Jim Grant's Tech Tips

96 Dodge Caravan, Blower Motor Won't Shut Off
Q: The heater blower on my ‘96 Dodge Caravan won’t shut off after the engine is shut off.I tried pulling all the relays. Nothing works until I pull the fuse to the fan. What is up with this?

A: Guess what? You missed one! The heater blower for your Caravan has a relay and it sounds as if the contacts in the relay are stuck in the closed position. The fuse for the heater has electrical power to it whether the key is in the on or off position. The relay acts as a gate. When the ignition switch is in the off position the relay is designed to prevent electricity from flowing to the blower motor. When the ignition is turned on the relay is activated and the contacts in the relay close allowing electricity to travel to the blower motor. If the contacts in the relay get stuck in the on position electrical power will continue to flow to the blower motor even with the ignition in the off position. I’m willing to bet a coffee that a new heater relay will be the fix.