Blower only works on high: melted resistor plug and what to replace

Overview

When the blower only works on high speed, the resistor pack has failed. On a Cherokee, a worn blower motor draws too much current over time and burns the resistor connector, sometimes to the point of melting it. You need to replace both the resistor and the connector pigtail, and seriously consider whether the blower motor itself caused the problem in the first place. If it did and you skip it, the new resistor will burn too.

What you need

• Basic hand tools
• Flashlight
• Optional: multimeter

Quick checks first

1. Quick check 1
2. Quick check 2
3. Quick check 3

Step-by-step

1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3

If that did not fix it

• Next likely cause 1
• Next likely cause 2

Videos

• Blower motor resistor and harness repair on 1998 XJ (YouTube)
• Melted blower motor resistor connector repair (YouTube)

Source links

• JeepForum: Definitive blower motor resistor and wiring fix
• CherokeeForum: Fan speed control melted (1997 XJ)

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