Blower resistor / heater core

[Tommy00GT1]

Hey friends.... Looks like I have that all-to-common blower resistor failure, because the heater doesn't blow jack on numbers 1, 2, or 3.
Can somebody tell me if that resistor is in very close proximity to the heater core? Just wondering if it is adviseable to do the resistor, and also replace the heater core at the same time.

Now.. here's the situation... I have an extended warranty for another 9 months. I pay the first $100.00 and anything over is covered. I've read about the bitch of a time replacing that resistor, so I assume the labor would cost me around $100.00 anyways for just replacing that resistor.

If I were to try and make this a bit more "worth it", can anything be done to give the appearance that the heater core needs replacing too?

I know... I know... I hear all the negative comments already, lol.. It's just that if I am going to pay the first $100.00; I might as well get my money's worth...
Does anyone know what I am trying to describe here? I probably have everyone lost, lol..

My neighbor told me to "get the carpet wet" on the passenger side, and tell them that the core is leaking... Anyone have any thoughts about that?;)

The dealership is a hell of a lot richer than me, lol...:???: I'm a firm believer that the little guy needs a break now & then...
Can anyone recommend anything???Thanks !!!

[rixGAphx]

Originally posted by Tommy00GT1
Hey friends.... Looks like I have that all-to-common blower resistor failure, because the heater doesn't blow jack on numbers 1, 2, or 3.
Can somebody tell me if that resistor is in very close proximity to the heater core? Just wondering if it is adviseable to do the resistor, and also replace the heater core at the same time.

......the heater core needs replacing too?
What makes you think your 7-yr old heater core ISN'T leaking??

They all have the same plastic side tanks, with the molded-in nipples for the hoses.
Hidden from view, the nipples develop a couple of partial cracks.
IM experience, they continually leak a few drops of coolant every time the engine is run.
You just never see the drops, 'cuz they dribble down the firewall and evaporate.

And if somebody grabbed that heater hose to replace it (as a regular maintenance item), it's quite likely IMO that the already-cracked nipple would break off.

[Tommy00GT1]

Darn good point! I also just thought of this too.... Last month I had them power-flush the entire cooling system; came out great I assume... But before that power-flush (and still at present here) there is a tiny radiator smell which seems to come from the round vents on the dash. I've actually noticed that many months ago..

Now.. because they power-flushed the cooling system, wouldn't it be an opportune time to tell them my heater core is leaking?
Ya' know.. I really almost feel bad saying / asking that... but damn it all, they have more cash than I do. Plus, I paid a lot for the two-year extended warranty and I onlt used it for a new Delco radio, and some front suspension / sway bar things. (the typical moans and groans that gramn Am's get while cornering).

I'd certainly like to have some repair work done and get my money's worth of that expensive warranty, lol. I'm sure I'm not the only one to think the same way.

As far as I know, there is no dripping or wetness in the area of the passenger side carpet. Maybe they would tell me there's nothing wrong with it because the carpet is dry ???? That's why I mentioned "getting the carpet damp", lol

EDIT >> Forgot to mention... I'll be logging off here for the night; have to get up early for some bone tests on my hip. I have a disability there and in my spoine too... that's why I don't think I can replace that blower resistor by myself.. I can't bend and crawl under the dash very easily....
I also wish that LIM would show up too; while I'm under warranty. At least that would make my money for the extended warranty worth it...

[Colin]

Tommy , first off i hope the tests come out OK ... ;) If you have a warranty just get them to replace the blower resistor , you don't want to do that with a bad back trust me . Also get them to pressure test the cooling system for your suspected heater core leak ( tell them about the smell ) if it is leaking get it done ASAP ....

[ChevelleSSLS6]

I swapped in a heater resistor in my 00... well before i sold it (to my boss who lets me drive it on errands and stuff sometimes so its cool) I laid in the drivers seat reclined; my feet by the headrest and my head under the glovebox, and its not comfortable, but I did it in an hour or so.

[Tommy00GT1]

Thanks Colin and Matt... Yeah, the ole' spine is giving my troubles, dammit. I like to do small repairs myself, but I doubt I'll do this one.
The warranty would cover the resistor, but I'll end up paying the $100.00 deductable; probably a lot of labor to do it... I'll easily pay that first 100.00 I bet....
So that's why I might as well get my money's worth and hope to have some other repairs done too.. Hey, if I'm gonna pay 100.00 for the damn resistor, why not find something else wrong...it's gonna cost me 100.00 regardless what's being done.

I wish there was some way to speed up that LIM problem. If I'm going to deal with the LIM someday, I'd like it to be now while I'm under warranty... I'm probably the only guy hoping for the LIM to crop up, lol!:lol:

I guess what I should do is to tell them that I can smell that familiar "radiator smell" coming from my dash vents; that is true too... not making that one up... I can't find moisture anywhere; just a faint smell....

Funny thing too... I just had the car cooloing system power flushed, anmd new Dexcool put in... Maybe now is a great time to tell them about the smell ????? Maybe they'd think that their power flush put pressure somewhere... It might be worth a shot..

Well, I'll find out soon...gotta get these damn MRI & x-ray's done... Orthopedic surgeon wants to do some things with a sharp knife... I don't like the sounds of that,:mad:

Thanks for the replies guys; much appreciated... When I find out anything more, I'll post here again. Might take me a couple days; got a lot going on right now... Thanks!!!

[Tommy00GT1]

Well, here's today's update... I just attempted to get a look at the ductwork that must come down to get to that blower resistor. Needless to say, there is no way I can crawl into the position to get to it. If my spine wasn't all screwed up, I'd be all gung-ho and do it myself. I do most of my minor stuff myself anyways.
I also looked carefully at the passenger-side carpeting, way the heck up towards the firewall... there is no moisture or smell of coolant anywhere. That ball's it up for me because I'd happily pay that $100.00 deductable and have the resistor replaced, but I was hoping to find something else in need of repair too and get my 100.00 worth. Guess I won't be able to fib a tiny bit and tell them my heater core is leaking, damn it all....

Has anyone else run into this???? Where you have an extended warranty, and you pay the first 100.00 regardless if it is a $90.00 job or a $1000.00 job.
That blows because the damn resistor is probably $20.00 (guessing); and the rest would be the labor charges.

I pay 100.00 regardless if they replece the resistor; or whether they do a complete LIM job... That's why I need to find something else to repair... Any suggestions guys ?

If I can't find anything else, I'll just have to bite the bullet and pay 100.00 for a blower resistor. Nice timing... winter coming here in New England, lol...

[tenspeed]

eBay $24 shipped - 200040283501

If you can find someone to install it for less than $75, you're ahead.

Do you have any young neighborhood mechanics? Maybe you could get one of them to spend an hour for $20. You know where you can print out instructions and what tools are needed.

[Tommy00GT1]

Hi Jim, might be worth a shot..... I did find that good tutorial on how to replace it; even has great pics too.. So I could always print it out.
Man, why did G.M. have to hide that damn thing way up there , lol ??????

I sure wish there was some way to "speed up" the LIM, and get this thing repaired while I am under warranty. I still have coverage for the next 9 months; maybe it will show up, hopefully....

Thanks for that E-bay item number; I'm gonna check that out now...

[tenspeed]

Originally posted by Tommy00GT1
I did find that good tutorial on how to replace it; even has great pics too.. So I could always print it out.

There's been several good write ups on this forum. They tell you the socket sizes, u-joints, flexi shafts and such. I cut and pasted informative parts into a word file. I should have copied the URLs too, I include that now. I know my resistor will fail at some point.

I usually use #3 and above to prevent resistor burn out. I don't know if it helps but I hear people saying that 1 & 2 goes out first. You should always have #5, even with the resister unplugged.

[rixGAphx]

Tommy-

You will NOT generally see damp carpets from a leaking heater core.
You just get the anti-freeze odor.

The heater core is in the fan box with the AC evaporator.
The evaporator condenses moisture from the air, which dribbles down as water.
There's a catchpan in the bottom of the fanbox for this condensate, and it has a 3/8" black rubber drain hose.
The hose goes thru the firewall, turns down 90*, and dribbles onto the ground.

Guess waht?
As long as the drain hose isn't plugged with crud, then a leaking core just dribbles into that same pan.
The odor escapes into the cabin.
The coolant itself is caught, then drains onto the ground.
So, the carpet never gets wet unless the drain pan overflows from blockage of the drain.

Truly, it DOES sound like your heater core is leaking and should be attended-to; frankly, I can't think of any other possible source of the anti-freeze odor.
A new metal-tanked core is ~$80, and the labor is ~2.5 hours at $80; therefore, ~$280 + misc and tax.
So though you might get the blower resistor done for <$100, that doesn't apply to the heater core.

[Tommy00GT1]

Thanks very much for this info, Rix... I'll bet that is why I can smell that familiar "radiator smell" sometimes... I think I'll tell them to check that thoroughly. If they should agree that it is leaking, that seems like an opportune time to do both things together. That would certainly be worth my $100.00.. I'd welcome that for sure, lol. Just didn't want to spend 100.00 on that resistor alone...
Might as well get my money's worth out of that warranty!

It's hard to find much wrong with the car because the previous owner took meticulous care of it. I was lucky to find a GT1 that was owned by a 74 year old man who still owns 15 NAPA stores today. That was a major selling point for me.... He bought it new in 2000, and traded it last year to buy two Buick LaCrosse's (one for the wife too).
Wish I had funds like that, lol... I'll be paying for the car for a few more years, lol..

[Tommy00GT1]

Forgot to ask.... What are the first symptoms to show up when thew LIM is coming?
And what is the symptom for the heater core? Are there visible signs of core failure that would show up on the firewall; such as wetness / leaking?

Probably stupid questions, but as you can tell I am not the most technically and mechanically advanced person..

[Colin]

Originally posted by Tommy00GT1
Forgot to ask.... What are the first symptoms to show up when thew LIM is coming?
And what is the symptom for the heater core? Are there visible signs of core failure that would show up on the firewall; such as wetness / leaking? Low coolant and or the coolant light coming on , may be symptoms of the LIM leak , check for weeping from the intake gaskets especially near the throttle body side area . The oil may have a milky look to it if it's leaking internally . All it takes is a small pinhole leak in the heater core to cause that smell in the vents , the windshield may fog up slightly also . Unless it's a big leak you may not even notice anything dripping , but it still could be . A shop could pressure test the cooling system to check for any leaks , if the pressure holds all should be fine . If you do find any weeping or a tear stain type leak from the LIM gaskets , insist that they change them as it is sign they're going , and won't get any better as time goes on .... ;)

[Tommy00GT1]

Thanks Colin; I'll look into all of that. I'll be needing the heater as winter is coming here soon. At least I have the two high speeds on the heater blower.
That 100.00 deductable that I have is excellent for a job that takes advantage of it, but for a smaller thing like this blower resistor, I'll end up paying 100.00 just for the resistor job. That's why I'm trying to find something else wrong with the car and get my money's worth, lol....
I'll tell the dealership that I can smell a coolant smell coming out of the vents. Hopefully they'll replace the heater core. But I really wish that LIM was starting to show, as I'd have everything done at the same time.

The warranty is from a third party; not the dealership... So technically, I make out with paying 100.00, and the dealer makes out too on the job too; because that extended warranty pays for parts and his labor too. Maybe I'll ask him to "please try and look extra, extra closely" for signs of something leaking, lol. I think he'll know what I mean.....

I had them power flush my cooling system about two months ago... Maybe I can tell him that I now smell coolant; maybe something "loosened up" ??? Does it sound like an opportune time ??

Anyways, at least I do have good heat; it's just that it must blow on the high speeds.....

[ChevelleSSLS6]

I have pics... I'll post em soon, or email them to ya. Gotta resize them since they're large-by-huge and take forever to load even with dsl. :eek:

[Tommy00GT1]

Thanks Matt.. You're referring to that blower resistor, right?
I looked all over that engine for any signs of any leak; nothing to be found dammit... I was hoping to get this LIM thing over once and for all while I am under the warranty. But at least I've got 9 months more coverage; maybe I'll learn a way to "speed it up", lol.

What would be good is if the heater core' blower resistor; and the damn LIM could be done at the same time... wouldn't want to purge the entire cooling system again in a couple months if LIM pops up..... Jeez... I just had the cooling system power flushed three weeks ago, lol... Maybe I should tell them that the power flush caused a heater core leak ????? (would the timimg be good?)

[RocketFast321]

Originally posted by tenspeed
eBay $24 shipped - 200040283501



It cost about the same at the dealer :)

[Tommy00GT1]

Here's an update in case anyone was following..... I was able to replace the resistor by myself today... I probably won't straighten my back for a bit, but the blower is working fine again on all speeds.
The previous owner had it replaced too because the back screw was not there, and the resistor was a revised 2002 one. The one I installed today is another revised one.... it is black in color. The parts man said this one is the latest revision. I didn't take a pic of the resistor itself because I wanted to install this damn thing in a hurry. But I took a pic of the AC Delco box in case anyone wants the numbers from it.

EDIT >> The part came from the same Pontiac dealership where I bought the car.... Jeez... you'd think they could have given me a better price, lol....:lol:

[2K SE]

Tommy, I just had to replace the resister in my daughters Malibu. As you found out it really is not hard but I was not gonna encourage you with the bad back and all. Not sure how you did it cause my back hurt AFTER I got it done. :lol: Good you got it done. Now get all healed up so you can do the really hard stuff.

[tenspeed]

Originally posted by Tommy00GT1
Here's an update in case anyone was following..... I was able to replace the resistor by myself today... I probably won't straighten my back for a bit, but the blower is working fine again on all speeds.

Well, good for you. Time for some medication....

I don't use speed one or two. I hope it prevents a resister burn out.

[Colin]

Nice going Tommy ... :thumbup2:

[Tommy00GT1]

Thanks guys... It was really buggin' me, that's why I took a second look at it today. Believe it or not, I had more difficulty with the plastic ductwork; especially putting it back together.
When I started the project, I took the glovebox out because I figured it would be easier..... and I think that helped especially with putting the duct back together (that black round duct/tube thing..).
I noticed that this new resistor seemed to be a bit thicker and it also appeared to have more (silicone?) water sealer on it... almost like caulking on it. Not sure why, but it appeared to be sealed better. It was also manufactured in Japan; not Mexico..

I had to pay $31.00 for the damn resistor.... but I wanted it today while I was in the mood to replace it, lol. There was one on E-bay, but I wasn't sure what revision it was; plus I needed it right away. So, $31.00 and I replaced it today.

It's a good thing I had a small one-quarter-inch ratchet set with a swivel head... that helped me out quite a bit.
In case anyone needs the G.M. part number, it is.... 8901-8413

[Tommy00GT1]

Here is the box, just in case anyone needs any number from it......