So we're on the road with the 98 regency. The car has been doing fine, but it looks like there are a couple of things going on with the a/c blower that I need some advice with. We're in Hollywood now. The car ran great the whole way!

1. After sitting for a while and restarting the engine, the HVAC system wasn't responding at all. No blower, no A/C, nothing. It just sort of started working again a few minutes after restarting.

2. Driving from San Diego to LA, it seems like the blower is not putting out the volume it used to. It's almost like each speed is one speed slower than before.

I'm on the road and I don't have all my tools, so I don't have access to a volt meter. I guess I could pick up a cheap one, if all else fails. I'm in Hollywood and there is a pep boys down the street. There is a NAPA nearby as well.

Any ideas as to what it could be? Relay going bad? Resistor? Control panel (mine is traditional, with the slider levers)?
I would appreciate any help! Thanks!

 

I've had luck by drilling a 1/8" hole just under the first step of the highest point of the blower motor, and hitting it with a shot of WD-40.
Or just replace the motor - they get tired!

 

If the whole thing stops responding, AC clutch and all, then I would check wiring and master switch at the control panel.
Check all electrical connections - at the blower, resistor and high speed fan relay.
The connections get dirty and become a resistor. Plastic connectors get hot and melt...

If all those are okay, blower motor may be heading south...

 

I'm going to have a chance to check it tonight. Right now, nothing works. I'm thinking a bad connection at the control panel. I'll report back later. Thanks!

 

I just took the control panel out and probed a few connections. From what I could see, it looks like the control panel is getting power. I checked whatever wires were visible and couldn't find anything loose or frayed. I tried jiggling wires to see if it would start working. Nothing. I was about to give up for the night when I decided to check for loose connections under the hood. Nothing I could find. The blower relay caught my eye. I took the cover off and moved the points over. I got air on full blast. Not immediately, but a minute or two later, I got the A/C going again.

So I'm puzzled. I guess this means I could jury rig it to work, but that leads me to believe the relay has had it. I'm going to replace it. Anyone think anything else may have gone bad? I'm open to ideas. Thanks!

 

Either the relay or the connector. Make sure the terminals in the connector are clean and not burned. Restore/replace as needed.

 

The 1977-1990 B/C body cars have a unique wiring "quirk" in the blower motor circuit. Look for a square four-pin connector in the harness that connects the HVAC to the under-hood harness. This harness runs crossways across the back of the intake, in front of the distributor. The connector is located on the passenger side, near the heater control valve. One of the wires in this connector is a heavy gauge red wire, which provides power to the heater blower motor. Pull the connector apart and check the terminals. Crud gets in the terminals, causing resistance, which causes heat, which increases corrosion and resistance. I've had to pull this connector apart and clean this terminal multiple times to get the blower to work correctly.

 

Joe, I love how you make sense out of everything! I will definitely check that when I get back. Thanks for the suggestion!

Update: I got a new relay and It still doesn't work. For the short term, I removed the relay and jumped the terminals for A/C. I am now able to make the compressor engage and I can control it through the dash. I can only get the blower to run on high and have to disconnect it after I shut the car off, but at least I have air. It's nice and cold! I'm going to rig up a switch in the mean time to control the blower.

I think the new relay may be bad. I'm also suspicious of the blower switch, resistor, a/c selector switch, and various wiring/connections.

As before, I'm open to further insight and appreciate all the help!

 

Have you checked the resistor and its connector? On some cars it is a problem area...
My connector was melted and burned..

 

The connector and terminals don't look corroded, but they also don't look shiny. I haven't taken the resistor out yet. I will when I get back. I have a feeling it's ugly on the other side.

 

All right, we got back from L.A. and I got a chance to look at a few things last night. It looks like the culprit was the ground on the blower motor. I cleaned it up and it seems to be ok now. I also checked the 4 wire connector Joe suggested. It wasn't too bad, but needed some cleaning. I cleaned the connector on the resistor, too. The terminals on the resistor were rusty, so I replaced that with a new delco unit. For now, all is well. Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it!

 

I know this is old, but I wanted to add some more information. It turns out, the ground was not the problem. After cleaning it up, I thought everything was ok. The next day, same problem. Upon further investigation, reading the elec. manual, and brainstorming I realized the HVAC controls were not getting power at all. Tracing the wires led to the main power feed behind it. It's a large, single wire, plastic connector. It looked fine on the outside, but it was melted on the inside! A quick cut and replacement of the terminals, and I was good to go. Hopefully it was just age that caused the terminal to overheat, causing the control panel to get intermittent power.
Joe, I also cleaned the connector you suggested. It wasn't too bad, but certainly wasn't clean.

Thanks again, everyone!

 

You know, I now remember my mom's 86 Cutlass had that SAME problem. Connection got dirty or corroded and began arcing inside. I cleaned it up and was good to go.
Clean the terminals well and add a little electrical dielectric grease to prevent future corrosion.