How to fix Jeep Liberty blower motor (resistor) – with pictures

I have a 2004 Jeep Liberty and the blower motor fan for the heat and air conditioning over time has gotten weaker and weaker to the point of setting number one not even working anymore. Over time, settings 1-3 will stop working and only 4 will work. Thanks to comments from Slav below, this is due to the full fan setting bypassing the resistor. I did some internet searching and found that this is a very common problem, but I couldn’t find very good instructions. Yes, there were step-by-step guides, but none answered all my questions. Here is my own attempt at helping you to make this job easy. (Click on any image for a larger resolution version.)

I had the dealership look up the part number — for my 2004 Liberty it is 5139719AA, although it is best to have them check fresh if you are going to tackle this project. If you decide you want to assume I’m right, here it is on Amazon.com.

Here are the tools I used: 2 small flat head screwdrivers, 8MM or 5/16″ socket (1/4″ drive), 1/4″ drive ratchet, 1/4″ drive long extension or a 1/4″ socket driver,  flashlight; optional & preferable: this looks like it would be the perfect tool for this job, a 1/4″ universal joint adapter.

 

Before starting, forums that I read insisted that you remove the negative wire from the battery to prevent airbag deployment. I was skeptical of this, but to nervous to risk it. Just do it.

1. Empty and remove the glove box. This is actually really simple. Open the door until it won’t open anymore. Look on the left and right for this large clip:

Push the clips toward each other and open the glovebox further:

Once you open the glovebox far enough, you can slide the whole thing to the right and remove it:

(I didn’t figure this out until I was done, so my subsequent pictures won’t reflect removing the glovebox door.)

2. Some might say to remove the wiring harness now, but I had a lot of trouble with that, so I took the resistor out, then worked on removing the wiring harness. This is when I first used my socket driver to remove the top screw:

3. For the bottom screw, I tried using my socket driver, but it was too much of an angle to bite:

This is where you can use a flexible or universal tool or a ratchet, like I did:

Thankfully I was able to hold on to the screws. If you drop one, I’m not sure how hard it is to get back.

4. Then I pulled the resistor out:

5. It took me a long time to figure this out: you must pull out the red clip lock in order to allow the black lever to release the wiring harness. Prying the red lock didn’t work, so I ended up needing to use a small screwdriver to push up on the little locking piece in the back:

Here’s what it looked like when it released:


At that point, push down on the black lever to release the wiring harness:

6. The rest is just going in reverse now, you can either put the harness on now or later; I chose now so I could see what I was doing.

Here is the old resistor. It has either worn out or made with very poor quality control:

PLEASE comment if there is a better way to do something that I didn’t figure out!! Also, let me know if this was helpful.

 

 

209 replies
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  1. Rhonda says:

    Thank you Thank you Thank you!!
    I just fixed the air blower in my ’07 Jeep Liberty in 15 minutes flat thanks to your amazing step-by-step instructions. I can picture me hot, sweaty and throwing tools, if not for this site.
    Thanks again 🙂

  2. Keith May says:

    Great article! My 2007 Liberty blower motor quit working on the first two speeds. I Google searched and found your article. Bought the part at the local NAPA and proceeded to install using your advice. Great help. The red lock is a pain and I probably would have pulled my hair out if I hadn’t been prepared for it. The connector was still difficult to uncouple but everything went as expected. Thank you for posting this very helpful instruction.

    Keith – Louisville, Ky

  3. Kimber says:

    I have nearly zero car repair experience and this was tremendously helpful. Thanks for posting!

  4. Sarah says:

    Brian – You’re the MAN!
    Great help. That red clip was the WORST – had to walk away twice. And, needed pliers to wiggle the resistor free from the harness but otherwise was easy peasy…thanks to your instructions and photos.
    Mega thanks!

    $19.99 + a little frustration

  5. Todd says:

    Thanks. Could not figure out how the red clip released. With your pictures and description, it came right apart.

  6. Gena says:

    You are AMAZING!!!!! I was able to accomplish this within 45 minutes start to finish. The tools you recommended were perfect. This was so super easy and it worked! I agree with one of the other commenters that I had a bit of trouble after getting the red lock unlocked (which thanks to you was super easy). My part was difficult to separate from the wires. I used his suggestion of trying with needle nose pliers and it popped right off.

    Thank you so much for posting this tutorial online. You have helped many, many people.

  7. Todd says:

    Outstanding! You truly made this a 15 minute job. I would have struggled for a while without your help. Can’t thank you enough. Hopefully you land a job at Jeep and can teach those geniuses something.

  8. Fonger says:

    You are a blessing. took 15 mins plus another 10 because the replacement part fell into the cavity after connecting to the wiring harness. it was cheap glue that held the part together. Thanks a bunch.

  9. Coral says:

    Thanks so much for the instructions and especially for the pictures! I also want to thank everyone that commented on their experiences. It all helped! This was my first time trying to fix anything on any vehicle and it was an awesome experience!!! Saved me $ and it didn’t take that long.
    Sincerely
    Coral, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada

  10. Bobby says:

    You, sir, are a god among men. I can now enjoy my precious #2 fan speed again and stop blasting all passengers in my Jeep Liberty with 3 and 4 only. Took all of 15 minutes. The red clip was still an enormous pain in the a$$, but thanks to your instructions I didn’t give up.

    Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you for taking the time to post this.

  11. Jose says:

    Thanks so much for the tip. This helped me greatly. I can’t believe it was so simple, yet so rewarding. Thanks to you, me and my family can finally ride with a/c once again and for only $26.00.

  12. lee says:

    This was absolutely AWESOME!!! The only thing about the red clip is making it clear to use the screw drive to lift up the little catch while it’s lifted to push the clip backwards to get it to unlock. Otherthen that, it took me longer to get the right size driver for the battery cable than to replace the resistor. Thank you. You saved me $120. I was able to find the party on Amazon and with my gift certs it only cost me less then $10.

  13. George A. Nelson says:

    You did a great job. I had the blower control problem and fixed it using your photos. The part number for a 2005 Jeep Liberty is 05139719AA and it cost $ 14.69 at my local Jeep dealer. Thanks.

  14. Jenny says:

    I fixed my 2002 today. Thank you so much for your instructions they really helped!!! My friends said I couldn’t do it on my own… Thanks a million times for everything!

  15. Roberto says:

    Thanks!!! This was great. I ordered the part for $15 for my 2006 liberty and it worked like a charm. For the bottom screw I just went underneath the glove box and it was very easily accessible. This was the easiest fix I’ve. Gotta love the internet.

  16. deano australia says:

    all good thanks
    I removed red clip altogether. made it much easier.
    Any clue on headlights switching on and off on there own

  17. Dan Ashline-Beaudet says:

    These instructions worked perfectly. Very simple and easy to do. Took me less than 10 minutes total time. It helped to have a very small swivel head socket wrench to get that bottom screw. The red clip lock I’d dealt with on other connectors so I knew how it worked. Only thing I had issue with was getting the darn glovebox door back on. It didn’t want to slide back to the left.

  18. Ronnie Jersey City says:

    Many thanks for this posting, this was a great help. I have a 2009 Jeep Liberty and it looks like they made a few very helpful modifications in comparison to your pictures. The location of the resistor is much easier to get to and the lock is not as complicated, just one tab to push down but you’ll have to wiggle the connector to get the resistor to uncouple as you are pushing down on the tab. Spent $25 on the resistor and $0 on labor which took me about an hour altogether. I inquired on the cost of installing it (just the part) with a local auto shop and they are charging me $75 + tax. Now the fan is working!!

  19. martin says:

    This just save me! 🙂
    the damn red clip is a pain, but with theses pictures it went smooth… 🙂

    thanks

  20. Lewis says:

    Thanks for the detailed instructions. I changed mine in about 20 minutes. It was easy once I knew how to do it. There is a hole directly underneath in case someone drops one of the screws when removing them…so its easy to retrieve them.

  21. Chris says:

    Hello, I too have a problem with the #1 and #2 selection on my AC switch. I live in Serbia and probably have THE ONLY 2004 Jeep Liberty Sport in country. My question is; are Jeep Comanche (very similair build to the Jeep Liberty here in Europe) parts (Fan blower motor resistor) compatible with my Liberty? Or should I have one sent to me from the United States? Cost and time are not a problem, this question would be for more important repairs in the future.

  22. brmorris says:

    Chris,

    My best advice would be to visit a local Chrysler dealership and find out if they have part 5139719AA.

  23. Angie says:

    Thank you! I am not a car expert by any stretch of the imagine, but I did it all by myself. On the bottom screw I did use a 8mm wrench, it was the easiest route for me.

  24. John K says:

    Thanks for the illustrations and instructions. I replaced the blower resistor pack yesterday. No problems except I dropped the socket I was using. Fortunately the panel underneath is only held in place by two screws.

  25. Sam says:

    Thanks for taking the time to post this repair. It was much better than the Haynes repair book I have for my 2006 Jeep Liberty.

  26. Kristine says:

    Thanks so much for the tutorial! It was bang on and to the point. The only thing I did differently was: I used needle nose players to release that bothersome red lock. I initially used the screwdriver, as you suggested, but snapped through the top. It was then that I realized that it also needs to be pulled back as well as up to release it. I now have a four speed fan, once again! Thank you!

  27. Michele says:

    So i did everything and still doesn’t work. Then i found the stupid red clip…i didn’t put it back in once changing the old resistot for the new one. Will that effect anything from working? Should i take it apart again and put the red clip back on??

  28. Al says:

    You were the only one that could tell me how to unlock that stupid red tab, I was really getting frustrated. You have the best instructions on the net . You rule dude ! Thanks

  29. brmorris says:

    Michele,

    As long as the connector is in, it will probably be fine without the red clip. I doubt it will slip out down the road..

  30. Dan says:

    Fantastic!!! I had to undo the kick tray underneath as I didn’t have a the right tool to get to the bottom screw.

  31. Bob Lablaw says:

    Well, I just finished changing the resistor for the 2nd time. Came back here again to refresh my old memory on how to do it with your very helpful How-to.

    2003 Liberty Sport 2wd.

    Fortunately the part from Advanced Auto has a Limited Lifetime Warranty and I keep receipts.

    The one I changed out had flecks on it were the coating had come of. The switch was only working on the 3 setting. Now all is well again.

  32. Rad L says:

    Thanks dude, this really helped alot. I was looking through my Chilton manual and it didnt explain it well enough so I couldn’t locate the resistor. And aactually The resistor in the chilton looks alot different from the one I had in there.

  33. Kim says:

    One more helpful reminder: the red locking device must be I facing down. when reassembling.. Otherwise the screw brackets do not line up correctly

  34. KOZ says:

    Excellent post. The pictures and words made it a simple task. It took me longer to gather all the tools needed and clean up after than it did to do the entire task. About 15 minutes total. The red connector keylock pushed up easy when I figured it out from your pix. I write helicopter maintenance manuals for a living. I recognize that when you can easily understand an unfamiliar procedure, great effort when into its writing. Thanks my friend.

  35. citi says:

    Thanks for the tips. ..heres another one: dont get the part from a boneyard…must have been bad too….is there anything else whaysoever involved with the the 4 lower fan settings? Like a fuse or fusible link??

  36. Cherilyn says:

    I just want to so thanks so much for this post!!! I’m a single woman with just this car and not a lot of extra money to fix car troubles! With help oh this post I was able to change out my resistor all by myself!!! Saved me money and now the kids won’t be freezing in the car!! Thank you so much!

  37. Ramona says:

    Thank you so much for this awesome post. For less that $11 and about 10 minutes of my time, I have air that doesn’t have to be set on 4! Not bad for a girl!

  38. al who says:

    I could not find the black lever you were talking about I wound up turning it over and prying it with a screwdriver I broke the locking mechanism, including, the red clip and everything else [ the brute approach] I hope it goes back together, AND WORKS! you were a big help, if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t know where to have looked in the first place. thank you

  39. al who says:

    PS my wife helped by holding the flashlight maybe that explains the “brute approach” thanks again!

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