This 1997 GMC C1500 came in for some other a/c service and I asked the customer about the blower working. He said it worked fine and asked why I wanted to know. I told him of the endless requests that I get for information on the blower systems on these trucks and how I wanted to meet my readers needs. He told me to take it apart and take as many pictures as I wanted to.
This information applies to 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 old body style C1500 & K1500 Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks and SUV’s, 1995-2000 C2500 and K2500 trucks and SUV’s, 1995-2002 C3500 trucks, and 1995-2001 K3500 trucks. SUV’s include Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe and Yukon. I will have to break this information into several posts, so please be patient. This part will deal with the blower switch and its signals. To gain access to the blower switch the dash face has to be removed.
Grasp the edge of the dash face panel and pull towards the steering wheel.
When the panel is pulled out far enough, depress the locking tab on the headlight switch wiring and unplug the harness.
As the face panel is worked loose, the switches to the left of the radio and a/c controls will need to be disconnected. Most of the time if the small panel will pull loose from the main panel it will be easier to work with.
It is easier to do all of this with the shifter handle pulled all of the way down to the D1 position.
As the trim panel is rolled away from the dash, the plastic will need to be flexed slightly in order to remove the face panel.
Now that the trim panel is out of the way, the a/c control head can be removed. There are two plastic clips that need to be released. One on each side.
Then the a/c control head assembly can be pulled from the dash.
The latch that holds the harness to the blower switch is on the underside of the assembly. Depress the latch and unplug the harness.
This harness connector is okay of course, but many times the brown and orange wires will be burnt. If there is any heat discoloration, the switch and the harness connector must be replaced at the same time or the condition will return very quickly.
The entire control panel does not have to be replaced if only the blower switch is damaged. There is one screw that holds the retaining plate in place. Remove the screw and retaining plate. There will be two smaller plastic clips that hold the switch to the main housing. Most of the time they will break due to age. That is okay as long as the main retaining plate and screw are installed after the switch replacement. If you need to order this switch please click here.
- Terminal “A” = Light Blue wire, Speed M2, switched power to blower resistor
- Terminal “B” = Tan wire, Speed M1, switched power to blower resistor
- Terminal “C” = Yellow wire, Speed Low switched to blower resistor
- Terminal “D” = Dark Green wire, A/C disable signal, switched power to connector C3, terminal “4”
- Terminal “E” = Empty
- Terminal “F” = Empty
- Terminal “G” = Brown wire, 12 volt ignition supply from fuse #12 (25 amp)
- Terminal “H” = Orange wire, Speed High, switched power to terminal “C2” of blower relay
I have a 96 c1500 suburban, the blower moter does not work, I replaced the switch, resistor, relay, and moter and still does not work, I used my multimeter and I am getting voltage to the motor. I check continuity on my ground wire and it seem the problem comes from here. With the power switch off I have continuity on the wire, soon as I put the ignition switch in the on position I lose it, I ran a wire from the motor to ground and motor works with the switch. When I try and trace the wire it disappears into the engine wall and I can’t find out wear it resurfaces, what would cause the ground to disconnect once the power switch is on?
The connector and/or the switch are available at the following link address. You will need to copy and paste the address.
http://store.the-electric-connection.com/categories.aspx?Keyword=4172
dear i replaced the blower switch, i need also replace wiring conector blower switchm can you help me find the part number, o say a mi sold this items
Thanks a lot
That sounds about right. Just confirm you have the proper circuits and that the connector terminals are damaged. Then replace both pieces. I do suggest you read all three parts of this repair though as there are a lot of things that can go wrong with these older systems.
Thanks for this article, I have this problem. Before I read this post, I replaced the switch only and the problem returned very fast. I did not replace the harness connector. Before I read this article my assumption was that I have a short. From reading your article, I am understanding that there is not a short in the harness and all I need to do is replace the harness connector and the switch? Thanks…Jesse