replaced motor and resistor, no go. Checked some forums, found out that Dodge wired it through the ignition. Who does that? Idiots if you ask me. So I definitely have a short. I want to straight wire it, since it’s cold as hell right now in NC. No heat isn’t good. I’ve been looking online and you’re the first person who said to straight wire it. I just don’t know how to. Would appreciate any advice.
Blower speeds just dropped out yesterday. 2003 Dakota.
Thanks for the info, and thanks for leaving it around this long!!!
Thanks for the heads up it was easy to do .knowing it was bolted in saved me from breaking the plug.much easier when you can see what your doing.
Thanks for this post! It helped me diagnose and fix the problem with my Heating/AC system in my 2001 Dakota Quad Cab that I purchased from a private party two weeks ago. I am the third owner of this beautiful truck. The parts were easy to find at a local NAPA store for just 14.77, and wasn’t even all that difficult to remove! Just a bit annoyed with the removal of the nut behind the passenger foot vent. The OEM part was definitely odd-looking compared to the new part which looked a lot better, looking much more functional than the OEM part.
This advice was great,The mirror was the best was able to see everything I was done in 10 minute. Thanks
happened to me, no speeds worked. put in the new resister in napa parking lot, everything working fine. price 13.66 tax included…. thank a bunch 🙂
Thanks for the post! It sure helped me with my problem. 🙂
Hi Ken,Yes, I’ll get some code pages put up here and put my front and rear wheel controller code and sctaiehmcs out here in the next couple days.Thanks for coming by the site. By the way, how did you find me?Tim
My fan was only working on high (about six weeks ago), so I replaced the resistor as suggested in the forum. THe fan worked properly for about 5 weeks, then stopped working at all speeds. After a couple of days wondering why I decided i may have connected something improperly so i reached under the dash and wiggled the connector on the resistor. To my surprise (and delight) the fan came on and functioned normally again…for about ten minutes. Then it stopped working again. As the very busy person I am (aren’t we all?), i wiggled again, the fan came back to life, and I made a mental note to “look at” the connection and see where it was loose. This went on for four days; fan quits, driver wiggles plug, fan starts. I got very adept at doing this even while driving (not recommended). On day five, shortly after the wiggle, i noticed a “melting plastic” smell filling the cab. Upon reaching down to wiggle yet again I realized the wires to the plug were the source of the smell. They were hot enough to burn me when I touched them. After letting everything cool off, I removed the “new resistor” and it was burned in one pin of the plug, plus the insulation was burned off the wire going to that plug for a half-inch. I though maybe I had gooten a bad resistor so I bought another and plugged it in. When I turned on the fan, the wire started heating up again (it did this in all fan positions). Im at the point now where I’ve puuled the blower motor but want to test it before i shell out $100 to replace it. Anyone have any suggestions? The standard auto parts stores dont have a way of testing the blower motor. It runs fine until the wiring heats up so i don;t know if it’s getting bad and starting to draw too many amps or if there is a wiring problem I need to track down. Thanks for any help!
Could be a lose connection of the wires on the heat-up or the motor going out. You could take to a alternator shop and have checked out and or repaired fairly cheap. Or go to a junk yard.
Im having the same problem, if you unplug the connector on the resistor and look inside the plug the pin with the fattest wire is melting and not making proper contact. I think the blower motor is pulling too much current and causing this chain reaction of resistor failure and melting pin. If you remove the blower motor and give it a spin you will notice it will stop suddenly, it should coast to a stop, it is my belief that the bushings in the motor are bad.
I will fix this problem this week by replacing the motor and resistor then sawing off the plastic shell around the resistor pins then cutting off the plug from the wiring harness and soldering the wires directly to the pins.
Ill post the results after I think its fixed.
what was the out come as i have the same problem and have a burnt wire in the plug and the resistor thought it was the motor so i have changed both just a month ago but didnt change the plug end and now it is blown again need help please and thanks
how did it work out by soldering the wires direct to the pins
Replace the plug that plugs into resistor the plugs melt inside If you look inside it you should see a blackened area. They sell the kit and resistor on amazon together as a package deal for less than 20 bucks. Might want to consider a blower motor also they can get old and drag. They are also on amazon and easy to change all in same area. It takes care of it for a few years anyway.
Stumbled on this site while looking to solve the blower problem in hopes there was an easy fix … there was and I thank you for providing it …
FWIW: Priced the part at Auto Zone and AID Auto … the latter was cheaper by three-four bucks …
Still trying to iron the kinks in my back from doing the repair, but the sucker works great …
thanks very much for the advice
have same poblem with my 2002 durango replace 4 plugs and resistor going to replace blower motor tomorrow will everyone know how that works thanks for help
I cann’t get any info how to wir the plug going into the resisn a 2004 dodge dakota
I CAN HELP DID MIME TODAY
Jim
Possibly you can help me. I have the 1998 Dakota extended cab 3.9 motor and I can not locate the resistor. Can you tell me the exact location. Thanks frustrated and looking for help. Emai wobabill@gmail
Com
The resistor on a 1998 dakota is located under the passenger wiper blade fire wall. Remove the plastic grill and using a small mirror to locate resistor on top of opening.
In back of the plug, the black cap pops off so you can take that little white piece out, the wire with the plug slides in and snaps into place, then feed the wire through the holes in the white piece then put black cap back on. It took me alittle while to figure it out. It was easy after that. I have had to have this done 4 times, and a blower motor and wiring harness to.
Had the same problem with only certain speeds working on my ac in my 01 dakota. Wiggled the wire going to the ac motor resistor and it worked fine but now the black wire closest to the outside of the resistor plug is getting hot. Is it just a bad contact. I replaced the resistor itself but the same problem occurs. I have to wiggle the wire every now and then to get the highest fan setting to work. Kinda seems like i wasted 16 bucks on the resistor. If anyone has figured out what is making the wires hot let me know please. Thanks for the post by the way though. Helped me out alot.
My 2001 fan motor DOES NOT have a resistor at the fan motor. The wires go straight in motor housing with plug connector about 3 inches up wire. Was told resistor on firewall in engine compartment… NOT. ANY help appreciated. (tested motor with jumper, fan runs)
It’s mounted on an air duct in the passenger footwell. That way, the resistor gets cooled by the flowing air.
Lee, I have a 96 Dakota with the same location. On the firewall just behind the evaporator. A bit tough to get to,
but with a swivel on a socket and medium sized extension you should be able to get it out. Two 5/16 ” tech. screws,
and mine were stripped. I had to pry it out to get the threads to ingage & back out. Hope this helps.
Kelly Ann Bishop
Heading to Napa for the part,thank you for the info and for saving me from an expensive mechanic or (worse) dealer bill !!!
got part from autozone, installed in truck.ran for two minutes started smoking..
what would cause that..
The resistor’s come from the factory with a bit of oil on them, to prevent corrosion and if you don’t clean them with contact cleaner before install. When it heats up, viola’ it smokes & stinks up your truck! Hope this helps.
Kelly Ann Bishop
I own a 2003 dodge dakota quad. Bought it new. I have had to replace the resistor 3 times now!!!! Is there a recall? Is anyone else having problems like this? I just replaced it last November and have to put a new one in now! Getting tired of this! Any input out there?
I also have an 2003 DAKOTA and am replacing the resistor for the third time as well, 122,000 miles
SAme problem.. Im on number 5 resisitor. and harness . Already replaced blower motor.. Thankfully theyre not expensive..
Hi Lynne, Did replacing the blower motor stop resistors / wires from melting?
I have a 2003 Dakota: the blower stops working. 1st time resistor. And 10 months later blower stopped again. 2nd time Replaced Resistor pigtail, blower, blower putting too much AmPs. 3 months later 3rd time: blower stopped replaced resistor. Now 6 months later Blower Stopped AGAIN !!!!This is 4th time now. Why does this keep happening? any ideas? please Help. Tank you in advance Carol
02 Dakota blower only works on high, headed to NAPA for resistor pack…….thanks for the info.
My 01 Dakota blower works fine, the problem I have is that the selector to change it from defrost to foot to face does not work. Is this a vacuum problem or will the same resistor replacement fix the problem?
Unlikely to be related. The resistor is just for blower-motor speed control.
I had a problem once with my mix control valves, where it kept cycling back and forth between foot and face all by itself. As I recall, the dealer fixed it (under warranty) by recalibrating the valves in some way. There’s probably a variable resister in there that feeds the valve position back to the controller.
Did you ever fix your problem?
I have the same issue in my 2004 Dakota.
Thanks for leaving this on so long. I have a similar problem with my Dakota Quad cab (2004). After reading your post I removed the resistor card and found a corroded spot by one of the two raised conductors (U shaped) on the card (visable in your picture). One circiut was open. Thanks again for the great description and pictures. My 2004 parts were identical.
Thank you & my Daughter for telling me this web-site….after pulling intire dash out.LOL..
I am having the same problems with my 2001 Dakota, replacing the resistor about every 90 days, with a week of wiggling before it completely goes out. Now my entire system has shut down, the blower, compressor, cooling fan. I have already replaced the connector to the resistor. My Dodge tech tells me this is a classic symptom of the blower motor going south. It has probably fried the a/c control panel on the dash. Now I have to figure how to get in to the dash at the controls without tearing anything up.
By the way, O’reilly’s and AutoZone both cover the blower resistor on a lifetime warranty. Been there and done that many times.
It appears that this resitor is a problem for many. I also have a 2001 Dodge Dakota and I have repalced the resistor three times. The last time, I replaced the harness.
I am suspecting that the problem is the blower and that will be replaced now with a new resistor and hopefully the harness is not too fried.
Does anyone know if GiGi replied after posting his comment on his fix to the problem?
I have had similar problems to all of you. 2003 Dodge Dakota. I as well couldn’t get the connector(plug)off. I cut the wiring close to the plug and removed the resistor with plug still atached. I realized i wasn’t going to disconnect the two without breaking the plug and resistor. Eventually I found that the plastic inside the resitor and plug casing had melted and fused together. I bough a new resistor ($13) and new wiring package ($103) from Dodge. I have now spliced the wires together (with marettes)and connected everything back together. The fan works now, but on all speeds except for the lowest I can hear the resistor making a very loud clicking noise. Is this a dangerous method? Also is there an easy way to pull the individual wires out of the plug to change them out. They seem to be locked in there, maybe there’s a release somewhere.
it doesnt do any good , i replaced the resistor , the wire harness , and the blower motor all new and it lasted 2 weeks, just like everyone else , the second pin on the plug burned up and the same pin on the resistor,
Thank You!
2003 Dodge Dakota fan only worked on high.
Part was $25 here in Canada at Parts Source.
Here is what Im doing with mine 2003 Dakota. The whole problem comes from is that the blower motor is junk. It draws so much electricity, it will eventually burn out the resistor. It starts out as one speed stops working at a time and then it all stops. Changing the resistor helps for a while, BUT eventually the resistor and the CONNECTOR, that it goes into the resistor starts to melt, burn. All because of the motor drawing too much power. To permanently solve this is to buy an efficient blower motor. Not hard to put in at all. NOW, if the connector is melted, burnt, get a new one at the same time. I got a wiring kit and a new resistor from Ann Schmidt, Chrysler-Dodge Dealership in Ohio. You can go to Ebay and get the kit for 68.00 plus shipping. ALSO, NAPA is now offering the connector for about 60.00 if you get one from the warehouse or about 74.00 at their regular store. BUT… sorry for the caps….. Call first. I went to the warehouse last Sunday, right after Saturdays snow storm and they said it was not in stock yet. Even though the website said it was. I emailed NAPA and still no response. I then went to Ebay. The only other thing I can say is try not to run the fan at the highest speed or keep it down as soon as you can. Use the lower speeds if you do not get a new blower motor. This should solve the resistor burning out and if your is like mine, it always burns out when I need it the most. I hope this helps out. Bill
ok, I’m a girl who has no clue but got sick of paying to keep getting my car fixed. My blower motor stopped, then I would wiggle the wire under the dash of my 2003 Dodge Dakota 4×4 (a trick I learned from my last car), when the truck decided to just work on high then started smelling like something burning I went online and read about blower motors and low and behold it’s a common problem for Dakotas
I looked up the part on ebay and ordered the resistor for 11.00, laid on my back on the passenger floor with a flashlight and unscrewed the part that looked just like it then realized the wiring harness, a name I have now learned was what smelled and is melted together. I ordered the wiring harness and was told of this blower motor problem by a few people, read about it here and chose to take it all back to my favorite car guru who simply “gave me the look”, laughed and he’ll be installing a new motor and my money saving parts on Friday. I’m stickin to the kitchen.
Ha!
You sound jiust like me. I have done 4 of these replacements in my 2001 Dakota, most recently this weekend. This last time however, I marked in Sharpie the date of my last module blow-out. September 20, 2010. not even 2 years! As others have posted, it is an inexpensive part, 13.99 at my local Dodge dealer. But the contortions you have to go thru as you observed are getting harder and harder on my 50 year old body. And the wire harnes keepers broke off from so many repeat issues. What I want to know is why do these resistors burn up so quickly?
2003 Dakota.. got a new blower same problem.. what did you get?
Wondering with these 2003 Dodge dakota what is the current draw on the high speed. I got 18amps on the highest setting of the fam motor. Whats normal for this motor?
I new about changing a resistor for only one speed on a fan motor. I went to take apart and found the connector was melted. Doing my research on multiple websites found out the my motor is drawing 18amps. A good one should be no more then 14amps. I live in Canada and I found out that there is a few multiple online parts you can find, amazon and rock auto to name a few that have really cheap and quality parts. I will be changing fan motor, resistor, and connector all for $110. Thanks everyone.
this has been good but i have replaced the resistor and still
only have the high fan speed any sugestions?
My fan on my 2002 Dakota started smelling like an electrical burn out on the freeway yesterday. I found your post last night. A few minutes and $18.00 later I have working A/C again! Here in TX, we run A/C almost year around, so I am grateful to you! Thanks!
Any advice on where to find the plastic window clips for the cable system which raises and lowers 2002 Dakota power windows? I don’t understand why they made those out of plastic. Between the heat down here and a lot of use, 2 of my windows have failed. The clips look like they would not cost much at all individually, but the Dealer will only sell the whole cable assembly at over $200!
I bought replacement window regulators at rockauto.com for about 36.00. the factory regulators are junk. regulators were easy to install, hope this helps.
I have replaced three out of four regulators on my 2002 Dakota
Thanks for the writeup, 30 seconds of googling saved hours of troubleshooting. Carquest carries the replacement part pictured, about $14.
Its the blower motor drawing too much power. Replace resistor and blower motor
Yes – the resistor is typically the culprit. Especially if you notice that the fan switch works on high but not on the lower settings. This is because on the high setting the blower motor uses the full 12v / 14 amp load direct from the battery. This in effect bypasses the step down circcuitry in the resistor. When you use the lower fan speed settings, the resistors act to step down the current on a progressive scale. Its these seg ments that usually fail. Its a quick swap out – just two retaining hex head screws to remove from the housing. Slide the red retaining clip to ine side, depress the black tab clip and while keeping that depressed pull the resistor off. it will typically be a snug fit so you may have to rock it back and forth a bit to work it loose. Installation is exact reverse. Total time 5-10 minutes.
i put a new resistor in 6 or 8 weeks ago and work good, now the fan only works on off,low ,& med. no high…
This info was invaluable! Glad I looked here before tearing the dash apart to get to the switch. $10.50 at the local NAPA and it works. For now I should add. After reading alot of the above I suppose I should be ready to do it again…..lol. Thanks again!
i had the same problem happen once a year for the last 3 years in the lat 2 years the resistor went but also the wires burned up nothing to be nerves about, just smells up the truck but i need to change the connector also to the resistor but i can play with the wire and get it working again even they are burnt
does anybody know why it keeps happens
Blower motor needs replaced, it is drawing too much current and burns out the resistor
I replaced my motor and resistor and wiring harness, still have the problem in my 04 Dakota and my 01 Durango. Other forums said there is a short in the ignition. Go figure, Dodge connected the ground to the ignition. Now trying to figure out how to FIND the ground without tearing out the dash. I can deal with no AC, but not no heat. It’s a bit chilly here now.
I have a 2006 Dakota…my heater fan resistor fuse failed…after 127k and 6 years of use.
I repaired the resistors blown thermal fuse with solid copper wire…works again…it’s fused upstream anyways.
Poor design, not only does the resistor create a lot of heat, the ventilation system doesn’t circulate air WITHOUT the fan switched on 24-7, as opposed most vehicles using natural ram air flowing into the cabin with the vehicle’s forward speed. So when you turn the fan to off…the recirc door closes off the outside air…make a selection, except off…this will open the door to the outside…then disconnect the recirculation door actuator plug…this locks the door to use only outside air…so now I get warm airflow without using the fan all the time…
The resistor gets super hot…when selected the low settings…use highest fan settings to avoid heating the resistor.
So now I cruise along with nice heat…using outside ram air and fan switched off…saving it for really cold or hot days…when I really need it.
Hope this helps….works for me…cuts down use of the fan about 80%… Hence no overheated resistor.
After 10 years, with my 2004 Dakota my blower just died out this past weekend. Nothing on any settings. I did find another tutorial that was also helpful in removing the tabs around the mounting holes on the [New] resistor card so it will fit flush with the housing.:
http://www.bobstractorpartscorner.com/dodgefanresistor.htm
Lots of great info on this blog Ron! Thanks for sharing
~Cal
Awesome thread. I just changed the resistor in about 10 mins for $13 in Alberta. Worked perfect….but once again after a few mins I don’t get the lowest fan setting? Is it the motor?
Hi…i think you have no low because that low wire and connector Is melted and burnt …no contact…damaged…this is at your resistor connector.
Forget fixing the low setting…it will just burn up again…poor design…at low it’s..too hot at the resistor…..med high and max, doesn’t produce near as much heat as low…So I don’t use low
Or….rebuild replace the connector with a heavier wire and connector…will last a while?
difficult to find technicians who can do this…pricy too.
Inadequate design at the resistor, can’t handle the low setting… Dodge really needed heavier wires and a bigger heat sink at the resistor to make it all work reliably.
A good mechanic engineer technician can fix this….but you will have to pay…is it worth it?…or just forget using the low setting…
Hope this helps…heater air con has been pretty good otherwise….
I read this article yesterday & went to NAPA auto parts and picked up a new resistor for my 1996 Dakota Pickup. $6.30 installed this morning, now I have low, med high,& high Speeds but no medium low. I’m beginning to think the wiring is bad. Then again, it’s a Dodge Al…
I had mine fixed at the garage. $57.00 Not bad it was minus 13 degrees. Quit working in one day. Can not get back into the garage till next week. Should have came to this website first. Went underneath dash found the resistor wiggled the plug fan started right away. May keep a new one in the truck. Thanks for the help everyone. Have not smelled any burning wires yet and my low speed did not work before.
I had this happen on a CERTIFIED 2001 Dodge Dakota I bought at Huntington Beach Dodge…I brought in to them the Day after I bought the Truck..and they charged me $65 to replace Resistor…That was like 8 years ago..the resistor just went out again about 2 weeks ago…Info here was good wish I had known more about this a long time ago….Dodge Trucks what a joke…wish I had never bought there..was lied to and overcharged…Never go to HB Dodge on Beach…
Thanks a Ton!
glad this was still posted,
I have a 2004 Dakota Quad Cab. a few weeks ago my blower would not work at all on any speeds for a day or so. it came back on when I went over a bump and was fine until today. found this post and all the reply’s and it was super helpful! I just came in from fixing mine. it seems that the plug was loose some how and half out of the clip (maybe it was kicked)I clicked it back in all the way and my blower fired up right away. I plan to pick up a new part this week just to be safe!
Thanks again!
Chris from Courtice
2004 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4X4
I have the same truck and same problems. I gonna check plug in tomorrow and replace resistor If I have to.
I too have had this problm, a few times actually.
the day i brought it home the heat worked well on all settings and when i shut off truck and went to re start it the heater would not work on any setting.$11 fix from Napa but when i changed controls from defrost to foot/defrost it wouldnt come back on again. Replaced resistor again and has been working fine up until yesterday and it did it again. This will be the third resistor i put in in under a month. obviously there is a bigger problem. Any ideas?
so to clarify this, i went out to change resistor and like someone said above, it had just gotten looses and worked again once i got it connected tightly again. at least i have a spare now!
and just an fyi, aqnyone putting this in a dakota will need to cut off “tabs” on new resistor to make sure it fits properly.( from experience)
I have 2007 Dakota I bought new, about 4 months ago it started doing the same thing, I could tap the motor and it would work fine for a while then stop working again. Replaced the resistor last week still not working right. Now the blower motor sometimes just barely runs. I had 1997 Ram 3500 that did the same. You would think Dodge engineers could figure out their is a problem. I’m now thinking about buying a toggle switch and wire it to a hot wire off the ignition switch to the blower motor and bypass all the modern unnecessary junk. I have owned Dodge trucks for the last 30 years, will never buy another.
Hello, John in Texas, did you install that toggle switch. I am thinking of doing the same thing myself. I have replaced the resistor and the panel to turn it off and on. No dice. I just didnt know how to hook up the toggle switch and after reading yours i was more then curious to see if it worked.
Scott, in iowa
here is my emai—> hopin91@gmail.com
Thank you
Like others, I have had this problem over and over on an ’04 Dakota. Replaced the resistors (probably 3 or 4 times). Then the last time it happened the wiring upstream of the resistor module fried/melted and I had to replace that. It has happened again and I’m looking at replacing both again and possibly the blower motor. Before I do that, I came looking for a long-term solution. Anybody figure out how to solve it so it doesn’t just keep happening over and over?
I know this is late for you, but I just wanted to tell you that I have a 2003 Dakota and I have had this problem since day one (purchased new). It has been in for repair 10 times now. Sometimes the repair lasts for a few months, once for two years, once for 10 days. I’ve had resisters, wiring harnesses, blower motors, and a whole control panel. They took the whole dash apart and traced every wire, thinking that maybe something was rubbing. I don’t know what else. I’ve had no fan, various speeds working/not working, burning smells, melted wires and probably everything else you can think of. I love my little truck, but I don’t think it will ever be solved. Obviously Dodge knows about this and doesn’t care. Even with parts under warranty, I’ve had to spend over $2000 on repairs. I won’t buy another Dodge. Good luck.
hello,
So i have the issue that the fan doesnt work, other then the heat coming out. I have a 1991 dodge dakota sport. I have replaced the resistor, which is located outside under the where the the windshield wipers are at. on the passenger side. I have replaced the the controls to the fan. No dice. I am thinking of installing a toggle switch on and off. To the fan. So that way i have heat coming out. IF and when you receive this. Can you let me know what i can do to fix this. Or do you know how i can just hook up the toggle switch.
Thank you.
What a complete pain!!! Goodyear wants 89.95 for a resistor which I bought on AMAZON for $7. With free shipping…Goodyear also wanted 149.95 to install it.So this hardworking Mom of 2 fixed it herself at 25.00 Amazon. felt so good turning my 03 durango over with a fan which worked.The low speed didn’t work only 2,3,& 4 but I noticed the second prong on the wire harness is burned out.I ordered that today.The 04 Durango were said to improve the resistors so I read I could use a better modified 04 resistor,is this true? My ac isn’t working either,could the ac panel be burned out as a result from all this resistor crud?I will use fan on no.2 and have open air flow through on warmer days.I will install a new Blower motor as well.My truck is sentimental because my Dad gave it to me when it only had 50,000 mi. On it.He’s passed away but I want to take care of it .It only has 107,000 mi. In 2015!!!
Learning to be a mechanic in Upstate NY
Meant to say I fixed it myself 7.00 part shipped free from Amazon.Socket set worked gr8 on 2 bolts located under the passenger side dash.see youtube for instsllation.Rem. that Durangos are the same as Dakotas.peace out!
Thanks dodgegirl. I’ll check out the you tube video. I’m sure your dad would be proud.
I have a 04 Dakota with 140K miles. In 2012 the blower resistor was first replaced then every year since.Just had one put in 1 month ago and has failed again. Based on the above problems others have had I have decided to replace blower motor also. Hope this works for a month as truck is sold.
Had mine fixed a few year’s ago 05 Dakota SLT 4 door worked fine yesterday ,I get in truck to go to work in ac at all blower will not work it’s 98 degrees n its a white truck too. I hope it’s the resistor ty for input
Take all those wires that go to that resistor and solder them together. The fan will be on high or off. unless you want to keep replacing resistors. piss poor design.
Straight wire it. Bypass the resistor. I have replaced 6 resistors after buying a new blower. I just straight wired it & no more replacing resistors
I want to straight wire it Kevin, but have no clue. Been looking all over online on how to do this. I’m assuming it would be an easy fix. I have replaced 10 resistors, new motor and wiring harness. I’m done with this. Should I just take the wires from the resistor and wire them to the blower motor wires? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m done with this crap. Just want it to work. Dodge knows about this, and cares nothing about it.
How do you wire the wires together? Don’t want to repeat this process.
Thanx, everybody. I got to chk girlfriend’s Dakota next week. Now I know where to start. I’ve owned an ’06 Dak for ten yrs and never had a heater/blower problem. Do you think Dodge finally got the message? Hope so!!
It would be most appreciated if you would include the part # as the pictures are dead links…
01 Dakota Club Cab. 4.7 v8. New resistor about every 6 months for the past few years. Finally replaced blower motor, harness and resistor pack. Good price on RockAuto. Lasted about 6 months, just had to replace resistor pack again……. only one terminal in it had fried this time. Crossing my fingers.
How do you wire the wires together? Don’t want to repeat this process.