Hi I'm new to DI forums, and I'm fairly ignorant concerning automotive repair. Before any frustration sets in, let me mention that I have looked over the other threads that describe (presumably) the same issue, but they aren't descriptive or specific enough. I'd like to make sure I describe my problem fully before spending money based on any solution given.
I have a 1997 Intrepid. It has an Automatic Temperature Control feature (which uses an electronic display that shows which vents the air is being routed to and the internal temperature, two main knobs for manual climate fan speed adjustment and temperature control, two main buttons labeled "AUTO" and "OFF" to the left of the knobs, and eight buttons to the right of the knobs for selecting different airflow options, AC, recirculation, and rear defrost).
I have recently lost the ability to turn the climate fan off. Pressing the "OFF" button turns the electronic climate display off, closes the air vents that direct the air towards the face, and seems to reroute the air to the front defrost vents, but the climate fan remains on high speed. I can't change the speed of the climate fan by using the fan speed knob either.
The auto temp control (engaged by the "AUTO" button) seems to work fine; it adjusts the air temp based on the position of the temp control knob and routs it to the appropriate vents.
Does anybody know what is causing this problem?
I have seen two item names of suspectible parts mentioned in other threads: an "ATC module" and a "fan speed control resistor." Are these names for the same part? I have also heard the name "rheostat" mentioned.
If somebody has a solution, mentioning specific, standard names of the part(s) of interest would be very helpful. As I mentioned, I'm pretty much automotive illiterate (I know...sad.). Also, mentioning whether or not I could tell if a part of interest is bad just by looking at it would be great.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
