Front vents stopped blowing air, but back vents work like normal?

Tiny
KATREY1981
  • MEMBER
  • 2007 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
  • 5.3L
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 150,000 MILES
The vehicle listed above is a 1500 5.3-liter Vortec Flex-Fuel engine.

Just in case you need it

Vin #
1GNFK16327J209389

My front vents stopped blowing air. When I turn on back vents, they all perform as they should.

1 year ago, my front vents stopped blowing air. It was going to be a few weeks before we were able to look into it so I had to use the rear vents for the kids.

I noticed while driving and using the rear vents the front ones would pop on and go off on their own a couple times during those few weeks.

First steps we checked all fuses and relays. No issues found. Pulled down the blower resistor and checked the blower motor and it still worked.

We then decided to order a new resistor. When it arrived the voila it started blowing air out the front vents again!

I thought we fixed it. Nope! About 1 week after replacing the blower resistor I had stopped at a corner store and when I shut my vehicle off the air kept blowing.

Turned the truck on and off again, took the keys out and still stayed running. I had to go inside so I thought maybe once I arm the alarm it'll stop then. NOPE!

Get home and still the same issue. Vehicle was off, the alarm was armed, and it still was blowing air. I knew I couldn't leave it that way, so we opened it up again and proceeded to remove the new resistor.

Next day we got the old resistor out of the box and took some contact cleaner to it. Cleaned up very well so we decided to give it a try. Plugged in the clean original part and VOILA, like magic it began blowing air & it even shut off when we turned the truck off.

About 7 months pass and all of a sudden it starts acting up again. It wouldn't blow air out of the front vents every time it was turned on, but those back vents still worked like they were supposed to.

It's been a couple months now and it's back to blowing air sometimes. Never turns on when I power it on, just decided when it wants to while we are using the back vents.

Now summer is approaching again and this is a top priority for me since summertime in the Central Valley of CA can get very hot and miserable!

Please help me! From fuses on up what would cause this issue of front air not blowing but back air blowing as it should? I will go through it all, just need to know what would affect the front vents and what wouldn't!

For some reason I feel like maybe something is plugged up because for whatever reason it just starts blowing on its own while driving. To be honest, IDK, I'm lost! I would appreciate any and all advice on what needs to be checked. Thanks in advance. ☺
Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 AT 12:05 AM

5 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,482 POSTS
Hi,

If the blower motor remains on even with everything off, that sounds like a bad relay. Try switching it with a different one in the box having the same part number to see if it resolves the issue.

Next, I need confirmation on one thing. I was thinking the blower motor was the issue, but you indicated no air comes from the front vents. Does air come from the floor or defroster when this happens or is it the blower motor that stops running?

Let me know. Additionally, here is a link that explains how to test a relay in the event there isn't one having the same part number.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit

Let me know what you find. Also, make sure the connections for fuses, relay, and all related wiring is in good condition, not corroded, not melted, or damaged in any way.

Take care,

Joe

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Wednesday, April 12th, 2023 AT 8:25 PM
Tiny
KATREY1981
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Hi Joe, thank you for responding. I have no air coming out of any of my front vents at all. However, something a little bizarre happened 2 days ago. I picked my son up from practice and my daughter had moved the seat up closer to the dash earlier in the day and he is tall so as he got into the front seat he kicked under the glove box where the blower motor and resistor is located, and the air began blowing out of the front vents all the sudden. Once we shut the truck off and turned it back on it no longer was blowing air.

Also, as a reminder we originally replaced the resistor with an aftermarket one and that was what caused the air to blow even with the truck off. We were unable to buy an OEM resistor because there were no stores or dealers in the area who had any. Thats when my husband used a contact cleaner and put the old one back in and it did work for a short while after that and now back to no air out of any vent aside to it very rarely popping on all on its own when we are using the rear heat/AC and then randomly the other day when my sons foot accidently kicked it.
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Thursday, April 13th, 2023 AT 9:13 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,482 POSTS
Hi,

Have you double-checked the connectors at the blower motor as well as the resistor? I've seen them melt.

Also, one thing we aren't considering is the blower motor itself. At the motor connector, there are two wires. One is black and the other is purple.

What I need you to do is check for power at the purple one when blower motor is turned on. See pic below. If you are using a test lamp for testing, keep in mind that it will be dim when the low speed is selected.

Let me know what you find.

Joe

See pic below.
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Friday, April 14th, 2023 AT 6:50 PM
Tiny
KATREY1981
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Okay, we tested the power to the purple wire in the blower motor and everything checked out okay. We went through everything we could again from relays and fuses on up and everything was working as expected. We put it all back together and started it and it works again. Mind boggled.
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Tuesday, April 18th, 2023 AT 2:23 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,482 POSTS
Hi,

My first suspect is a faulty connector. When you were checking things, you likely disconnected and reconnected the connections and allowed things to make contact again.

With a little luck, whatever was touched that was cleaned or tightened will resolve the issue. Let me know if it changes,

Take care,

Joe
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Tuesday, April 18th, 2023 AT 7:24 PM

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