# blower resistor question



## razooki (Sep 27, 2004)

I found out in a previous thread that the blower resistor might be the reason my fan only works on setting 4. The question now is should the blower still work if the plug that attaches to the resistor is disconnected? Are there any visible signs that the resistor is toast? I'd hate to buy a new one and find out that it's not the problem.


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## HATEnFATE (Dec 24, 2002)

Yes and Yes the resistor is the problem. 

The resistor might not have any visible signs


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## razooki (Sep 27, 2004)

HATEnFATE said:


> Yes and Yes the resistor is the problem.
> 
> The resistor might not have any visible signs


Thank you.


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## blackmaxima88 (Mar 20, 2005)

I ventured out by saying maybe it's common with these cars, but others seem to disagree.

yws, when you disconnect that resistor, the fan will work, but only on #4. the resistor can be checked with an ohmmeter against factory specs, but I'd lay any money on that being the problem. sometimes if you look at the resistor circuit board you can even see a burned-out section. anyway, it's an easy enough fix that it really doesn't need to get technical.


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## HATEnFATE (Dec 24, 2002)

The only reason it might be getting to be more common is because of the age these vehicles are reaching.

::::EDIT:::::::

Nissan has changed the design of the resistor so the one you buy and the one you take out WILL NOT look the same.


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## B13boy (Dec 16, 2004)

Blower Motor Resistors are very common on these cars, at my work I sell two a week on average for B13's and B14's. As stated earlier there is a new part number for these which is a "updated design" Nissanparts2u.com has them for discounted prices!


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## DominickGT (Aug 28, 2005)

B13boy said:


> Blower Motor Resistors are very common on these cars, at my work I sell two a week on average for B13's and B14's. As stated earlier there is a new part number for these which is a "updated design" Nissanparts2u.com has them for discounted prices!


The B13 king has spoken:

Blower Motor Resistor for $18


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## 99.5pathfinder (Dec 8, 2005)

*Blower Motor Resistor keeps blowing!*

I have a 1999 Nissan pathfinder. The blower motor resistor blows and I have no function on settings one, two and three.... only on high. So I replace the resistor and it blows again in a few days. I solder the old one and get a week out of it and it blows again. I noticed that on speeds 1, 2 and 3 the resistor is very hot to the touch. Is this normal? I replaced the switch and tried a new motor. Still, the resistor is very hot on speeds 1, 2, and 3. I replace the Blower Switch Relay and still the resistor gets hot on speeds 1, 2, and 3. On setting 4, the resistor is not hot to the touch. Where the hell do I go from here.

Frustrated!


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## JRinke (Jan 10, 2006)

I ALSO have this problem in my car and its been that way for years now. I just got used to the all or nothing deal. Ok, could someone post a picture of where this part is that needs to be changed or better yet, post their source for finding diagrams of parts or suggest which Manual I get.


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## DominickGT (Aug 28, 2005)

JRinke said:


> I ALSO have this problem in my car and its been that way for years now. I just got used to the all or nothing deal. Ok, could someone post a picture of where this part is that needs to be changed or better yet, post their source for finding diagrams of parts or suggest which Manual I get.


It's not that hard, once you get under the glovebox you will see it. There are 2 screws and you should be able to pull out the resistor. I replaced it along with the blower motor switch. I too waited a while, but when my heater stopped working on fan speed 4 also, I knew I had to replace the resistor AND switch. I was very cold for about a week.


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## Shawn B (Oct 5, 2005)

JRinke said:


> I ALSO have this problem in my car and its been that way for years now. I just got used to the all or nothing deal. Ok, could someone post a picture of where this part is that needs to be changed or better yet, post their source for finding diagrams of parts or suggest which Manual I get.


It's in the passenger footwell bolted to the outside wall under the dash. Big ass wires and a connector. Two screws and it's out. Looks like a credit card attatched to a connector. The new one will look slightly different. 

Easy enough that I have done it twice (in 170K). Which means anyone could do it. Seriously, I have zero mechanical skills.


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## HATEnFATE (Dec 24, 2002)

Also..be SURE you have the new one in before you test it. The air flowing over the resistor cools it. If you turn on the fan before you install it you'll blow it because it will overheat.


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## nftyper (Jun 12, 2006)

This is what i pulled out











This is what came when i ordered the resistor.











so did i get the wrong part? or am i missing something?
i ordered straight from that link above, and i read that the new resistor will be different but the connectors are not the same as the old one. does any one have a part # for this resistor? I have a 92 XE.


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## nftyper (Jun 12, 2006)

I went to the dealer and i got the right one. I also changed the fan switch but still no air.


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## fofgrel (Feb 12, 2006)

mine will work on all the settings (93 sentra) except if I push it all the way to the right. Very iritating because if I'm in position 4 and drive over a bump, it'll move that extra 1/16 inch and I have to push it bak over. Is there a simple fix for this or should I just put Bondo in the track to prevent it from going over that far?


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## DjTechnicsSL220 (Jun 6, 2006)

Stupid me, I should have read and searched first. This morning I went to the junkyard to get a new BLOWER MOTOR, got one paid 13 bucks for it, pretty damn cheap. Plugged it in and the blower motor is in perfect condition and works but still only blows on 4. Now that I know it is the BLOWER RESISTOR, im going tomorrow morning to smuggle a couple resistors or just pay for them. But, I did check my resistor now and it looks perfectly fine. No melted wires, no cut wires, no nothing, looks pretty good. Does the resistor show any signs of failure or what? Plus, how can a simple plastic piece of S*** cause this problem? And also, how do I put the new resistor in? Any tricks or just straightforward?


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## DjTechnicsSL220 (Jun 6, 2006)

Went to the junkyard, smuggled one resistor from a sentra and one from an altima, altima one works!!!! Now 1,2,3 and 4 works...hell yea!


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## bc66762 (Oct 9, 2005)

I have a 95 nissan truck xe 4x4. I looked under the glove box and passenger wall cannt find the resister? Looked in aftermarket book chilton not in there. Looked under Ac/heat found blower motor not resister. Had to order from autozone. Am I just not looking good enough or is it in a different place. Thanks for your help. (95 nissan resister replace ment)


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## JRinke (Jan 10, 2006)

Umm, I dont mean to be mean, but this is a Sentra thread so I dont think a lot of people know too much about trucks but i could be wrong. As for some advice about finding the resistor, just keep looking in the general area of your ECU, its got to be there somewhere.


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## HATEnFATE (Dec 24, 2002)

You should be asking your blower resistor queston in the truck section of the forum. I'm not sure where your resistor is located. usually they are easy to find but every once in a while they can be hiden behind something.


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## fanl (Jun 24, 2004)

Ok! How am i going to find a new resistor here in Brazil!?
Fuck..
Junkyards, here I go..


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## Electric (Jun 18, 2007)

Damn mine just went on my lunch break. Only have fan speed 4! Cool thing is thats what i usually use bc its 90* friggen degrees out! Just ordered a new resistor for $26 shipped. Better fix it damn it!


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## 99.5pathfinder (Dec 8, 2005)

*Blower Resistor*

I had similar experience and found that it is critical to place the repaired or new resistor in the slot under the dash. When you place it in the correct "SLOT" under the dash there is a stream of cool air that blows over the resistor to help keep it cool. I bought a new one and placed it on the floor "hooked up of course" and it became quite hot and blew within minutes. I soldered the old one and placed it back under the dash and ensured it was in the plastic slot so the cool air can run over it to help cool it during speeds 1, 2, and 3. It's been working for two years now with no problems. What a poor design by Nissan!


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## Electric (Jun 18, 2007)

I just got my new resistor today at lunch. It came in 3 days, pretty good stuff!

Anyway, I put it in and when I was doing so, there is a black little hose right next to it that was deattached that I put back on facing upwards. Does anyone know what this is and I assume its suppose to be attached!


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## eugenefl (Apr 3, 2003)

I bought my 93 B13 used in spring of 98. They tried to sell it to me with a messed up blower resistor. Of course, having owned this car forever now - and never had another problem with the resistor - I see that it's not a big deal. Over the years this has come up in various forums Sentra related and it's always the blower resistor.


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## mickn (Mar 15, 2008)

I have a Nissan Terrano 2.7 tdi , would you know the location of the blower resister , cheers


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## mickn (Mar 15, 2008)

My Resistor blew and i tried to repair it by soldering a resisitor on the board but it blew again , in the end i went to Nissan parts and paid £24 the resistor has been modified and i have not had a problem for 6 months


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## eclix (Jun 27, 2008)

I finally got around to replacing my resistor and presto! When I bought the car it only every worked on 4 so it is nice to have a fully functional fan .


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## xbeaus (Oct 9, 2009)

eclix said:


> I finally got around to replacing my resistor and presto! When I bought the car it only every worked on 4 so it is nice to have a fully functional fan .


My 94 SE-R was the exact same way. Went to auto zone and paid $14.00 for a new one. So easy I think I did it in about 20 seconds. Works great on all speeds now.

And sometimes you can see a bad resistor. Looks like a burn mark. Mine looked fine. Just old with Japanese all over it that said do not re-wire or something like that.


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## eclix (Jun 27, 2008)

It's amazing how simple some solutions to some of the issues I have had are!


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## xbeaus (Oct 9, 2009)

eclix said:


> It's amazing how simple some solutions to some of the issues I have had are!


well if your lucky (or not depends on how you look at it) and you have owned or worked on cars like this they are very simple. There isn't much to them. I think the most complicated part is the motor itself but after you figure that out a DOHC 16 Valve motor is pretty cool. I've owned an 87 GTI and a 91 GLI and I think I had to work on them every day just to drive them! 

These cars are not that hard to perform all the maintenance on IMO


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## eclix (Jun 27, 2008)

I get the impression that vw's require more tlc to keep on the road then our precious Nissans .


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## sentra727 (Feb 28, 2009)

i've had my blower resister work on speed 4 for the longest time til it quit on me. i didnt know what to change til just recently. i got 4 blower resisters from the junk yard (4 for the price of 1 if you all know what i mean ;P) and none of them had the burned mark that mine did which to me indicated that they all should have worked on all speeds. but all of them work on speed 4 only. how can i test the resistors them selves to find out if indeed the resisters are all bad or if there is something else wrong that i need to fix?


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

If it's only working on the highest speed, that means it's not using the resistor to decrease power which in turn means that your resistor is indeed bad so the one from the junkyard is also bad. The resistor is only used for all the other speeds except "high". Buy a new one, it's not that expensive - should be around $20-$30 depending on your car.


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## sentra727 (Feb 28, 2009)

('92 sentra se) i cracked open my blower resister just to see how it works and all it is, is metal strips inside. how do this things go bad to the point that only one selected speed works? such a simple device... can these be fixed if ever? i've yet to go buy one at the store. but since i got 4 of these at the junk yard, i wanted to konw if i can fix these myself. that way, i would have 1 replaced and 3 spare ones.


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

sentra727 said:


> ('92 sentra se) i cracked open my blower resister just to see how it works and all it is, is metal strips inside. how do this things go bad to the point that only one selected speed works? such a simple device... can these be fixed if ever? i've yet to go buy one at the store. but since i got 4 of these at the junk yard, i wanted to konw if i can fix these myself. that way, i would have 1 replaced and 3 spare ones.


Does your blower still work on the highest speed or no?

Here's a link to explain how they work and how to check for failures:

How Does a Blower Work in a Car? | eHow.com


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## TheBrownRobert (Aug 28, 2007)

To reduce the speed of the blower, the blower resistor must "resist" the flow of electricity to the blower. One of the byproducts of electrical resistance is heat, which breaks down the materials of the resistor over time. The reason why only speed 4 works is the resistor doesn't provide any resistance against the supply of power on that setting, since it's supposed to be "full speed". This means that the circuit for speed 4 doesn't encounter the heat resulting from resistance like the other 2 speeds, allowing it to last longer.

EDIT: I remember reading somewhere that you are not supposed to run power through the blower resistor until you're done installing it. What I mean is, when you have everything taken apart and you have the new resistor plugged in, don't turn on the blower until you have everything back together. The resistor relies on air from the blower to cool it, and leaving it laying on the floorboard while testing it will burn it up. As I said, I just read it somewhere, so perhaps they aren't actually that sensitive. Just food for thought.


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## sentra727 (Feb 28, 2009)

yes, all the resistors that i got all work on speed 4 only. i wanted to know if i could fix them myself if ever. i did read the link on eHow.com by the way, thanks.


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

sentra727 said:


> yes, all the resistors that i got all work on speed 4 only. i wanted to know if i could fix them myself if ever. i did read the link on eHow.com by the way, thanks.


hmmm, possible but hardly likely that all 4 resistors are bad, maybe something else is screwy and we're looking in the wrong direction.........


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## sentra727 (Feb 28, 2009)

Faja said:


> hmmm, possible but hardly likely that all 4 resistors are bad, maybe something else is screwy and we're looking in the wrong direction.........


that's what i thought at one point, but what else could it be? that's why, another reason i wanted to know how (if ever) i could fix the ones that i got, was to make my troubleshooting easier.


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

sentra727 said:


> that's what i thought at one point, but what else could it be? that's why, another reason i wanted to know how (if ever) i could fix the ones that i got, was to make my troubleshooting easier.


Here's an article on how to repair them. You can choose if you want to go this route or just buy a new resistor pack. Read carefully and do at your own risk.................

VWvortex Forums: DIY: repair blower resistor pack for $1.20.


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## silby101 (Dec 21, 2009)

*Switch does not work at all*

Previous to tonight, the fan switch would work on settings 1-3 but not 4 (setting 4 sometimes worked but was the same as 3) but tonight it doesn't work at all. The switch sticks sometimes and is difficult to slide, and now it slides with some friction. It seems like it's the switch and not the resistor but what are the thoughts of those out there? Has anyone replaced this switch?


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## silby101 (Dec 21, 2009)

silby101 said:


> Previous to tonight, the fan switch would work on settings 1-3 but not 4 (setting 4 sometimes worked but was the same as 3) but tonight it doesn't work at all. The switch sticks sometimes and is difficult to slide, and now it slides with some friction. It seems like it's the switch and not the resistor but what are the thoughts of those out there? Has anyone replaced this switch?


Fixed. :fluffy: Since my setting #4 never worked, I figured it was the resistor. So I took it out, and soldered some connections as seen  on this website http://xmdtech.com/fanresistor/fanresistor.html. Now it works as well as it did before (still no #4 but I think that's the switch.)


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## leemurphy (May 5, 2011)

*Blower Madness*

I have a 93 Sentra. Blower stopped working. My haynes manual does not have an electrical diagram. So checked the speed control and it was almost melted. Replaced the speed control and resister. Blower only works on max position. This problem seems to be the resister, but testing the resistance show 1.1 and .7 ohms. No way to validate connnector numbering to haynes manual, same with slide speed control.
any experience?


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## BigDaddySC1 (Oct 9, 2012)

Okay guys I know this is an older thread but I am hoping someone can help me. My wife's 92 Sentra fan control switch broke, so I replaced it as I was testing it before I buttoned everything up, where the harness and switch connect melted. I found a harness at the junk yard and soldered it in. My problem now is I have no power to the fan or the switch, I have checked all the fusses I thought would be part of the circuit and they are fine, is there a fuse able link somewhere? I have called Nissan and all they want to do is sell me a new harness and I cannot find a wiring diagram for this circuit. Can someone please give me a hand as to where to go from here other than tearing the complete dash out? Thanks.


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

this is taken from a 93 Service Manual but if you're getting no power at all to the switch nor the motor then I would say it's either fuse (which you checked), fusible link or relay. Not familiar with your specific model but relay and fusible links maybe marked somewhere in the engine bay or someone with same model can chime in.

NO BLOWER MOTOR OPERATION
Check for blown fuse and melted fusible link. 
Check for disconnected electrical lead to motor.
Check for defective fan switch
and defective blower motor.
Check for defective resistor and defective
blower relay (if equipped).


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## BigDaddySC1 (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks. It wouldn't happen to tell you where the fusible is would it, I've looked every where that I can without pulling the whole dash and can't seem to find it.


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

The fusible links would be in the engine bay, either on the positive battery post or very close to it. Were you able to locate or check the relay?


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## lilhoss105 (Apr 27, 2014)

I have a 2012 Xterra, 47XXX miles, My ac light only comes on at speed 1. Turns off when I turn the fan on higher. fan still blows strong on the other speeds just rapidly turns my cab into a sauna.

Am I looking at a blower motor resistor issue? I took the resistor out, no signs of burn-ups (heard it doesn't always show)

Help please, summer is coming fast in Texas.


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## RJ64 (Jul 23, 2017)

Ancient thread, I know, but relevant to my '94 Sentra. All I had was max speed. Had this issue with too many cars to even count. Ordered new resistor 'pack' on eBay for $12 with free shipping. Today I got it and installed it. It literally took longer to open the box and grab a #2 Phillips screwdriver than to install it. Just like many others posting in this thread have mentioned, be sure to install it before you try it out. It's just above the carpet line behind the glove box and adjacent to the right side kick panel. All is good again with the blower. Now to see about door hinge pins...


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## boycbronco (Jun 24, 2009)

'93 Sentra XE owner. I seem to have the opposite problem of most everyone in this thread. My blower only works on speeds 1-3, not 4. I tried swapping out the resistor, since it is easy and cheap, but no improvement. Is it likely the switch itself that is the problem? Or something else entirely? Thanks.


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## Creezy (Nov 15, 2019)

Hi can you tell me where is the blower resistor in nissan sunny exsaloon?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

It should be near the blower fan, under the dash. Manufacturers put them in a place in the blower housing so that the air being blown by the blower fan will cool the resistor.


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