Chrysler Sebring Climate Control Problems

Claires

Ask questions and talk about Chrysler Sebring's heating and air conditioning systems.

silver2002

Hello. My name is Jason and I own a 2001 Sebring Sedan, And about a week ago the fan speed selector stopped working unless on high, Don't get me wrong I am thankful that I have A/C, As the summer days can be very hot in Florida, but none of the lower numbers work, Although it gets very cold very fast, witch is good, But it's either High or off, and if anyone knows a way to fix this with out having to spend an arm and a leg, And does this year model have an A/C filter? If so where would I find it? any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks,
Jason

oldengineer

I had a 2001 Sebring sedan which developed this exact problem. Turns out that the fan switch resistors had burned out. The dealer fixed it for me for $60. I found out later that the parts only cost about $12, and, I easily could have fixed it myself.

Regards:
Oldengineer

ds1

Boy am I glad I found this site! I am having the exact same problems with my 2002 Sebring LXI. Took it to my dealer yesterday and they immediately said "oh the power supply is out on the fan; will cost about $157 to fix it". Didn't let them do it (am po'd because this is a lease car and my warranty just ran out last month AND I've had my car into the dealer last year for the same problem!) I was going to check the fuses first, if that doesn't work, I will definitely try the fan switch resistors next.

Thanks for the info!!!

ds1

lowellmetro

What is a Fan Switch Resistor and how do I buy one?

lowellmetro

What is a Fan Switch Resistor and how do I buy one?

oldengineer

The fan switch resistor is a little circuit board with some resistors on it. The resistors give you the various fan speeds below full speed. Its available from your Chrysler dealer's parts department. I didn't change mine myself, but, have been told that it plugs into the back of the heater controls. Supposedly you can access it through the glove compartment. Probably have to take the insides out of the glove box to gain access, but, I'm not sure.

Regards:
Oldengineer

lowellmetro

Blower Motor Resistor Switch Mopar part number 1-04885844AA cost $19.31, installed it myself in 45 minutes.

rick99

The fan blower on my '99 Sebring convt.has just now started to work only on HI speed. Would someone please explain to me where the resistor is located and how to get to it (if it is hidden behind panels, etc.).
Thank you very much,
Rick99

rick99

The fan blower on my '99 Sebring convt.has just now started to work only on HI speed. I have seen posts about the resistor needing to be replaced and I have the part #. Would someone please explain to me where the resistor is located and how to get to it (if it is hidden behind panels, etc.).
Thanks,
Rick99

t_sebringlx03

I have a 2003 Sebring sedan and am having the same issue. In your findings, is the resistor the definite problem, and is it something relatively easy for a mechanic (my dad) to fix or should it be taken to the dealer? Tawnya

mark479

Hi Rick, my wife just informed me she has the same problem, I checked fuses, but that car doesn't seem to have a separate high fan motor fuse. I'd appreciate any info on the resistor, where it's located, dealer part, if that corrected the problem? Thanks. Mark

gbradley3

After the engine has heated up and no mater what setting I put the controls on, I get no heat. The tempurature control is set to the max in the red area. The fan blows on all speeds. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
Guy

mark479

The resistor is located under the glove box. There is a plastic housing held in with two plastic fasteners, pry them out and pull it forward, it will slide out on the right when facing. There are two wire harnesses going into the resistor, pull them out, will have to pry a bit, then unscrew the two screws, the resistor will drop right out. Part # 04885844 I believe. Hardest part is laying on the floor board upside down, but it's not too bad.

dab777

After diagnosis, I determined that the Blower Motor Resistor on my '02 Sebring Convertible was inop. The new resistor looked not at all like the old one. I was told that the old one had lots of problems and this would work. The only hitch to the replacement is the fact that you have to use a small hacksaw to make the mounting hole wider to accomodate the new part. It works fine now.

indyvtx

We have a 2000 that is experiencing the same thing. I replaced the resistor and still didn't work. Then I replaced the control head in the dash ($160) and still didn't work. I was wondering if you might have the part number of the new resistor? Appreciate any help that you can offer.

karyl2

This is a late comment to your post in December. I just had the resistor replaced at a cost of $135.00. I thought this was really an overcharge but I needed to get it fixed and they had already ordered the part (also a different part number than you posted.) Do you have any idea of the cost?

Also both head light bulbs replaced at a cost of $70.90. All of this included labor.

I have had trouble with the tires, wheels, electrical system, transmission shifts hard, and now lights and resistor. Also it still takes about 45 minutes for the heater to blow warm air even after the new resistor!

$31,000 for this???

varob

You've probably considered this already, but whenever I've had no heat but had a functioning blower, the problem has been the engine coolant thermostat.

iwantws6

My rear defroster takes a VERY long time to clear the window. I discovered that one of the 2 wired metal contacts is no longer touching the glass. (There's one on the left and one on the right of the window) If I solder it would the defroster work properly again? and most importantly, Is there anything I could damage by soldering it? If I can't solder, do you have any other suggestions?

The car is a '96 Sebring convertible by the way

reedman01

This problem came on rather suddenly. All was fine one minute, but then suddenly the check engine light came on and the heater began blowing cool air. The light stayed on through several engine startings, but, last time I looked it was off. But the heater is still not heating. This is a 2001 Sebring Conv Limited (2.7 L) with 56K miles...

The coolant level and engine temperatures are okay. I haven't tried looking up the codes (since I will have to wait for the light to come on again). Anyone have some ideas as to what might cause a problem like this to come on suddenly? Thermostat? Bad heater core? Some kind of sensor? Thanks.

he11bent

Just an FYI..Advance Auto or Autozone will read codes for free while the light is on. Only takes a few minutes.

If the temperature gauge is still in the middle and you haven't put pure anitifreeze in it lately, I would rule out the aintifreeze and thermostat.

It may be the dash controler itself, no longer adjusting the hot and cold.

reedman01

I think I am narrowing it down to the obvious: low coolant level after all. On that car, the only radiator filler cap is the one on the plastic reservoir. And apparently it has to be completely topped off for the heater to heat.

For some reason, the level seems to be dropping ever so slightly--maybe a cup or two a day. Not much, but just enough to affect the heater. Now I need to figure out where it's going. I haven't noticed any obvious leaks.

Thanks for the advice. By the way, you mentioned "pure antifreeze". I have always been diligent about keeping to a 50/50 mix. But I never have heard anything on how important that is or why. For the benefit of those who are as ignorant as I am, what would happen if the concentration was too rich? Gummed up thermostat or what? Just curious.

he11bent

My '97 (2.5L) has a radiator cap to the right of the front spark plugs about a 10 inches from the radiator, not exactly where you would look. Your system does have a steel pressure cap somewhere. You need to find it and change it. Fill the system from there. Then check/replace the rubber line going between the reservior and the steel filler cap. If there is no leak in the system, the fluid loss is probably coming from the cap.

Antifreeze has about a 25% lower heat capacity than pure water. That’s one reason why a cooling system should never be filled with straight undiluted antifreeze - it increases the risk of overheating during hot weather. Because it holds less heat, during colder weather(February) it makes air coming out the heater feel cool.

holt4

You probably had a response already but the same thing happened to my Sebring. It was the coolant sensor. If you look under the hood about midway to the left you will see a black part that sits on top with a couple of hoses attached and a gold colored metal piece which is the actual sensor. It is a dealership only part and the whole part had to be replaced. It was about $75.00 I think.
But very easy to replace. Do you have any advice on a leaky transmission? I have had the gasket replaced 4 times and it is leaking again. Any similiar problems? This car has had so many problems I am at my wits end with it.

Lisa

captain5

Did you find the answer to your heater problem. My wifes Sebring is doing the same thing and the dealer says they cannot find a problem with it. I would like any info you have.

Thanks, Brad

rosieray

this sounds weird I know, but we had the same problem,
we were going to take it to the dealer to be fixed (they thought it was the blend door), so we empty out the glove compartment and the heater came on and works perfect

sebring5

I have a 2000. Last year the right contact came away from the frit. I went to the dealer, several auto glass outfits and one collision shop. The all said the entire back window has to be removed and replaced by sewing a new one in. The contacts cannot be bonded or soldered. The cost is over $1000. Screw that, I can live without the rear defroster and I live in a northern state.

dispencer1

Radio Shack used to sell a substance that I used to repair a printed circuit on a circuit board. Can't remember if it was a tiny strip or something I painted on -it was 10 years ago. You might check with them and see what is available. I'm sure you can fix it yourself. You could also search on the internet and see what you can find to repair a printed circuit. Your defroster wires are at least bigger than what I was working with.

jlsride

I have a '98 conv and also lost one side of the defroster contacts. I had it soldered at the dealers' for $65 (boyfriend wouldn't do it in case he cracked it) anyway it worked great all winter, and is still attached.

matune1

Hope you haven't paid someone $1,000 to repair/replace that contact yet. We had the same problem and the Chrysler dealer fixed it at no charge. I think they glued it back on with an epoxy glue, and it's been working just fine for about 6 months now.

tbone10

My dealer was looking into my air conditioning system and said that I need a new control unit. Sometimes the A/C works and sometimes it just blows hot air. $300 for the control unit---I was able to find one at a salvage yard for about $50. It is easy to get at but I want to make sure not to snap off any of the plastic pegs on the 2 plug ins. They did not appear to unplug very easily. Any tricks that I should be aware of? Is it wise to go with the salvage part or should I bite the bullet and go back to the dealer? Is this fix more difficult than it appears? Thanks.

jonesmtu

I have a problem with my A/C on my 97 sebring Lxi. Everytime i put on a new ac belt, it starts to squeek in about 2 days and falls off. I dont know what the problem is with it.

oldcem

My 05 Sebring Sedan is dumping the condensate from the A/C out through the duct under the front passenger seat. After a long drive, I've got a huge puddle under the passenger seat. Anybody else had this problem, and, how was it solved? :P

dshelby

I have a '01 Sebring. It has the dash light problem as well as another one. Not only do the dash lights go out unless I bump the signal lever (multifunction switch). The interior sight hardly ever works now and the climate control system is ^&%&^$&$&. If the headlight are on the only thing I get is cold air(a/c). Then if I need the heater AI have to be driving in the daytime cause if the lights are on the heater isnt. So I have a heater, a/c, dashlight and interior light problem. Can anyone help

jab47303

I have an '03 Sebring LXI. When using the A/C, the compressor seems to cut out far too frequently to properly cool the interior. The air from the vents seems to be cool enough when the compressor is running.

Any ideas?

merober26

Just replaced the blower switch resistor on my 2001 Chrysler Sebring because speeds 1-3 did not work on the blower, but 4 did. Its a very easy project to accomplish yourself. I bought the part for $41+tax, the dealer wanted to charge me $90 to install. It is a little cumbersome to work on under the glovebox, and upside down, but anyone can do it. The old part was # 04885919AB on my Sedan, was replaced with a more beefed up resistor part #05174124AA. Since the oblong hole the resistor slides into is too small for the new larger part, I used a dremil grinding wheel to enlarge the hole a little. As other people have stated it took me about a 1/2 hr. to complete, and am very gratified I could save a good chunk of change. Remember to disconnect your battery for safety, since I did see a airbag plug-in in the vicinity.
Regard,
Mark

g_warming

Was woundering if the 2003 sadan would be the same deal. 1-3 stopped working but for us after a week all 1-4 has stopped. Now nothing in the morning but cold icey. . . Anyways the check engine light has come on. Would this be an indication the fan units are out or will we need to have other areas of the vehicle checked as well?

Chris

g_warming

Have a 03 Sebring Sadan with 38,000 Miles on it. The warrenty has just ran out after one year. It had one previous owner and is in good condition. However the fan settings 1-3 stopped working only the high setting at 4 would turn on. We were getting all functions a/c, heat, DEF, only on high. After a week however 1-4 now are all out and nothing works. Is there something we can do to solve this mistery? Replacements parts? Also the check engine light has come on. Is the engine light a indicator that the vent unit is having problems? Could this be just like all the other sebrings a simple resistor/motor problem?

Any feed back is geatfully appriceated.

Chris

saraboo

I've had all the same problems with an '03 Sebring blower, only worked on high for a while, then didn't work at all, then only worked when the car was started for the first time each day. I replaced that resistor, still the blower only works at first start of the day and never after that each day. All 4 speeds are working but only once at first start each day. Any body have a solution or even a guess at what is going on here?

thermochris

I have a nagging problem with the AC in my '03 Sebring. It turns on fine and starts to cool, but on some occasions, it just stops blowing cold air and starts blowing hot air. Most of the time, I get colder air just running the vents. A rattling noise appears when you bump the fan speed up to 3 and 4. If I turn the AC off and back on, I get cold air for about 5 seconds and then back to hot.

The Dealership found a service letter describing the problem and performed the recommended fix: recalibrate the temperature/damper controls. It didn't work.

Is there anyone else experienceing a similar problem and have advice?

Chris

lantz

I'd be careful if I were you. It seems all the sebrings have the same problem with the air control. I have a '99 convertible and the air only worked on Hi. We had it fixed at an auto shop and 3 days later the inside of the car caught fire and literally exploded some forty feet in the air. Anyone else have this problem???

davis17

I have an 01 sebring sedan with the same problem, no heat but plenty of A/C. Also the light in the middle of the temperature console comes on for a while and then goes out. Would this be a temperature sensor problem, because i can't go another winter without heat.

kls3

I have a '01 Sebring and live in Minnesota. I only get heat when I am using the gas pedal. If I am in neutral I can get heat if I push on the accelerator, if not it blows cold air. If I am in gear and using the brake pedal I get cold air. Any ideas why the accelerator and heater are connected?

avatar144

OK here goes( for what it's worth) I have the same problem with my 2000 Sebring Convertible. Its got a Mitsu V6 with 98,000 miles. Except for the heat problem it is a great car. I had it to the dealer three times and they FINALLY fixed it. All they would say is that it was the coolant level, but they didn't replace any parts. It worked fine for the entire year. NOW two weeks ago I get the car serviced and have the coolant flushed and changed. Guess what? The EXACT problem starts all over. So after reading about 75 similiar posts and all possible solutions I tried something that seems to have fixed it. Now I'm not saying its going to fix everbody but it fixed mine. (In fact the heat is hotter then I've ever felt it). First and foremost I am NOT TELLING YOU TO DO THIS, I'm only telling a story of what I did to my car- NOTHING MORE. SO don't try this if you're not experienced.
FIrst I let the car sit all night so the engine was completely cooled. Then I opened the silver radiator cap, NOT the plastic one on the overflow tank mounted on the fender.
Next I started the engine and SLOWLY added WATER (not Anit-freeze) into the radiator. As I did this green FOAM began to rise up the radiator filler neck.At this point I gently squeezed the black radiator hose (large one connected to the radiator) and caused more foam to rise out of the system. I wiped the foam away, added more water and kept repeating this technique. When it became less foamy I reved the engine slightly and a blast of water and anti-freeze blew out (BE CAREFUL and don't rev the engine like its the Indy 500) Make sure the heater control is on RED on the dashboard. I kept adding water (slowly)until there was no more foam, replaced the metal radiator cap and have not had the problem since.
Simply stated the foam displaces the water and is causing the heater core to get air bound. That could be why when you race the engine you get heat- it basically BLOWS the foam through the radiator core. Good luck. Again I'm not saying it will cure everybodys problem but it solved mine. Thanks for reading.

seballr

I am experiencing the exact same thing now in my 2002 Sebring. I am getting hot air when I am pressing on my gas accelerator. As soon as I coast or stopped at a red light, I am getting cold air. I am looking for advice on what I shuld do next. I am thinking about doing what avatar144 recommended on his post.

kls3

We tried the avatar144 solution. There was not foam in the system but we did get some air bubbles out. Unfortunately it didn't fix our problem but it was worth a shot. We are still working on solving the problem.

donnajo

I too have the same problem, my 1996 Sebring Convertible heater blower heats up when I step on the gas or accelerator while in neutral. Reading through the many logs about this issue what about the Blower Motor Resistor - I think this is the same thing as the Fan switch resistor that is mentioned in another posting. The fan switch is accessed through (under?) the glove compartment.

Has anyone replaced that part and had success? I already had a mechanic check under the hood - he said it was something "in the dash". He suggested a solenoid (sp?) for the vents (sounds like a blower motor resistor to me!) and I would have to bring it to a dealer....we know what that means $$$$. :confuse:

Thanks!

caf50

Re: blower motor noise / vibration at speed 3 & 4. Same issue on a 2006 Sebring, remove insulation under passenger side dash. Remove 3 screws that hold up the blower motor & lower motor. Motor had several cherry seeds stuck in the fins, causing big vibration in dash at higher fan speeds. Remove seeds & reassemble; all was fine. The AC is separate issue.

caf50

2006 Sebring Convertible - rear defroster terminal came off window grid, but was able to build up solder on terminal then reapply to window using a standard solder gun.

kls3

I finally got heat consistently but it cost me $1100. The dealership tore out my dash and replaced my heater core. They said that someone had put something in my radiator to stop a leak and it got into the core and plugged it. We never put anything in it so........................ whatever, I'm finally warm.

tedebear

Wow, it looks like someone took a cheap way out to fix a radiator leak and ended up costing you a lot more because of it. A new radiator wouldn't be anywhere near $1,100.

Were you the original owner in '01?