Who's familiar with 2nd gen S10s?

"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
09/02/2015 at 00:05 • Filed to: None

I recently reinsured my beloved Blazer, and am pretty sure I’m going to put some money and work into the old thing instead of letting it slowly die. It has 310,000 kms on it, and I bought it for $600, but the damn thing just will not die. Plus I’ve road tripped a ton in it and it basically feels like a second home, so I’m making the somewhat poor call to revitalize it. The only thing that isn’t straightforward (worn out suspension components, finicky starter, fuel gauge) is the blower motor. It only works sometimes, and only on the two highest settings. And the times it works, which are random, it gets stronger when I turn the steering wheel to the right, and dies if I turn it to the left.....has anyone ever experienced this? I told my mechanic and he burst out laughing and said “I don’t want anywhere near that” :p Also the blower motor is original, the resistor has been replaced, and I plugged in a new one anyways and it made no difference. I’ve yet to try a new motor or switch to see what happens, mainly because it seems steering wheel related....

Tl;dr, blower motor strength when working seems related to steering wheel input, isn’t the resistor :p

Possibly interesting Blazer action for your time

DISCUSSION (15)

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 00:10

I feel like the blower motor was a somewhat common issue for those trucks.

shop-teacher > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 00:16

I used to own one, and I remember there being some known issue, but I honestly don’t remember what it was. S10forum.com was my go to place for info.

gmctavish needs more space > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
09/02/2015 at 00:19

The motor and resistor apparently need replacing pretty often. My motor is definitely original, but when it’s on it doesn’t make any bad noise or anything

gmctavish needs more space > shop-teacher
09/02/2015 at 00:20

I've poked around there but it seemed a bit sparse unless you wanted to lift it or lower it. I'll check around more though, thanks

shop-teacher > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 00:23

It was definitely suspension heavy there. There was a section for general mechanical stuff. I can’t remember what it was called, its been too long.

gmctavish needs more space > shop-teacher
09/02/2015 at 00:25

Fair enough, but it's good to know there is a non-suspension section haha

Dunnik > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 01:04

Do you even lift, bro?

(sry couldn’t resist)

I wonder why your mech was scared off. Blower motors aren’t exactly rocket science.

Maybe you should get a 2nd opinion?

gmctavish needs more space > Dunnik
09/02/2015 at 01:06

I think because of the steering wheel involvement. He also hates working on S10s and thinks I should get something else :p I have another mechanic I go to that I'll check with too

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 01:23

Fan control buttons on the steering wheel? I assume not, but if so that would be a good place to start, clock spring perhaps.

I would start by monitoring voltage input top the blower motor and resistor while duplicating the problem. If voltage is constant then it’s probably the motor. If voltage is not constant then it’s further upstream. Make sure grounds and battery are good. Make sure belt, tensioner and alternator are good as these can be affected by turning the steering wheel and cause voltage fluctuations, especially if your suspension issues are causing higher lad in one direction than the other. I would also check the voltage signal for the resistor right where it first comes out of the AC control panel to ensure that it is in fact sending the correct signal.

It’s just wires and electricity, if that scares your mechanic I suggest finding a new one at last for electrical stuff.

Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

DogonCrook > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 01:34

Usually the first sign of a voltage regulator going bad is dimming lights and idle hiccups when you turn your wheel. I’d ignore that and focus on the blower because it could be drawing enough power that it causes the same symptoms, but check the voltage at the battery just to make sure you aren’t way out of range. If a diode blows you’ll pick up some ac voltage and it can cause significant weirdness so rule it out but that’s not likely. The regulator is probably part of the alternator on yours, so even if it’s getting wonky the alternator will likely die before it does. But keep it in mind if it’s present after you fix the blower so you don’t get stranded.

gmctavish needs more space > DogonCrook
09/02/2015 at 01:44

Oh the wheel turning isn't affecting anything but the blower motor strength, when it turns on. According to the voltage gauge at least, the alternator and battery are fine. I don't know how accurate that is though

gmctavish needs more space > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
09/02/2015 at 01:47

No controls in the steering wheel. Just the horn and the airbag, maybe. The airbag light has always been on :p Replicating the problem will be the most difficult part, it hasn't even turned on in quite a while. But I'll try those things if it does, thanks! I appreciate all the tips

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 01:51

Ignore the steering wheel since it doesn’t have controls. Even easier since it doesn’t work at all. Make sure the motor is getting power and has good ground, if it is then you need a new motor. The inconsistent speeds could have been side effects of a dying motor with coincidental timing.

DogonCrook > gmctavish needs more space
09/02/2015 at 02:07

It’s usually pretty subtle that’s why you can really only detect it when you steer at idle. So if the change is drastic yeah.. That’s weird lol. Does it happen while driving too? Honestly I cannot fathom how the two are related then, but update when you track this down, I’m pretty curious now.

gmctavish needs more space > DogonCrook
09/02/2015 at 02:21

Ohh I get what you mean. Yeah the change is only at idle or at low speeds. No other electrical weirdness though. I mean sometimes the power locks stop working but that's a totally different thing