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Comments
The check is to take the leads from the blower motor and apply direct battery power through a fuse--please use a fuse-- and see if the motor works. They do die.
Then follow the leads from the blower motor up to the left to the top of the channel that the air goes through from the blower. On top of this boxy channel is the end of an electronic power transistor that controls the blower speed. The circuit board part sticks down into the air stream inside the box for cooling.
You can access this by removing two screws that hold the Relay Center to the firewall above it. The wires to the Relay Center have enough give to move it up some and allows access to the screws holding the blower control module.
You can buy modules at rockauto.com, gmpartsdirect.com, and other parts stores. You also can use recycled from wrecked cars. Just check the parts numbers. Or search on car-parts.com; you'll see the interchangeable ones from other cars.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You can test it by using a FUSED wire from the battery along with the ground wire and disconnecting the power to the blower and substituting the power leads from your battery. If it runs fine then, your problem is the blower motor control module or resistor pack or a connection.
Most likely it's the blower motor has worn out. There are 5 screws holding it, more or less, and it comes out toward the motor and can be wiggled out. Some people push the car forward in park and block the rear wheels which twists the motor slightly forward leaving a little more room.
Replacement motors for those years are relatively cheap at various stores or rockauto.com.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The motor end of the fan is down. The squirrel cage rotates in a horizontal plane. There is a connector that some people have found had poor or burned contacts. it's the one for the fan that leads to it.
Most like the fan is toast. The brushes inside the fan and commutator wear fast. Poor supplier quality.
Remove the carpet on the firewall by pulling it down toward the seat. You'll need the extra room. REmove three screws from fan holding it in place. Then Wiggle it out.
Replacement should go in similarly.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The blower motor on my 2004 Lesabre Ltd stopped working with essentially no warning. The electronic A/C control indicates it is telling the fan at what speed to operate, but no air is coming out.
I have researched to the point that I suspect the blower motor and the blower control module. However, getting to the module requires I move the Dash Integration Module off its mounting bracket. I can't tell how the module is mounted to the bracket, so I don't know how to remove it.
I have removed the blower motor, and observe that it has s three-pronged connector, and that the motor label indicates it expects 14V. Is there a schematic around that could tell me which two prongs are getting the voltage, so I could test the power @ the connector? I hand-rotate the cage on the blower, and it seems to spin without resistance, but I obviously have no reference of how freely a known-good motor should spin.
I would appreciate any additional advice anyone might have on this issue. It appears I can order an aftermarket blower from eBay for about $60, and a control module for about $90, but if someone has some info that might suggest another course of action would be appropriate, I'd be more than grateful. It appears my aunt and uncle, who have a 2001 Lesabre, spent some $700 getting this same issue fixed at nearly identical mileage (approx 67K)
Thanks in advance
There also is a problem on some, but I believe earlier than your year, where the ground strap from the armature loses contact with the housing. People lengthen that lead to ensure good contact. Some people have taken apart the working end of the motor to inspect the brushes and the contact--if you have electrical knowledge, you may be able to do that. It sounds like you're dedicated to replacing it if you mess it up by disassembling.
A quick check of my 03 service manual shows A and B as the leads for the motor which are black and purple. C which is brown is a flange ground that goes back to the blower control module.
The blower motor controll processor (the name for the blower control module) is held on by a screw at the top of the box. There's nothing else in front of it.
Is your HVAC the dual temp with digital readout?
The manual system may be different.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
That's led me to pulling the fan out, and trying to get the module out. The control system is the integrated electronic panel with digital display.
I will be looking at an aftermarket blower, because the local GM dealer wants $300 for a replacement. I think not.
I thought I would update the status of my blower problem. I picked up an aftermarket blower motor here in town for about $139 before taxes (which is still more than the one I priced at ebay, but was looking at $40 shipping to get it out here with even the best shipping option). I installed the new motor and it worked perfectly, with no further indication of stopping or failing to start with the car. My trusty Buick is now comfy cool once again!
Please allow me to offer my thanks to those who replied here.
-Dave
What brand was that blower motor you used?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Poor vacuum due to cracked plastic reservoir tank or rotting, dried lines that are leaking air into them. The one-way valve before the vacuum goes to the firewall box may be cracked, defective, etc. You can suck air through to see if it's okay.
A vacuum line connector sucking shut where the lines in the control (programmer box) under the inside dash connect to the lines going to the actual vacuum motors (actuators) that move the vanes.
A dragging, broken, vane or a tear in the diaphragm keeping the motor from pulling with full force.
You can check lines at the motor, firewall, and into the car.
With motor running do you feel a good sucking pressure on fingertip from the black line leading inside the car tot he programmer?
You can take a vacuum line from the motor to each of the actuators under the dash and connect them to see if they move properly. That's what I would do--buy some vacuum line and connect it and probably 8 feet of line would reach inside the car and check the actual motors.
Then you can run the engine to get vacuum and switch between the settings and see which motors move to control the air flow. This will isolate that the one line that goes to the motor that moves the vane that closes off the flow to the defroster that makes the air come out the dash isn't working, most likely. Also the flow to the floor is turned off by that motor but I believe there's no vacuum used because that's the default position.
The motor for the defroster/dash has an axis of rotation that is horizontal and parallel to the firewall IIRC.
Your programmer may have a connector like this which closes off under vacuum.
This person used aquarium air line to make a sheath over the outside of the lines and connected the lines internal to the black programmer box to the lines outside
You're in for some upside down time fiddling under the dash.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If you can hear any of the vanes in the heater box move when you press different buttons on the control while the motor is idling to provide vacuum or immediately after shutting the motor down while vacuum is holding in the reserve tank, your programmer box is probably working okay. I'd give replacing the connector portion an 80% probability of fixing it. This problem with heat deterioration and age failure for the connector has been known for years.
2001
softened plastic in connector blocking vacuum
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Anyone has any ideas...?
Corsow 1557
Module click here
The picture here shows a resistor pack but the BCM does in the same hole.
Location
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I just bought a 2000 LeSabre Custom with 12000 miles. It has been kept in a garage and everything seems to be like new. The only problem is the A/C does not blow cool air. The compressor seems to work and cycle on and off and the previous owner took it to the dealer shop where refrigerant gas was added about a month ago. The previous owner said it would blow cold air on the drivers side and hot air on the passenger side. My observation is that the passenger side will blow cool air after a while but the driver side blows hot air. When I press the recirc button the indicator light does not come on. Any suggestions?
It will do that if the freon is low. So the first thing to check is the actual charge of the freon.
There are some failures of the supplier parts called actuators that move the vanes in the heater box stack in the middle of the car under the dash. By taking off the driver's side hush panel (the plastic layer above the driver's calves) you can watch these actuators.
I'll look for a diagram that shows which of the 3 on that side does which. One closes off the defroster to make the air come out the dash vents. One closes off the heater opening at the bottom. And one closes the air flow over the heater core to add warmth or take it away; all air goes through the AC evaporator. If you have dual air, then another one controls the warmth and cool mix for the passenger side.
If those actuators move when you change temp and button choices, then you're okay on that. They are replaceable by a moderate mechanical ability person. They can be bought online at Rockauto.com or gmpartsdirect.com or your dealer.
A common symptom of low charge is that the passenger side gets cool air and the driver gets warm air. That's because the freon enters a side of the evaporate where air over it goes to the passenger and the freon is evaporated before any gets to the side of the coil feeding the air to the driver.
If you are careful, a can of freon 134a without oil without dye without special sealer from Walmart and a separate gauge they sell that can be switched from can to can will let you charge the system while running in a cool temp of say 70 degrees up to the correct pressure on the gauge per the instructions. I put a box fan in front of my condensor while I did it on my 98 a couple summers ago. If the two metal tubes in and out of the evaporator are both cold about the same temp with the AC running blower on high after a couple of minutes, you may not need a charge.
Good luck.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The vacuum to the inside vacuum actuators may not be present. Follow the shiny vacuum line from the upper intake manifold where the big tube goes to the brake booster on the firewall. It goes to the passenger side (take off the cover for the relay center) and meets a T. One line goes to the vacuum reservoir under the right front fender. Lie on the ground to look up to see it. It may be cracked or the tube may be pulled off. Pull off the tube and with the motor running feel the tube there to see if there's vacuum.
If you have vacuum there, then go inside and drop the passenger hush panel. You'll see a programmer box (large paperback size) on the corner of the HVAC box. There's a connector in the corner with 6 1/4 inch plastic lines that carry vacuum from the programmer to the various actuators on the HVAC box.
To see if you have vacuum there follow the violet line to the passenger side of the car where it's connected to the black line coming from under the hood at that T.
Pull them apart--they may be hard since they've been together since 1996.
I believe the blue line is the one to the vacuum motor that moves the vane in the dash that stops the air from going out the defroster.
A test to do before digging under the dash is to see if your other vacuum motors move when you push the buttons. Run the motor for an instant. Then turn off motor but leave key ON. Press heat and bilevel, etc., on the control. IF you have vacuum stored, you will hear the other motors move for a few cycles until vacuum stored under the fender is depleted.
The common problem is no vacuum from under the hood. Since you had body work that's my first guess.
Second is that the connector ont he corner of the programmer is soft plastic. The line for the AC sucks shut preventing vacuum from getting to the vane that stops the flow to the defroster; the heater vane closes to shove air to the top then the defroster vane closes to force air out the ash vents. If no vacuum anywhere, you always have defrost as a fail safe which is the way GM designed the system for safety.
You can bypass the connector with little pieces of 1/8 inch gasoline rubber line or an aquarium line is the right size to slip over both ends.
You cut out one line from inside the programmer box and connect them or cut all the lines. Be sure to write down the color inside the box and the color outside the connector; they are different.
My old connector:
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Thank you for letting everyone know what the problem was in your case. That will help others looking for ideas and solutions.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Now I'm ready to splice around the old connections.
I think I have to remove the programmer to get to the harness as shown in your great pictures. I've been warned that I would probably damage the programmer trying to get to the harness without removing the entire programmer. Looking through the glove box hole, the female/male vacuum connection is at the lower left of the programmer.
I can see only one screw holding the programmer on. Is this correct?
Do I have to dis-connect the battery before disconnecting the dash control connection, before I remove the programmer?
Take off the plastic hush panel above the passenger's feet. Three screws at the front and two little spin on nuts along the back IIRC.
Remove the 7 screws for the glovebox. You'll have great access, as long as you don't mind sort of lying across the seat and hanging down onto the floor.
The programmer box has a snap on lid on one side and that clamps the plastic connector in its corner. I suspect the box could be unsnapped WITHOUT taking it off. I Know you need to unsnap the white plastic link to the metal rod. It just snaps apart pushing forward or backwards.
If you can wait a day I can find a programmer box and show you the snaps.
Remember to write down the color tube on the inside of the connect and the color to which it connects on the outside.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Also, remember it's a 99 LeSabre with auto air, if this makes any difference.
I have removed the glove box already.
What about the electrical disconnection? If I remove the programmer do I disconnect the battery before disconnecting the controller electrical connection? Looking into the glove box hole it's sort of right in front of me.
Thanks so much again.
ClearLake
Because of those connectors, if you can remove the cover and clip out the plastic connector for one or all of the little tubes, it would be easier.
I may be repeating, but I used 1/8 inch internal gas line. Others have found aquarium line fits over the little small hard plastic vacuum lines. A little moisture on the end of the line may help it slide in easier.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Regarding the hush panel, what is the IIRC you mention. I can see the front connectors and spin nuts.
Is the second programmer connector screw on the firewall side of the programmer, the bottom or somewhere else?
I still am worried about the wiring connected to the passenger side of the programmer, if I actually get to the removal point. Should I disconnect the battery first?
How do you attach a jpeg photo?
I've removed the hush panel and the small connector arm at the bottom of the programmer.
I see what I think is the 2nd screw for the programmer at the bottom.
I think I would be better off if I could get to the vacuum lines internal to the programmer without removing the programmer itself.
I've already removed the female part of the vacuum line connection, the clear plastic piece with the external vacuum lines going to the motors, once. If there was a way to get the male part of the connection out without tearing up the programmer I might could extend the interior vacuum lines out of the programmer and make the splices.
There might be a holding clip (black) running around the top and side of the black plate with the male nipples on it. I'm not sure. Breaking this in a removal attempt might not be too critical. This could be sealed pretty well after splicing.
As a last resort I could make a manifold for the lines to the motors, figure out the functions of the internal programmer lines and set up a plug and play to manually replace the programmer vacuum functions.
I may have to see if a sympathetic parts man would let me look at a replacement programmer to understand it better.
You can see I'm getting loopy. Help.
The little actuator motor on top of the HVAC is a clip on snap; pull prong out to pull upward. It's on the picture of the programmer.
The plastic connector for the tubes is a slide in. There are grooves around it.
link title
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'm now going to get tubing to go around the male component.
The hardest part was the removal of the electrical connector on the front of the programmer. I studied the little grey clips/locks/whatevers for a long time until I figured I needed to pry the smaller lock/connector arms out a little with a small screwdriver. There's one of these on both sides of the connector. You know this of course. After much wiggling the connector came loose. The electrical connection on the top of the programmer wasn't hard at all. After the two screws were removed I was able to drop it down and jiggle it out.
Now the tubular fix, I hope.
I'll send you the results as soon as I recover from the heat.
thanks
I started the car and turned on the air. Voila, there's cold air coming out of the dash vents. Selecting windshield/floor works too. No more tests. I'll drive it awhile before re-installing the hush panel and glove box. I'll test heat and vent etc.
thanks again,
ClearLake
Did you use rubber gas line to connect the vacuum hoses or aquarium line?
Thanks for coming back to tell us it worked or didn't work!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I noticed that either GM or the mechanic who did the repair before had used a 1/8in or smaller inner diameter vacuum line to splice the lines coming from the actuator motors (I assume) and going into the clear connector plate (female part). This splice was about 3 to 5 inches before the lines entered the female plate. So I went to my local AutoZone and they finally found some of the same size vacuum line. The outer diameter looks a bit larger than the other, but it makes a very tight fitting. I used 4-5in sections for the connections to give me some room and I tie-wrapped the bundle near the programmer.
I'm now wondering whether or not to worry about sealing the opening left by the old joined female/male connector plate at the lower left corner of the programmer.
I gave the cooling settings a good test today and no problems. I need to do the same for the heating adjustments.
I did notice that the programmer motor driven lever at the bottom of the programmer moves with the temperature settings. I still don't know what vacuum lines are opened or closed for the various other dash control buttons. I'm just interested, after seeing how the solenoid manifold works.
Thanks again for staying with me through this. By the way I just turned off the a/c at the dash before disconnecting the front and top electrical connections, being careful to pull straight out on the connectors. The top was easy, the front took me some figuring out, but I made it with the help of a small flat blade screwdriver to carefully pry the locking arms outward.
Everything seems to work fine. Heat out of any vent selected and air out of any vent selected.
I'll wait for a rain shower to cool things off and then button things up.
I wonder how many people have suffered the pain of paying extravagant prices for this repair, or even worse getting rid of an otherwise good car because of the quoted prices.
He has has a problem with water disappearing from the radiator. He states that he keeps filling the overflow tank but eventually (he wasn't specific ) he gets a hot engine light and finds the tank empty.
I did a quick check and I don't see any leaks from the usual sources (hoses, water pump, radiator) so I starting to think it's the dreaded Intake manifold gasket problem.
I looked at the exhaust and there is some slight white exhaust but this may be due to the system still being cold. I revved it up and didn't see any increase in the white smoke.
So what do the experts think? I'd like to have a better handle on this before he takes it to a shop and gets nailed for $800 to replace that gasket.
Is there any way to diagnose this without any special tools?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
You can watch the link for movement while you move the heater control temp on passenger side up and down (with key ON). Actuator has wire connecting to programmer. It has two little screws on top that are barely accessible.
link title
link title
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
One controls the driver's side temp
One controls the passenger side temp
Take off the hush panel above the passenger's legs. On the bottom of the heater box is a white lever that comes out of programmer box. It snaps onto a small rod that has ridges on it like screw threads. it may be unsnapped. Or the motor for the plastic link is not working.
The actuator on top of the heater box close to the top of the programmer also actuates a vane inside the heater through a small rod. Check to see if one of these work when you operate the temp control for driver (main) and then check to see if the other work move when the passenger control is varied. Be sure to have the key ON when trying this.
The actuators may have cracked a gear inside the box. The actuator for the lower one is inside the programmer box which has all the vacuum tubes coming out of it. I assume it requires replacing the programmer.
I forget which one, top or bottom, controls which temp.
You may want to take off the glovebox lid by removing 6 screws along the bottom. I think that makes it a lot easier to see. And I think the lower lever is kind of protected by a snap on shield.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
For most if I understand poster's comments, the axles are white and you can see them move in response to different commands from the controls with the key ON. Take off the hush panels under the dash to see the controls. You may need to look on driver and passenger side both.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If it's really warm, and you can tell which hoses go to the heater back on the firewall, touch each of them after the engine has been running and the blower fan is ON high. TURN the motor off before reaching around because of the fan belts. Both heater hoses should be about the same temperature if water is flowing through the heater core like it should.
Look at your reservoir tank for coolant. Is it a nice orange? Or orange with a hint of brown tone because of the sealer put in the car in 03 for a recall that GM did to use a sealer again that wasn't put in at the factory. If the coolant is sludgy looking and dark, perhaps oily looking on top, you might have a problem with DexCool that was contaminated with regular coolant and is clogging up. Sometimes the heater cores can clog easily with goop.
But most likely you have an actuator motor that is dead or stuck. They move the vanes inside the HVAC box inside the car. I can't isolate which one is likely for the temp unless you tell me you have an automatic system with digital readout or a manual system without the digital readout.
Here's a link to a pict showing two or the actuator motors. Notice they have a small circle at one end in white that's the end of the rotor. So with the key ON, motor off, you can change settings on the temperature, air direction, etc., and the actuators will move. If they don't, people say they come off easily with a couple of screws and you can buy news ones at a dealer or by internet.
This is a picture I found on the net. It is not my picture. Thanks to whoever took it. It is a heater box without the dash around it. You can access this by taking off the thin plastic covers under the dash, left and right sides. A few screws. Carefully remove them. Notice in the picture you can see the white plastic arms that move th vanes inside the box. I don't know if you can see them in the car or not. I do not know if the temperature blend door (changes from warm to cold) is on the left or the right for your car. I suspect left because on a dual system one on the right would control the passenger side of the HVAC box.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/IMG_6576.jpg
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,