Why does blower motor resistor keep going out?

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

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

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

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

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

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

/daytripper '05 Hemi Durango Ltd

Reply to
daytripper

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

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Reply to
maxpower

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

Reply to
DK

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

Glenn

Reply to
maxpower

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