Replacing the Blower Motor, Burned-out Harness, and Resistor: 2001 Dodge Dakota. DIY. How To.

How to replace the blower motor, resistor and resistor pigtail on a 2nd Generation Dodge Dakota or Durango. This should apply to many early 2000 versions of these trucks or SUVs. My blower motor finally stopped working after a horrible burning smell filled the cab of my Dodge Dakota. Sick of replacing the resistor, I decided to change out the blower motor itself which may be drawing too many amps. If you liked this video hit the THUMBS UP and subscribe for all kinds of DIY projects and fixes. Thank you for watching!
Here's the parts I used:
Blower Motor: amzn.to/2IURGxf
Wiring Harness: amzn.to/2I33PPt
New Resistor: amzn.to/2pJRzN1
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[@MrCarter1324]

Dude this is hilarious to me, I have had a problem with my Dakota A/C for around a year now I could never find anything about it on KZbin or otherwise. Here I am doing woodworking as a hobby checking out your channel and you just happen to have a video on it. It's weird how things work like that.

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

Hahah....weird and exactly why I decided to record it! Hope it helps you sort out the problem man!

[@carolinaview7254]

I'm looking in my Haynes©️ repair manual. And it says for a 2001 dakota and older, to have the ac system discharged by a licensed ac technician. Also says disconnect vacuum hoses, actuating cables, and more things Any idea why? Is it necessary ?

[@johnclerk1195]

@@VintageWoodWorkshop My '03 dakota SLT has the same problem. I had it fixed in the fall of 2017, then again a year later.... If you drive on a highway the heater and a/c do give some output. It's just the air from the slipstream. The faster you go, the faster more airflow come out of the vents, all depending what you set the temperature knob

[@terrence1055]

​@@johnclerk1195I got a 2004 SLT. Currently sitting in driveway. Gonna slap 3 new tires on em and mounted, fix the ac/heat blower which I struggled to fix last year, 2wd 4wd low and high knob ain't working (gotta look into it. Must be wiring next to transmission or bad ground lead), turn signals not working but hazards do. I'm assuming it's the fuses located right next to both Tail lights, and tail gate door needs replacing. Can't wait to get back to working on it again!

[@terrence1055]

​@@johnclerk1195139k miles on it. Just few rust spots on the body. Frame is MINT. MN truck too!

[@ericp3573]

good choice with the VDO, German company known for good parts. My blower on my Audi just died after 29 years! VDO back in

[@zackgallinger-long4459]

Thank you! This was very comprehensive and saved me a bunch of money! I was able to complete the repair in under 30 minutes!

[@Pjsev]

My husband's Dakota just started only blowing on high. Sounds like the easiest fix for now is the resistor, but in the case it is the motor causing the resistor to go bad, he can now see how easy it is to fix. Thanks!

[@tedconder9254]

Very Good Video. Thank you for sharing this. Well done camera shots. I am going to replace my blower motor. I replaced the resistor less than a year ago and it has burnt again. Best to do both at once so you don't have to do it twice. Thanks again.

[@larrywood1201]

thank you for keeping it simple

[@andrewapplington6577]

This was extremely easy to follow super helpful

[@therealestateresource]

Thanks a million for this video! You had the exact same issue as me! After 2-3 resisters, I read about the fan motor amperage and bingo!

[@byronofcalgary6985]

thx very much btw... I had changed motors and dash controls... got some wiring but never installed it ...got 48 hours of warm weather left !

[@fredlane7313]

I replaced all of that - fan, resistor and harness - about a year ago on my Dakota (not the first time I've replaced only the resistor), and it went out about 6 months ago - no fan at all. I'm wondering about the amp draw of the fan. Does anyone know if the aftermarket replacement fans draw more amps than the resistor can handle? I don't want to be replacing these parts several times a year.

[@joeortiz7408]

thanks for your video its very helpful

[@jasoncathcart673]

I replaced the resistor last spring in my '02 durango. You aren't kidding when you say there is not a lot of room down there to work. Sadly the resistor went out again a few weeks ago. I was just going to replace it again when it warmed up a little beacuse I have no enclosure to work in and wyoming is a bit unforgiving for winter outdoors. Now that I came across this video you've saved me from buying, eventually, a 3rd resistor. My question is hsve you had any other issues since replacing the blower motor? Basically not trying to replace the whole hvac piece by piece tracing the problem down as each component goes out. Thank you for putting this up, I really appreciate your experience and explanations.

[@oy3540]

I think that's my problem fix will try

[@SupaflyChimichanga]

Appreciate this, going to try and work on my 03 Dakota my fan doesn't work at all and the heat is unbearable

[@safirmahmoudi8138]

You are right I find the same problem thank you this video it's very helpful

[@eeoo2062]

Thanks, man. I just replaced mine. Great help

[@chuckvalenzuelasr2344]

Good video

[@f296877]

Great video! Thanks

[@nicholasburkart7018]

I’ve got the same problem with my 01’ Dodge Dakota. Burned out 3 times this year.

[@MountainFolktales]

Does this also solve the no ac issue? I have no heat or air and i can feel only a small amount of cool air when i drive down the highway

[@MrHrivera28]

some one told me that the old fans are causing the resistor to blow out. They told me the new fans were updated to fix this problem. please let us know if this is true.

[@michaelvinson2446]

would have been helpful showing in and out of the motor

[@frontporchswingin1359]

Good job, thanks👍👍

[@bep7t11]

Do you know what good motor resistance should be? I just replaced my motor and resistor and need to replace the harness/ connector as well for the resistor since one of the pins is damaged. My old motor read as shorted and the new one was about 3.6 to 4 ohms which for 12 volts without any other resistance would be about 3 to 3.3 amps. I found it a little roomier to remove the glove box. The blower installation is very similar on a 03 Subaru. Good video. Thanks for sharing.

[@vidaljuarez6791]

I have an issue where my air flow is very weak ,I have to use it on high every time and still very weak but ,you think I could use a new blower motor as well?

[@shawnsmith7026]

I’ve done this idk how many times I think I’m on my 8th resistor 4th connector and 4th blower motor I was thinking about hard wiring the resistor I know a guy who hard wired the resistor to the wires and he said it worked for him

[@seanrice4364]

Could he make a video showing how to do that I have been trying to find one on how to hard wire the blower motor but I cant find one I drive an 01 Dakota quad cab 4.7

[@James-vp2jn]

There is an air conditioner condensate release tube that exits the fire wall on the passenger side. Several folks noted the condensate leaks back to the fire wall and drips into the blower. They suggest sealing the condensate tube to the fire wall to prevent water from entering the blower motor. I replaced my resistor and sealed the tube to the fire wall. It's been good for about a year.

[@restonvernon4785]

Thank you for the video it helps... Excellent!!!

[@deadpool3581]

I replaced both as well. It just fried again.

[@tylermcclure4324]

Thanks man!

[@MrHrivera28]

Hi could you let us know if your resistor blows out again? i have the same problem, i just came back from auto zone and watched your video. Thank youi.

[@arissahenderson6281]

hey i’m about to purchase this!!! i was wondering if there is an auxiliary cord port??:) or charger port ?

[@miguelcereceres2647]

Have you had anymore issues with your AC since you've done the repair? I'm about to replace all these parts myself.

[@mittenmof0517]

Same issue on my 02 Durango sxt 4.7 3rd time in the last 6 years

[@richardsexton6341]

Changing the resistor is easy enough but does anyone know where the resistor harness goes up under the dash and how to get to it?

[@LauraT0628]

The link for the resistor no longer works. By any chance do you have a new link?

[@RodknockRhett]

Ours lost high and setting 3 before yesterday, it lost the first two settings.

[@ValStilwell]

The only confusion I have is the numbered wires - how do I match the wires from the new resister harness to the bundle coming from the burned out motor? They're color coded but the new resister is all green. Does it make a difference?

[@scottsmith3478]

What's a good but inexpensive crimp/cut/stripping tool for occasional use like this?

[@haydnmiller5306]

It should not get enough currently to melt probably have a short and or a fuse that is too high amperage

[@byronofcalgary6985]

Warning ! most burnouts are caused by lengthy starter use while accessories are left ON ! They take more voltage to compensate for lack of current... => 7.00 mark => Wipers were left on... when starting... Have a 2004 Dakota with this prob. also had a 2006 that failed after lengthy starts in cold... Even caused probs with a cd player left on thru this ! Make a habit of shutting everything off before starting...

[@brandonsaenz7157]

I have a 2004 Dodge Dakota I buy a plug for my heater and somehow I don't have no heat

[@jayallan7885]

Could you remove the motor and harness first, wire it up with the new harness and then install it? (solder it up, shrink tubing, then tape it up real good)

[@Xzavieur]

so they mix metric and sae bolts on 2 pieces a few inches apart? wow way to keep things simple dodge

[@tomwoods8678]

You would think they would make a better blower motor that didn't pull so much amps causing the resistor to pop and or the wire harness to melt.

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

I guess after 17 years the motor was just worn out....

[@bobsoft]

The problem is either the bearings or the brushes are worn out. Anything and everything wears out sooner or later.

[@opasworkshop8373]

you ever wonder where they get the people to put these things together in the first place they must be like leprechauns are lilliputians LOL nice job buddy!

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

Exactly, I was thinking the same thing and so glad I'm not a tall guy! very hard to get under there but luckily I didn't have to take the dash apart!

[@opasworkshop8373]

Vintage Wood Workshop I'm six foot three and I had to replace the one in my wife's Nissan Quest van and I had to take the seat out and half the dashboard, while cussing the Japanese carmaker who put it together LOL!

[@lightingbug]

I've seen factory videos where basically the whole dash is put together outside of the vehicle, then it is put into the car and bolted to the firewall

[@fishingwithhoffman7365]

any updates on this motor?

[@foxyroxstar]

...if we start smelling burning wires..the ol truck has this wire replacement all ready..of course that we can turn it all the way off!?! (100 bucks..10-11 bucks..how much ya think the new harness is! 8-9?)..guest appearance 5:50!

[@kittyfanatic1980]

Did you get the KIT or individual parts? It's 10xs cheaper to just get the kit. If you need the harness cool if not than you have it because that's next to go. Under 15 at O'Reilly auto parts with a lifetime warranty as of me writing this. That's the way I'm going I'll never have to shell out a cent after initial cost. AutoZone only has a 1yr warranty same darn doorman kit.

[@tomwoods8678]

Hows it doing so far with the new wire harness and blower? How much did it cost?

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

Great, totally solved the issue! Previously it kept burning out the resistor every few weeks but its been running nice and strong with no issues now. The total cost was about $65 and I put links in the description, thanks

[@celiacastellanos4040]

How do you install the yellow connectors? I wish you could have shown... 😞

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

Watch again at 4:00. You use the crimping tool on the wire stripper which is on the hand side of the fulcrum

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

Slide the connector over the wire and crimp it down with the tool, squeezing it closed on the wire

[@celiacastellanos4040]

@@VintageWoodWorkshop Thank you greatly appreciate it... I thought you had to use some sort of melting element to bond them ...... I will give this a try I already researched the diaphragm because the one i ordered are all green...

[@FruitparidiseAZ]

I am curious if you might have the answer. My 02 Durango's AC works, but it does not blow as hard as my friends 99 Durango. Like I said it blows and blows cold, just not very hard. Any idea? I am thinking the resistor but I am not sure. Also it only blows to the face. Feet or defrost settings do nothing.

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

I think the culprit is the fan itself. After I installed the new fan, I have much stronger flow and no problems blowing the resistor...

[@FruitparidiseAZ]

I replaced both the fan and the resistor. Blows like factory now. Thinking it is the blend door for why it is only going to the face.

[@xA18kND1x]

@@FruitparidiseAZ yeah that's a common Dodge issue smh, I looked into it and it's behind the dash so it'll run about $500 bc they gotta remove that dash to fix it... There's tests they can do though to be sure I think.

[@FruitparidiseAZ]

@@xA18kND1x Yea i am not even going to mess with it. as long as the ac works during summer i will be fine. Thank you

[@rayb1201]

You did not show how to replace motor.

[@banyasharahla7935]

Same shit happened to my Durango to....every fuckn yr!

[@StewieSta18]

Checking in two years later since you've made the video, do you still have the truck? If so, how's the fix? I have heard that these replacements are not long term fixes

[@connor1003]

I've done this fix twice now. First time was before replacing the blower motor itself (supposedly the whole reason the resistors start blowing) and it did last a couple of months but not for too long. I just did my second harness today and replaced the motor while I was at it not sure how long it will last. There is a good chance that if changing the motor and the resistor does not fix your problem that the wires have likely burnt through somewhere along the line and are making contact. If they didn't burn through in the accessible portion of the wiring it is a massive undertaking to pull the dash and heater box out to trace the wiring and hopefully find the fault.

[@StewieSta18]

@@connor1003 My troubleshooting went the same route as you. Resistor change was only a temporary fix. Replaced the blower about 6 months ago, so far so good...fingers crossed.

[@connor1003]

@@StewieSta18 Thats good to hear man I'm hoping it fixes my issue for an extended period of time. Am I ever tired of replacing them and they've doubled in price lmao

[@UndernetSystems]

Most likely it was the motor seizing and drawing too much current, that's the only explanation.

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

yeah, could be...not sure but it was 16 years old so maybe it was time!

[@Evilslayer73]

i switch out the motor here 1 month ago i have buy the top quality one and it keep burning that damned fucking harness

[@user-dk4ir6hn9n]

You sound like you are in the south. . .hot today, cold tomorrow

[@Arnold102508]

I’ve changed my motor out and still going through resistors and pig tails. Any one else solve this

[@xxxdpgxxxx1389]

JayArnold could be the brand blower you’re using get a spectra or tyc blower

[@Arnold102508]

Pokemon Trainer I ordered directly from dodge. Are those aftermarket brands ?

[@xxxdpgxxxx1389]

JayArnold they are aftermarket , I would just get another oem mopar blower return yours not at all uncommon to get a new defective part report back and let us know how it goes !

[@Deucealive75]

Did you ever change the cable that plugs into the resistor? I just got done troubleshooting my son's 02 Dakota. If I moved the cable that plugs into the resistor slightly the fan would work. I bent the pins inside the resistor plug for a tighter fit. If it happens again I will replace the cable. This is the second annoying electrical issue with this truck. If you have hot spots where the connector goes on to the resistor it is because of a bad connection there. Replacing a motor that turns if you put 12 volts on it is not the solution.

[@carmac1652]

@@Deucealive75 hi I have the same problem my harness pins get black and have a bad contact ?

[@shreksexy6879]

VintageWoodShop, Still have this dakota? If so, what other issues have you came across & repaired? You recommend one of these trucks overall? Good video!

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

I ended up selling this truck to my neighbor and bought a used Silverado for more cab and bed room. I had a 97 Dakota and the 2001 in this video, both great trucks which never broke down. Look into the transmission and whether it’s been replaced. I heard that the tranny can go around 150,000 miles and it’s expensive,

[@shreksexy6879]

@@VintageWoodWorkshop Thanks for the reply. Just bought a 2004 quad cab slt 4x4 with only 97k miles & no rust. Very clean truck that drives great. Pretty sure tranny is original and shifts normal & smoothly. Gonna do a 100k tune up/service on it in spring. Hope to get atleast 5 years of life out of it. My son already said he wants it when he turns 16, lol. Rock on & stay safe, cheers.