Climate control problems - has this happened to anyone else?
So, guys, 99 galant. First my a/c drain gets clogged so water goes all over the floor on the passenger side. I only mention this in case it has some bearing on the rest of the story. Then the a/c clutch starts engaging whenever the fan is on 2 or upwards, even though I do not have the a/c on at this time. Then the fan motor decides that it does not like this game and ceases to function entirely. I am not pleased. I decide that the problem lies within the climate control itself, located as it is in the center of the dash. I proceed to go to a local boneyard where I have not brought my custom before because the proprietor assures me that the part he is selling me is in fact the 1999 model, because as you may or may not know, this is the only year that is appropriate for this application. He, however, has a strict no customers on lot policy and as a result I do not see the car with my own eyes. Now comes the ugly part. I place this part in its proper location and am rewarded with a sizzling noise which ends in a pop which seems to be coming from the fusebox area of the dash. Assuming that I have been misled, and this is in fact not the 1999 model, I return the part and have some choice words with the proprietor, who essentially said, so sue me. Not wishing to tie up the court system with litigation over a twenty dollar part, I decide to find the correct one somewhere else and so I replace the original, as having a gaping hole in the dash is unsightly and would not make me a hit with the ladies. The result? Nothing works at all now, not the rear defroster, not the recirculate/fresh air button and certainly not the fan, which as I have already indicated has packed it in at an earlier date. All my fuses in dash and in the engine compartment test fine. If anyone has had a similar experience, I would appreciate the benefit of your thoughts on the matter.
(apologies to Damon Runyon)