1989 Chevrolet S10 Blazer Blower Keeps Blowing Fuses

Asked by bsperan Jun 21, 2014 at 01:22 PM about the 1989 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer STD 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Every time I run the heater or air conditioner the fuse will blow. It's not usually immediate. But it always happens sooner or later - usually within 30 minutes, if not the hour. I think I've gone through two packs of fuses.

I've tried different fans speeds, but it still blows regardless. And I've tried unplugging the blower motor - which stops blowing fuses, even if I switch the blower to on.

Thing is, I've had to replace blower motors on this thing before - at least twice in the last 5 or 10 years. And as expensive as they are, I'd rather not replace if there could be something else wrong.

How can I tell if it is the blower motor resistor, the switch, the wiring, or the blower motor? (Would a faulty resistor blow fuses like this?)

3 Answers

51,235

You may have a electrical short in the power line leading from the fuse box to the blower motor. When you unhook it, no juice is being drawn through it and it will not blow. Make sure the correct motor is in it and it is wired according to how your car is set up to be wired. A short or large draw will pop a fuse. If possible, run a new wire and make sure it is heavy enough to run the amps needed. Too small a wire will heat up and draw more current than is designed for and pop fuses if it doesn't catch fire first. The fact you have blown two or three motors means either your getting a batch of bad motors, (Yes this can and does happen) or the wiring is not correct, or a short in the line is causing the problem.

1 people found this helpful.
61,165

expensive blower motor? idk who you buy them from but autozone has them for $23 with a lifetime warrenty. Anyhow, IF you had a short it would blow the fuse even with it unplugged. Make sure the blower still has the ground on it from one of the blower motor bolts to the fire wall. If all that is in good shape then either the blower is bad or the resistor is bad. I would just pull the resistor out and see if any part of it looks burnt. If it does that might be creating the extra resistance and pop the fuse

1 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful

For me, even $23 is "expensive" when it may not even be a necessary expense. Indeed, I may have gotten a blower motor with a lifetime warranty before. But there's no way I can find that receipt... Looking online, blower motors for my make and model can cost way upwards of $40 (not including s/h)! Did they stop manufacturing them or something?! Thanks for the tips. I'll give them a try. And I'll start with checking the resistor, as that sounds easy. As I said, though, while I've had to replace the blower on this a couple times before, it was over the course of several years. You mentioned making sure that the blower still has the ground on it. Now that I think about it, the last time I replaced the blower the screw/bolt which held the ground stripped the threads. (I didn't think I overtightened. It was cheap materials and it probably wore from having to replace several times.) To compensate, I had to use a different bolt hole for the ground wire. And I used a file on the metal ear to make good contact. But now, I wonder... Would a poor, intermittent ground contact cause the fuse to blow?

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