pathfinder a/c stopped blowing

My A/C fan just stopped on my '01 Pathfinder. After it stopped I turned the
unit off, drove for a while and got the fan to come back on for a brief while
before stopping completely..in fact I got it to blow at max before it stopped
again. The air was always cold. I am a total beginner when working on cars
but feel the solution is probably simple. Maybe the blower wore out or it's
something electrical... a fuse or a switch...where should I look? Your help
is most appreciated. --Roger

I don't know these cars, but here are some general principles that
might help...

Does the blower show similar symptoms on heater, or only on A/C
(probably defrost too, since that usually invokes the A/C on cars that
have A/C)?

Does the electromagnetic clutch on the A/C compressor engage? This is
pretty obvious with the hood open, and in many cars can be discerned
from inside the cabin if you listen close (a click, and a change in
engine note due to the reduced load if the engine is running).

Does the repair manual (probably not the owner's manual) state that the
circuits for the blower and the A/C compressor (which could be on the
same circuit or not) are on a fuse, or a manually resetting circuit
breaker, or a self-resetting circuit breaker?


Cheers,
--Joe

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
> I don't know these cars, but here are some general principles that
> might help...
>
> Does the blower show similar symptoms on heater, or only on A/C
> (probably defrost too, since that usually invokes the A/C on cars that
> have A/C)?
>
> Does the electromagnetic clutch on the A/C compressor engage? This is
> pretty obvious with the hood open, and in many cars can be discerned
> from inside the cabin if you listen close (a click, and a change in
> engine note due to the reduced load if the engine is running).
>
> Does the repair manual (probably not the owner's manual) state that the
> circuits for the blower and the A/C compressor (which could be on the
> same circuit or not) are on a fuse, or a manually resetting circuit
> breaker, or a self-resetting circuit breaker?
>
>
> Cheers,
> --Joe
>

The air gets cold, so I imagine the A/C system including the compressor
works fine.

Figure out where the blower is and see if you can replace it. A manual
helps.

It sounds like the resistor pack for your blower motor has developed an open
or two. It's what gives you the different speed settings.
If you can locate the motor itself, the resistor pack is usually a
rectangular piece about 3 or 4 inches wide that is held into the ducting
around the motor by 2 screws, and has an electrical connector on it.

That's how it's set up on my 1999 Altima; I expect it would be similar in
your case.

If you find it, and you have a simple multimeter, you can test the different
traces on the board by figuring out what pins they are connected to on the
connector. If you don't get continuity on any of them, then that's likely
your problem.

The part is inexpensive, about $40 CDN direct from the dealer.

Hope that helps!

"rpptwilson" <u19746@uwe> wrote in message news:5d599ed4d62aa@uwe...
> My A/C fan just stopped on my '01 Pathfinder. After it stopped I turned
> the
> unit off, drove for a while and got the fan to come back on for a brief
> while
> before stopping completely..in fact I got it to blow at max before it
> stopped
> again. The air was always cold. I am a total beginner when working on
> cars
> but feel the solution is probably simple. Maybe the blower wore out or
> it's
> something electrical... a fuse or a switch...where should I look? Your
> help
> is most appreciated. --Roger