For those whose fan starts to work intermittently on low speeds, Jerry Davis posted this on the GPML a while back:
quote:
I have a '97 GT that I bought new, so I've had my car on the road longer
than most of those in this group. That being the case, one can reasonably
expect equipment failure to show up sooner on my GP than on newer models.
One interesting failure is something called the "fan ignition switch." That
switch is a thick cluster of heavy and lesser wires, about 1.5 feet long,
with robust termination blocks on each end. One end also has geared,
mechanical components. This part installs under the dash on the drivers
side and up into the steering column.
You need to replace it when your A/C fan begins to operate intermittently.
For example, if you are driving and the fan simply stops, then restarts
while on any speed setting 1-4 (not on speed setting five setting until some
weeks later ,) your switch is failing. The problem will gradually become
worse, with the outage taking longer to recover, until you achieve total
failure.
There are actualy two parts that can cause this problem, and the second part
is called the resistor pack. That part connects directly to the blower
housing under the dash on the passenger side, and is about 24 bucks new from
GM. My fully functional pack was slightly burned on the circuit board, so I
replaced it.
The fan ignition switch was easy to replace, but it is awkward to install.
You will need typical small hand tools, plus an 8-inch or longer socket
extension. a torx male socket (T11, I think) and two torx female sockets
(T11 and T10.) I didn't know that until I had my steering column torn down,
and had to drive around the city with a skeletal column, wires dangling and
tools in the floorboard. No one sells female torx wrenches that small, so
you will have to buy two small standard wrenches. (Your 1/8th inch drive
sockets are way too big to fit the space you will have to work with.)
Sears has a perfect solution. Buy the 5/32nd and 1/8th size wrenches on the
2.5 inch steel stems. They look like small screwdrivers with the socket
permanently mounted at the end of a thin, steel stem. You will need the
small stem because you won't be able to remove the cowl above the steering
column, and its in the way.
The physical key slot on the primary ingnition switch is too big for the
upper steering column cowl to slide over, so you will have to raise the
plastic cowl as far as possible to access the two very, very small torx
screws holding the fan switch in place. The cowl will be stressed, so be
careful.
Also, you will have to cut and splice two wires due to being unable to
remove the upper steering column cowl. There is some magic part snapped
into a slot on the top of the column that you will not be able to reach,
which will have to be left there. Cut the two wires coming off it and
splice them to the two matching wires coming off your new part. There is a
small, odd shaped white plastic box attached to one end the two wires.
Nothing comes out of the little box, and there are no metal contacts on the
surface of it. Apparently, there is something inside the box that sends
some kind of signal/magnetism/charge through its housing to a receiver in
the steering column. Or not. Who knows?
The wires are very plainly marked, they match the new ones and there are
only two. You can't screw it up unless you fail to insulate your splices.
If you don't unsulate them well, then you can expect some really fun
problems later, and maybe even some fireworks in your lap as you drive down
the highway, impressing your woman with your technical prowess
That job takes about 1.5 hours, and the part is 56 bucks from Grand. GM
wants 98 dollars for it, and a shop will charge you around 300 dollars to do
it.
The tip about the Sears tools is definitely a life saver. The ignition switch part number is 26068757.
Okay, here's full directions with pictures -
1) Remove the lower panel beneath the dash. You should know how to do it by now.2 phillips head screws.
2) Take out the two Torx bolts (size 25) under the steering column:
Pull out the tilt lever:
Push the lower cover towards the dash and down to disengage the clips:
3) Here's where the Sears tools come into play.
Or small female torx bits, if you have those. There's two screws holding on the top cover, one left, one right:
4) Disconnect the negative terminal from the battery. Now comes the tricky part. There's a small hole above the ignition, circled here:
Turn the key to "START", and push a small hex wrench in the hole to release the latch. It's pretty hard to get to, I used needle-nose vice grips to hold the wrench:
So after the latch is pushed down, release the key to the "RUN" position, and the whole key receptacle can be pulled out. IMPORTANT: Keep the key in the cylinder until you have reinstalled it and turned to the OFF position.
5) Now to use the other Sears tool. There's two screws on the ignition switch, circled here:
Press with a screwdriver on the left of this white plastic piece to press the tab, so the white part can be rotated out:
You'll have to disconnect an electrical connector from the solenoid that keeps the key from being removed. I have removed that solenoid, so I don't have pics of it. There may be some tie wraps to cut, also. Now we're free from the steering column:
5) Undo this wire harness clip:
Use a 7mm socket to loosen this bolt and separate the electrical connectors:
Pry between the parts of the connector so the two outer parts can be pushed forward and separated:
6) Now to operate on the internals of the switch! Pry the top off, you'll see some springs:
Pry this metal ring off:
Pry off the next cover, you'll see this:
Take out the pieces, and inspect. Here's our enemy, carbon!
Use some fine grit sandpaper to clean the pads on the metal bits, and the contacts on the switch side.
7) Put everything back together, basically just a reversal of the previous steps. Put the coil spring and the white "cam" in the top cover so the piece of the spring that sticks up is at 12 o'clock. The tab on the cam should be at about 9 o'clock. Place these parts on top of the lower assembly. The piece of the spring that sticks forward will not be in the correct location, you have to push it around to its correct position at about 4 o'clock, while holding the upper and lower parts of the switch together. Fun!
8) Test it out, enjoy the air blowing on your face at a low speed.
