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Why did our Jeep’s blower stop blowing?
John Paul, AAA Northeast's Car Doctor, answers a question from a reader trying to figure out what happened to a Jeep’s blower.
Q. The blower on my daughter’s 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped working. We brought it in, and we tried tinkering ourselves. We replaced the blower motor and the resistor, and neither did anything. Our local mechanic said it was electrical. We checked the fuses, and all seemed fine. Is this an expensive fix?
A. The one item you may have overlooked was the blower motor relay. The relay sits in the under-hood fuse box. At this point try switching it with a neighboring relay. If the blower starts, you’ve solved the problem. Also, there are two fuses for that circuit – check both. If this is not the problem, then it could be the dash switch or wiring between the switch and motor or the fuse box (TIPM-totally integrated power module). The last Jeep that I looked at with a similar problem had wiring damage caused by a rodent.
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Q. I requested service for my car today because it did not start, and they boosted the battery. When I turned it off it did not restart. I called again and they gave the car another boost and again it turned off. What do you think is wrong? Is it the alternator?
A. It certainly sounds like a combination of a bad battery and faulty alternator. When a battery is dead/discharged and needs a boost, letting it run will charge it up but only so far. It can take up to two hours of driving to charge a battery to 90 percent. At this point, the best thing would be to have the starter, alternator, and battery all tested.
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Q. Sometimes the tire pressure warning light comes on when we are on the highway. It happens on both our 2015 Mazda 6 and our 2014 Honda Accord. Invariably, I pull over, check the air pressure, find all tires are at the recommended pressure, and clear the warning icon. Why does this happen and is there a cure? I should also note sometimes this happens after a road undulation at highway speeds. This has never happened in city driving.
A. These tire pressure sensors use radio transmitters that are battery powered and shut off when stopped. It could be that the batteries are nearing the end of their useful life, which is about seven to 10 years. Unfortunately, the cure is to replace the sensors. This is something I would consider at the next tire replacement to save costs.
Q. Can you recommend an aftermarket brand brake rotor that resists surface rusting after a rain?
A. No, although some manufacturers claim rust resistance, I have found it is only temporary. Some surface rust is normal and usually wears off after the first few brake applications.
Q. Can you recommend a versatile computer scanner suitable for a DIY’er?
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A. There are code readers and scan tools. A code reader will provide basic codes, which is somewhat helpful. As for scan tools, one company that has several is Innova. A few months back I had their scan tool guru on my radio program, give it a listen. What I like about their scan tools is they can connect to their online database for possible repairs.
Q. The pleather seat on the driver side of my car with 90,000 miles is showing wear in a 2-inch region on the far-left side where I obviously put the most pressure. Are there any materials you could recommend for touching up or patching short of replacing the entire seat cover?
A. There are a couple of products that may work. JB Weld, which makes good products, has a Vinyl and Leather Repair Kit and 3M Leather and Vinyl Repair Kit also gets good reviews.
Q. Can an amateur DIY’er readily replace the front bumper cover on a 10-year-old Honda Accord without owning a lift and specialized body tools? What about spray painting the replacement cover with canned matching paint?
A. The bumper cover is held on with a series of clips and a few screws. You can do it at home without a lift, although you do need to get under the car at some point to remove some screws/bolts. If you can borrow a set of ramps, it will make that portion of the job easier. I would purchase a box of the attachment clips because you will break some. As for specialized tools, just a clip removal tool, sort of a long and short handled fork. As for painting it with spray cans, yes, it is certainly possible. But like all painting, preparation is the key to a good job. You can get factory paint in spray cans from www.automotivetouchup.com. There are some surprisingly good videos on YouTube that you might want to watch before tackling the project.
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John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor. He has over 40 years of experience in the automotive business and is an ASE-certified master technician. E-mail your Car Doctor question to [email protected]. Listen to the Car Doctor podcast at johnfpaul.podbean.com.
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