I have a 2002 Chevy Cavalier with 135K. A couple days ago, the fan started acting funny–a kind of rubbing purr coming out of it with diminished air coming out. I turned it off and back on again a little later and it was fine. Now the fan isn’t blowing at all. Nothing with the AC, vent, heater, defroster, etc. Is this a bad blower motor? Or maybe something stuck in it? How hard is that to replace?
Yes, it sounds like a bad blower. It still could be something else, but I believe the blower motor is most likely.
Look under the dash board in the passenger side. You should see the blower motor. It’s a large plastic box. Here’s a picture to shouw you what to look for:
http://autorepair.about.com/library/a/1i/bl175i.htm
You disconnect the wiring harness and then unscrew a few bolts. It’s not difficult, except that you have to crawl under the dash to see what you are doing.
Instead of buying a new one from an auto parts store, get the specs on the motor and go to an electrical parts supply store. I did this when the blower motor on my Caddy died. Saved almost 70%.
Going to an electrical parts store might be a little beyond me.
Even if a trip to an electrical parts store sounds funny, it is probably just like any other store; they love new business and you might get a free coffee and a donut. The phone book helps. You might find automotive electrical in the yellow section. If you have a cheap one, some junkyards sell new ones because they got tired of saying no so often, because junk ones are mostly junk or in short supply.