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Relay Location

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6.8K views 10 replies 3 participants last post by  Brhatweed  
#1 ·
I bought a relay from O’Reillys which stated it was for my impala and they noted this as well in the store. I believed the Relay to be for my Blower Motor and from looking at my wiring diagram also believe this to be true.

The issue I am currently having is that I think I found the location but am also not 100% sure I’m correct. I also and at a lose if it is not the correct location. I have looked everywhere besides under this big black plastic piece which is under the dash and that the glove box was attached to and sitting inside of.

Would anybody be able to tell me if I am correct and if so how to remove this so I can put the new one in? Or if I’m wrong where it would go?

Any information is super appreciated as it’s 20 degrees outside and not expected to get warmer anytime soon so I really need this blower motor to work and if it’s not the relay or I can’t find it I’ll have to set it up to a switch so I can get it to work.

Thank you.
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#2 · (Edited)
That's a standard ISO280 SPDT 40Amp sealed base relay. The GM parts catalog doesn't call for any relay in the wiring to the blower. This means it's likely integrated into some other component.

Haynes can be good sometimes and really really bad at times. The electrical in the Haynes manuals tends to leave a lot to be desired. When there are several changes over the production run they only provide the most common diagrams or the ones they can find and claim it covers the lot. :mad:
Mitchell has problems as well. I've found problems in the GM manuals too and penciled notes into my copies.

The aftermarket parts guys can be extremely frustrating the same way. :mad:

The 2000-2003 Impala shown in that Haynes manual wiring diagram has a resistor pak and relay integrated together in one package just like that Haynes manual shows. The blower fan plugs into a two wire pigtail dangling off the resistor pak and the HVAC harness plugs into the resistor pak on those vehicles.


The GM parts catalog calls for a different resistor pak on the 2004 & 2005 GEN VII Impala. This pak is the same part as I have in my 2009 Gen VIII. It only has one connection to the harness and no connection to the blower motor.

If it's already real winter in Montana you definitely want cab heat.
 
#4 · (Edited)
According to the FACTORY service manual the "blower resistor" (control module) is located nearest the firewall behind the blower motor itself and will have two connectors going to it one with two wires coming out to feed the motor itself and the other power in and data. The manual shows no relay for blower "HIGH" instead this is handled by the control module which is a digital PWM motor driver that is fed data from the BCM, there is no live connection between the dashboard blower speed control to the motor itself, everything is handled by the BCM.
Ive had problems with my blower motor in the past and it was a burned pin on the purple wire coming from the control module, this is a common problem with that module which is shared among most of the domestic made GM cars and trucks. Later modules have the wire soldered directly inside leaving only the 3-pin power/data connector. The thin purple/white wire should never be directly connected to +12V as it is only designed for digital data and will destroy the module.
Haynes, Chiltons and Clymer manuals are little more than a continuous stream of recycled half truths from previous editions. When I see the underhood detail of a Ford LTD used to describe a part on a late 80's Chevrolet truck I know its time for a factory print.
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This is the other control module that plugs directly into the motor, there is an adapter plug & harness to convert from the 5-terminal to the 3-terminal.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Haynes, Chiltons and Clymer manuals are little more than a continuous stream of recycled half truths from previous editions. When I see the underhood detail of a Ford LTD used to describe a part on a late 80's Chevrolet truck I know its time for a factory print.
I'm going to rant a bit. Not because it makes one bit of difference, but it makes me feel better. ;)

🤬🤬🤬🤬

I haven't seen a Ford LTD in an aftermarket GM repair manual but I've seen a watercooled front engine Datsun 210 underhood picture in a Chilton air cooled rear engine VW 412 manual. That was back in the 1970's when some of them actually tried to do a good job.
Modern aftermarket wiring diagrams are better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but only marginally. Even the ones you pay for like Mitchell leave a lot to be desired. :mad:
I have found several problems for which I penciled notes on into the margins of my paper OEM GM manuals for my 2000 T400 Sierra, 09 Impala, and 2005 T800 Silverado. The eleven volume 2005 CK truck manuals were $456 Yankee bucks. I'm less than ecstatic with the issues I've found in them and the lack of response when I attempted to bring the errors to their attention.

Nissan/Datsun, Toyota, Fuji/Subaru, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, VAG Gruppe, Mercedes... all have minor and major issues with the new and old manuals in manuals I've collected over the last 48 years or so.
IH, White, Oliver, Komatsu, Bobcat, Gehl, Caterpillar, ... industrial and farm equipment manuals seem to be a lot better but mine are for my own older equipment. John Deere was never great IMHO. No doubt they all suffer from the same cancer I'm seeing in the automotive industry. If I had new manuals for new equipment I'd likely find the same lack of care and attention to detail.
 
#5 ·
Thank you for the information. With the wiring to my blower motor from the resistor it was replaced due to the old wires being completely frayed. upon replacing the wires they were checked for power and the wires did not show they had any thats why I believed it may be the relay I was chasing but as it seems that may be a legend I am not sure what to do now.
 
#8 ·
Here's what I have found so far; the HVAC blower motor supply is hot all times and is fed via 30A fuse located in the top box under the hood. No relays in the way and it's possible the wiring within the fuse panel is at fault, I've had problems with these before where the terminal deep inside would get hot enough to lose it spring and not hold on to the fuse blade itself. If you have test light and with a known good fuse in place ground the one end of the light to the battery - and touch the test end of the light to both sides of the 30A HVAC fuse top, it should light on both side of the test terminals. No light? Move the one end of the test light to the battery + and with the key ON touch the fuse with the test light again, it should light indicating the blower module is looking for current.
The damage to the fuse terminals isn't always obvious from the top so you might have to lift the fuse carrier from the strut tower and look at the wiring and terminals. The HVAC is a thick red and runs direct to the control module 3-pin (or 5-pin) connector. Check for power on the red terminal and if absent I'd suspect a break along the way.
 

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#11 ·
Rant all you want I'm right there with ya! I have done work as a technical writer in the past and nothing irks me more than inaccuracies in a service manual. We're all human and I get that but when the manual is written by the very ones who designed the product in the first place and the mistakes are left unchecked that is just beyond comprehension.
I spent the better part of my working career with Motorola doing 2-way radio, if anyone can make a convoluted mess it's the friendly folks at Technical Publications. A Micor base station for example has four separate manuals and those are broken down into sections for each of the cards/options and station installation plus the base instruction manual all the size of a medium size telephone directory. The Centracom Series-II instruction manual is over 5" thick and weighs 14 lbs, I used to carry over 50 of these types of manuals in my service truck. It was a Ford F250 ext cab long box 4X4 with a 300-six & 5-speed, with both 35 gal tanks full it weighed 6080 lbs on a CAT scale.