Join the Saturn Ion Fan Club

Today was in the upper 80s — tomorrow is supposed to hit 100, a record high for August first in Syracuse. Miserable weather now, but exactly the sort of day I remember with misplaced fondness while scraping the windshield during a February ice storm.

This is also the sort of day when you really want the air conditioning in the car to work. Especially when it doesn't.

One of my Ion's quirky failures is the fan switch, which interlocks with the air conditioner. You should be able to twist the knob from OFF to 1 and receive a gentle breeze and have the A/C activate; going further through 2 and 3 to 4 should yield a marrow congealing blast. But not my car: 1, 2 and 3 are dead and 4 sometimes condescends to give me a brief puff.

Looked this up on line to see if I could get any wisdom: none, just other overheated and disgruntled souls who paid $130 for a new switch plus labor. Nuts to that, said I: what have I got to lose by taking a look at it myself? (This is the point in most literature where the reader cringes and imagines the shower of sparks that ignites the upholstery, and so on, until the fire department arrives, but too late to save the garage.)

Happily, nothing untoward happened... and guess what? I fixed the darn thing. Saved a couple hundred bucks. Made Laurie so happy she showered me with an undetermined number of kisses. So now I'm doubly happy!

If you happen to have a Saturn with a similar problem, I'll share the secrets (some of this is specific to the Ion, so your car might vary):

1. Do not remove the fan knob at any time. This will be very important later, as it will keep small parts from flying out and getting lost.
2. Remove the trim that surrounds the center cluster of radio and HVAC controls by pulling the two vents straight out, then gently coaxing the rest of the piece loose. The thing is held in place by a handful of spring clips.
3. Use a 9/32" nutdriver to remove the two screws that hold the stereo in place; pull it straight out and disconnect the antenna wire (it just pulls out), ground wire (it pulls off) and the harness (you have to press a release tab to pull it out).
4. Use the same nutdriver to remove the two screws that hold the HVAC panel. This doesn't buy much, just a bit of wiggle play.
5. You should now see a harness plugged into the back of the HVAC panel directly behind the fan knob. Press the release tab and pull the plug off the back of the switch.
6. There are two screws that secure the back of the fan switch; use a 7/32" nutdriver to remove them.
7. You are about to remove the back of the switch, but first a warning: when it comes off, chances are you will find a copper disk and a spring loose inside... so be careful with the next step.
8. The back of the switch it still held in place by three plastic tabs. Use a small flat screwdriver to gently pry them back just until the switch back pops free. I started with the one aimed toward the driver's footwell, then the one aimed toward the passenger footwell, and finally the top one.
9. Hopefully you will now have the plastic switch back, the copper disk, and the spring... if it all came apart, you just found the problem. Rejoice and be guardedly optimistic.
10. Take a tissue and clean out the inside of the switchback and the copper disk; Saturn got overly happy with grease, which seems to be the root cause of the problem... it tends to push the disk away from the contacts and makes it disengage from the knob shaft.
11. Put the spring back first, and then push the copper disk onto the shaft with the two contact dimples pointed out. Notice that it is keyed, and will only go on one way. You should be able to push it far enough so that the plastic shaft goes through the middle; then rotate the disk a quarter of a turn until the disk pops out a little bit, but stays on the shaft. If it stays in place without your holding it, you've done it right.
12. Snap the switchback back in place and plug the harness back in. Turn the ignition key on and check the fan: if it works, continue on... if nothing happens, take the switch back apart and make sure the disk is seated correctly and that the dimples are pointed toward the engine.
13. Secure the switch with the two 7/32" hex screws, then secure the HVAC assembly with two 9/32" hex screws.
14. Reconnect the stereo's wiring harness, ground lug, and antenna; put it back in place and secure it with the last two 9/32" hex screws.
15. Put the trim piece back in place, starting with the bottom and working toward the top.
16. Double-check that everything works, then rejoice and be moderately satisfied.
17. Go inside and with a grim face, tell your wife a sad tale about this $130 switch and the outrageous labor bills... that won't be necessary because you just fixed it yourself. As she kisses you over and over, rejoice and be exceedingly glad.