So the AC died in my 2001.

here is what has been done:
1) replaced the speed controller transistor
2) replaced the AC button controller
3) no power at the 30amp blower fuse (in cabin fuse block) so: checked engine bay fuse block and wiring, looks OK
4) Jumped a 30amp fused line from battery to the main motor control power lead (the one from the cabin fuse block to the blower harness)
5) checked and swapped the blower relays (the ones in the rubber cases on side of air handler). both relays turn on and off.
6) checked the motor plug and wiring
7) tested the motor directly to battery, Works fine!
8) replaced the cabin air temp controller
9) the AC compressor works fine and makes the lines and evaporator cold!
10) completely replaced the fuse panel with a spare

Nothing has worked. I bought another transistor controller, just in case I had 2 bad ones....

any ideas???

 

Try this?


I’ve never had issues with mine so not speaking from experience, but may point you in the right direction.

 

If straight wired to motor works, and straight wired to exit wire from interior fuseblock to motor doesn't work, then it's between those two points. I assume you disconnected the exit wire from the interior fuseblock (interior fuseblock has known issue at blower fuses) before applying power. If you did and and you had a/c speed set on wide open (bypasses resistor pack), then it's either the exit wire to the motor is damaged, or the plug for that wire. Both the interior fuseblock (specifically at blower fuse) and the plug at the blower motor (having heat issues/melting) are known issues.

 

Sounds like it is the normal faulty interior fuse panel. Pull the panel, check for power at the wiring going to the panel.

 

Thx guys for the tips! I did the AC fault test and 00 faults. Here is the kicker! The PO did some wiring that was hidden in the loom. Apparently, he bypassed the faulty fuse panel and ran power from the lighter circuit. I wondered a few months back why when I tested the lighter, the fuse blew with the AC on! So now I wired it correctly with a 12 gauge lead with 30 amp fuse directly from the battery. Works great! Also, here is a tip on the transistor. It's a 2SD1460 Toshiba. You can get them for a few $'s on-line. I bought a used late 90's jag transistor for 15$ (waaaaayyy cheaper than the OEM new ones at 180$!). did a bit of soldering.

In the last pic, the thick black lead comes in from battery to blower motor POS(+) (yes, I know BLACK, but all I had in correct gauge!). Originally, power came from cabin fuse block on BROWN w/Red wire (now cut). I am bypassing the power relay 176 (fat white wire w/red stripe) on the side of the air handler(just for power to motor, otherwise this one is functional) . The ground from motor goes to the speed control relay circuit R104. The Black w/orange wire to relay R104 from motor, remains as the ground for the motor. This relay R104 kicks on at MAX AC sending motor full to ground, otherwise, the speed controller transistor is utilized as ground for lower speeds. Make sure your motor turns the correct way before final soldering!

more on the PO's wiring: so I presumed that the original BLACK wire going to the motor was the motor ground. NO, it was the PO's POS(+) lead from the lighter circuit. That was the issue holding me up even though I read the circuits 10 times... DOH!

One thing for sure, it blows harder than ever before at 2/3's and REALLY blows at max. So this double wiring bypass may be a good upgrade for your wimpy blowers...

 

update: I decided to wire up as original using the power relay 176. This is to avoid any battery draw through the transistor circuit. Guess it was there for a reason! Worked out fine running the battery to the main AC power cable Brown w./red. This is a classic fix and has been described before. Fan still blows super hard compared to what it was doing. I suspect that the lighter circuit was being taxed a bit, but surprised it still worked for so long....