Dodge Ram Blower Motor Not Working [Causes and How to Fix]
You have just discovered that your Dodge Ram AC isn’t blowing air properly because your blower motor has stopped working.
If that sounds like you, you may be looking for a way to overcome this issue.
In this post, I’ll help you diagnose the problems in your Dodge Ram blower motor. You’ll also discover how to troubleshoot the issues.
Your Dodge Ram blower motor may stop working because of a bad fuse, faulty relay, or weak blower motor resistor. Other problems that cause the Dodge Ram blower motor to go bad are broken wires and a defective climate control unit.
I’ll explain these reasons in detail below and the fixes to apply.
Causes of Dodge Ram Blower Motor Issues
Faulty Blower Motor Relay
A faulty relay is one of the most common issues that prevent a Dodge Ram blower motor from working.
Your blower motor requires a large amount of electrical current to operate. So, if it turns on by itself, it may damage your AC. This is why a relay was built to activate the blower motor after you switch on your AC.
Over time, your blower motor relay, alongside other components in your car, will become faulty. Since your blower motor can’t work without its relay, it will stay off until you replace the relay.
To fix this issue, you’ll need to change your relay.
Blown Fuse
When a fuse in your Dodge Ram gets blown, the vehicle may encounter a short circuit. As a result, some of the electronic components in the car will stop working. Because the blower motor needs electricity to function, it might be one of the first devices to go off.
Check if your fuses are blown. You can tell that a fuse is blown if the metal strip at the center of the fuse is broken.
If you find a blown fuse, change it. Make sure to replace the blown fuse with a fuse that has similar amperage and color.
Bad Blower Motor Resistor
Another problem that can prevent the Dodge Ram blower motor from working is a bad blower motor resistor.
The blower motor resistor controls the speed of your blower motor. Depending on your fan speed, the resistor decides whether to increase or decrease the pace of the blower motor.
When the resistor develops a fault, your blower motor may run at an unusually high speed. But once the resistor dies, the blower motor will stop working.
You can check if your blower motor resistor is bad by testing it with a multimeter. If the voltage reading is below or above 12 volts, the resistor is faulty.
In that case, you’ll need to replace the resistor.
Broken Wires
If your Dodge Ram blower motor’s wires are broken, the motor may stop working. These wires become faulty when they start rusting, or a rodent bites them.
Check for bite marks and rust on your blower motor’s wires when the device stops working. If you notice these signs, replace your wiring connector.
Defective Blower Motor
Sometimes, a blower motor’s inactivity may have nothing to do with other components in the AC. Rather, it could just mean that the blower motor has reached the end of its lifetime.
Most Dodge Ram blower motors last for about ten years. So, if you’ve been using your blower motor for over ten years, it might be due for a change.
That said, not all blower motors function for ten years. External problems like rust, overheating, or manufacturing issues can cause the blower motor to fail early.
If your blower motor hasn’t reached the 10-year mark, you might want to test it before replacing it. You can test your blower motor by connecting it to a 12-bolt battery with an alligator clip test cable. If the blower motor doesn’t spin after you’ve linked it to the 12-volt battery, replace the motor.
Faulty Climate Control Unit
Before your blower motor resistor decides how fast the blower motor should run, it needs to know the fan’s speed. Your climate control unit delivers this signal to the blower motor resistor.
If the climate control unit goes bad, your blower motor resistor won’t work. This means that your blower motor will stay off.
To solve this problem, you might need to replace your climate control unit. Make sure that your blower resistor and blower motor are in good shape before you replace your climate control unit.
How to Fix Dodge Ram Blower Motor Issues
Here are some troubleshooting tips to help you overcome the issues with your blower motor:
Replace Your Blower Motor Relay
One of the surest ways to fix a bad blower motor is to replace the motor’s relay. You’ll find this relay in your under-dash or under-hood fuse box.
Study the wiring diagram in your owner’s manual to determine which relay works with the blower motor. Once you find the right relay, pull it out of the fuse box and replace it with another relay of equal amp rating.
If your blower motor doesn’t work after you’ve replaced the relay, move on to the next tip.
Change Your Blown Fuse
Replacing a blown fuse is another effective troubleshooting method for a faulty Dodge Ram blower motor relay.
The fuse that controls the blower motor is usually a 20-, 25-, or 30-amp fuse. It is always located under the driver’s side dashboard.
Open the fuse box under the dash. Then, remove the fuse with a long-nose plier and study the fuse against the sunlight. If the fuse is blown, the metal strip at the center will be broken.
If you suspect that your fuse is blown, replace it with a new one with similar amp rating.
Is your Dodge Ram blower motor working now? If not, continue to the next step.
Replace Your Blower Motor Resistor
You can also fix your faulty blower motor by replacing the blower motor resistor.
Here’s how to replace the blower motor resistor in a Dodge Ram:
- Grab the wire under your passenger-side dashboard.
- You’ll find a tab linked to the wire.
- Squeeze the tab and pull it down.
- This will give you access to the blower motor resistor.
- Remove the bolts on the resistor.
- Pull out your resistor.
- Get your new blower motor resistor.
- Study the bottom of the resistor for the round side.
- Insert your resistor under the dashboard, with the round side facing forward.
- Drive in the screws.
- Re-attach the connector to the blower motor resistor.
Your Dodge Ram blower motor should resume working now. If it doesn’t, try the next tip.
Replace Your Connector
Sometimes, the blower motor stops working because its wires are broken. This is why replacing the wiring connector might be a good solution for a bad blower motor resistor.
Take these steps to replace the wiring connector in your Dodge Ram:
- Cut off your old connector from the blower motor’s wires.
- Avoid cutting these wires in the same place to prevent them from hanging over each other after you’ve spliced them.
- Get your new connector.
- If the wires on the connector are too long, cut off a small piece.
- You need to have enough exposed wires to connect the wires on the connector to your old wires.
- So, use a wire stripper to remove some of the insulation on the wires.
- Install heat shrinks on both wires.
- Place the exposed parts of the wires against each other. Then twist them together.
- Now, use a soldering iron to solder them.
Change Your Blower Motor
Your blower motor doesn’t always stop working due to issues in other components. Rather, the device might be staying off because it is dead. In that case, you’ll need to replace it.
You’ll need a T20 torque screw to change your blower motor.
Use this guide below to replace the blower motor in your Dodge Ram:
- Go under your passenger-side dashboard.
- Pull out the connector.
- Use the T2o drive to remove the mounting bolts.
- Detach the blower motor.
- Now, you need to insert the new blower motor.
- Search for the mounting hole that sticks out the most on the blower motor.
- Insert your blower motor with the protruding mounting hole facing the driver’s side.
- Drive in your mounting bolts.
- Now, attach your connector to the motor.
If you’re a visual learner, see how to replace your Dodge Ram’s blower motor in the video below:
After changing your blower motor, turn on your AC. If the blower motor doesn’t work, try the next tip.
Replace Your Climate Control Unit
If none of the steps above fixes your blower motor, the problem might be from your climate control unit. Consider replacing this unit to repair your blower motor.
We don’t recommend changing the climate control unit yourself. Changing this unit requires a lot of expertise, which you probably lack.
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Wrapping Up
Don’t fret when your Dodge Ram blower motor stops working. Instead, try the recommended solutions here. And if they don’t work, contact your dealer for further assistance.