No heat problem - 2000 GT

[Demi]

Hey guys, been a while since I posted. I'm experiencing a "no heat" issue in the car. To specify, I have the Automatic Temperature Control (with the digital readout, 2 knobs) setup. My heat initially gave out in about April 2012, but I didn't have to worry about it with warmer weather coming in. No air is being pushed out through the vents. If I hit the auto button, it does nothing. Somewhere along the way, probably going over some pothole or something, it came back in I want to say November? It worked intermittently for a couple weeks, and died out again. So I looked to the web for some answers as to what could be going wrong here. I found most answers were traced back to either a bad blower motor or the resistor, or both. I didn't even know its location prior to my research. Well, when I went under the passenger side dash, I observed a pine needle sticking out of the motor assembly. I thought, "..." I removed the pine needle, turned the car to "ON", and hit Auto, and air came rushing through the vents. I got very very excited that I did something so simple and saved potentially a couple hundred dollars. Air does (did) work on lower fan settings than max. Until today, when out of nowhere, it gave out again. =( I checked the 30a fuse in the glove box, didn't look blown. I went up to Autozone, and they told me that for a 2000 Grand Prix with the ATC, the motor costs $72, and a new resistor is $190. Any suggestions? Is it possible to clean the blower motor out/off and achieve success that simply, without having to replace it altogether? Sorry, lot of info, lot of questions.

Thanks in advance guys,
Mike

[Demi]

Also (potentially unrelated, but possibly related), I am currently heavily leaking coolant from what a buddy told me was my Lower Intake Manifold, which I researched & found out is a pretty common problem for these cars. I'm wondering if I should look at getting a new thermostat possibly? I read that the ACCS (Auto climate control system) won't blow any air if there's a bad thermometer or electrical circuitry issue. I'm not adept at car repairs, but I have a damn good brain on my shoulders and with the right guidance, I can figure this stuff out.

Thanks again guys,
Mike

[Scottydoggs]

buy a used fan, they run about 40 bucks. morads, or local junk yards.

check for power at the fan, and resistor first tho. to rule out the resistor or a blown fuse.

[Scottydoggs]

t stat going bad would show up on your temp gauge before it made the blower stop blowing.

do your lim gaskets asap. and while your doing them mod your lim. heres a link to the how to. http://www.grandprixforums.net/how-mod-lim-46931.html

[Demi]

Reading the link now, thanks for the quick reply. I know that's bad, I've got oil residue in my coolant reservoir (it's blackish on the inside).. Talk about f'ing up my new radiator and whatnot. Sigh

[Scottydoggs]

the coolant tank is dex sludge. not oil.

if you pull your dip stick out for the oil, if its over filled or milky looking or foamy looking, stop driving it asap, thats coolant in the oil. aka bye bye engine.

[Demi]

I don't have a drill like that nor do I know anyone with one to mod the LIM like that... looks beneficial though

[Demi]

check for power at the fan, and resistor first tho. to rule out the resistor or a blown fuse.

Curious, what is the proper term to give to Autozone for the tool to check for power called?

[Scottydoggs]

drill bits are cheap, and the tap is fairly cheap, the 2 hole on the top are all you really need to seal off.

doing this prevents coolant from getting into your oil ever again. even if the upper intake gaskets fails again.

[Scottydoggs]

a 2 dollar test light, it has a wire with a alligator clip on the end, you ground it to some metal, and with the prob touch inside the plug, if it lights up, you have power.

[Demi]

Ground it to any metal? The job I'm doing is underside passenger dash, so I could use a recommendation on what to clip it to (I don't know how long the ground wire is)

[Demi]

Sorry if that's excessively nooby of a question

[dsmuts]

Where do you live in OH? I could do a LIM job cheap.

[Demi]

Parma.

[Scottydoggs]

you clip the ground to anything metal to ground it, literally anywhere theres bare metal. nut, bolt, frame work. the cord is 3 feet long on most testers.