Bad blower motor, resistor, or connector?

[Kart Hauler]

Hello. Allow me to introduce myself as the proud new owner of an AWD 2001 Safari. It's got 250,000 miles on the ticker, but the motor still runs perfectly!

At any rate, several hours of searching this great forum helped track down my A/C problem to either the blower motor, the resistor, or the connector. Initially, neither the A/C compressor or the blower motors would kick in. After replacing a blown fuse, the compressor and rear A/C works great on all settings, but there's still no air coming out of the front vents on any of the fan settings. As you can see, the connector at the resistor is burnt and will most likely need replacement. Is this a junkyard part, or can I find a replacement at a dealership?



Also, what tests can I perform to determine if the blower motor and resistor also need replacement?

On a different subject, I found this wire dangling near the steering column. What is it supposed to attach to?

[Meterpig]

On the motor, if it's OEM, replace it with a non contact motor new from Oreilleys for $40 or so. The OEM one is a dustmaker. Also, as the motor starts to fail, it will cause the resistor to fail and also kill the harness. Get a new resistor from Amazon...or your favorite place. The plug can be found a junk yard easy. Sometimes the actual switch in the dash will short out causing two speeds to be selected.

The whole system is terrible...like GM terrible. Once you replace it all....all will be fine for the the life of the van.

[WoodButcher]

Test the motor in place, hotwire it directly from the battery, either it works or no. Don't replace it arbitrarily.
Pull the resistor, visual inspection will tell you if it is good or not. The plug for it you might find in the JY but the odds are 50/50 as to finding a good one. Pretty sure full size vans of a similar year will work. Check Rockauto.com they might have one, that is something dorman might make. That plug may work as is.

No idea what the mystery wire would be, it appears to clip on a pipe, temp sensor maybe?

[Kart Hauler]

Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated!

As for the mystery wire, the pic doesn't do a good job of putting the scale of the wire into perspective. The red wire is about the same gauge as a spark plug wire. Pretty thick. Maybe some kinda aftermarket add-on?

[Meterpig]

Test the motor in place, hotwire it directly from the battery, either it works or no. Don't replace it arbitrarily.
Pull the resistor, visual inspection will tell you if it is good or not. The plug for it you might find in the JY but the odds are 50/50 as to finding a good one. Pretty sure full size vans of a similar year will work. Check Rockauto.com they might have one, that is something dorman might make. That plug may work as is.

No idea what the mystery wire would be, it appears to clip on a pipe, temp sensor maybe?

Yes, it may work. Today. The OEM motors tend to build up metal dust inside the housing. That is why I recommend dumping them the moment this stuff starts to show up.

[Kart Hauler]

I went ahead and ordered up a new motor, resistor, and connector from Rock Auto for $60. I figure that even if I spend a few extra bucks going this route, eliminating future headaches by replace all three potential culprits in one fell swoop will be worth the effort.