pathfinder a/c stopped blowing

My A/C fan just stopped on my '01 Pathfinder. After it stopped I turned the unit off, drove for a while and got the fan to come back on for a brief while before stopping completely..in fact I got it to blow at max before it stopped again. The air was always cold. I am a total beginner when working on cars but feel the solution is probably simple. Maybe the blower wore out or it's something electrical... a fuse or a switch...where should I look? Your help is most appreciated. --Roger

Reply to
rpptwilson
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I don't know these cars, but here are some general principles that might help...

Does the blower show similar symptoms on heater, or only on A/C (probably defrost too, since that usually invokes the A/C on cars that have A/C)?

Does the electromagnetic clutch on the A/C compressor engage? This is pretty obvious with the hood open, and in many cars can be discerned from inside the cabin if you listen close (a click, and a change in engine note due to the reduced load if the engine is running).

Does the repair manual (probably not the owner's manual) state that the circuits for the blower and the A/C compressor (which could be on the same circuit or not) are on a fuse, or a manually resetting circuit breaker, or a self-resetting circuit breaker?

Cheers,

--Joe

Reply to
Ad absurdum per aspera

The air gets cold, so I imagine the A/C system including the compressor works fine.

Figure out where the blower is and see if you can replace it. A manual helps.

Reply to
Jon C

It sounds like the resistor pack for your blower motor has developed an open or two. It's what gives you the different speed settings. If you can locate the motor itself, the resistor pack is usually a rectangular piece about 3 or 4 inches wide that is held into the ducting around the motor by 2 screws, and has an electrical connector on it.

That's how it's set up on my 1999 Altima; I expect it would be similar in your case.

If you find it, and you have a simple multimeter, you can test the different traces on the board by figuring out what pins they are connected to on the connector. If you don't get continuity on any of them, then that's likely your problem.

The part is inexpensive, about $40 CDN direct from the dealer.

Hope that helps!

Reply to
JM

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