yayfortrees

If anyone takes apart their fan switch (heater / A/C fan) be careful not to lose the spring and ball inside. If you're like me, and lose the spring anyways, you can use the spring out of a cheap ball point click pen. Turns out, the diameter is perfect, just cut it down to length and replace. It feels as good as new! I placed the spring into the groove, and cut it flush with the plastic housing. I flipped it around so that the cut end was up against the housing, and the factory end is up against the ball. Way better than buying a new switch!

I was lucky enough to not lose the ball, but it looked real close to the same size as a BB. If you lost that as well, try using a standard BB (for a BB gun).

bugs1961

Very nice, thanks for the info.

Blue_petersen77

I warned you about that yay! Lmao

yayfortrees

Yeah you did! LOL I was really careful about not losing the ball, but I didn't think the spring would fall out so easily. I was wrong! With it being so small, it completely vanished into the dash. As soon as I realized it was gone, I knew I would never see it again.

Today I got to thinking about how I could fix it for cheap, then it dawned on me that the spring in a pen is close to the same size. It fit so perfectly you would think it was made for that! It might be me, but I think it feels better than before.

After all that, I found that the switch is fine. I pulled the resistor from under the dash, which was way easier to get to than the switch, and sure enough, it had a broken wire. The real trick is finding a way to fix that on the cheap. I'm thinking of trying a solder job for right now. I can't break it anymore than it already is, and it's easy to swap out when it doesn't work.

Blue_petersen77

That... Or do what I did in my 96 grand prix door lock button... Fab a replica of the piece out of a beer bottle cap... Laugh Now but it works awesome!!!

yayfortrees

The old resistor wire was so dirty and corroded, that the solder didn't want to stick at first. I had to use contact cleaner, a brass brush, and a diamond file to get the wire cleaned up enough to take solder. I'm very surprised that I didn't end up breaking the wires in more places than before. It was a delicate operation.

For the first time since I've owned the truck, the fan works on all four speeds! Now the question is how long will it last. My guess: about 3 days. I will be very happy if it lasts any longer than that!