1997 Jeep Wrangler heater blower

I have 3 speeds, low med & high. Before the blower motor went in the spring it was working great. It would heat the whole jeep in 10 min in really cold weather. Now when its on high it sounds like low and there is very little blowing out, almost like something is blocking it. In fact, thats what we thought the problem was (it wasnt blowing at all at first) until we found the vac, and it started working to where it is now.

I don't think they all blow, and there is so little heat blown out when its on high-that is where I leave it.
I drove the jeep all summer long, I just never used the blower. When the old blower motor was in there I used it until it wouldnt work anymore, then summer was here so I didn't use it all summer. So of course as it started getting colder and I needed heat I had to replace it. So there is no chance that something built a nest in there.

But we replaced the blower motor. My husband said that the resistor is in that.

Ok, we are going out right now to look it over.
Also, my jeep has a/c that hasnt been used in years

So far this is what I have -
there is 3 settings - low, med & high. You can hear and feel the speed change when u turn the switch setting from lowto high. It just doesnt blow like it used to. And when u turn on the recirculate it blows louder, but it doesnt really come out anywhere that it should be - u cant feel it in the vents.

May I offer my 2 cents. I beleive you have a vacuum leak. The fact that you can hear the fan change speeds tells me that all electrical problems are ruled out. The air is blown into the heater box and then distributed to vents or defroster by a few doors actuated by vacuum switches. The doors remain closed until opened by the respective vacuum switch. This would explain why the fan blows but no air comes out. The vacuum switches are located under the dash board to the right of the gas pedal. You should be able to see them move when you switch from defrost to foot well heating modes. The recirculate option is operated by cable and would work even if you have a leak. Please switch between foot well to vent to defrost and let me know if you hear the sound (muffled thunk) of the doors closing. Or cram your head up into the drivers foot well and crane your head up to the right and then make the changes to see if the vacuum switches move. The first option is easier. Good luck.

Thanks. We still are having the same results. We thought it was a vac leak-it still may be. As you said you can hear the doors opening and closing when you turn the recirculate on, so that does open, and that doesn't give good heat either. It sounds like it wants to blow but there is a blockage somewhere. Someone else suggested flushing the system.
We didnt realize the doors were on that side, so we are going to do that first, and I will let you know what we get! Thanks again. Its zero degrees here so its a bit frustrating!

Well I feel your pain... I have been there. I live in New England so it gets cold but usually doesn't stay too bad for long. Here is a picture of the vacuum switches. They probably won't be arranged exactly like this because the image is from a 99 but it is a good representation. You can try to remove an actuator arm and open the door manually. I don't know if it will stay open but if it defrosts your feet it is worth a try. Good luck and let us know how you make out. The photo is from a write up on www.stu-offroad.com Just want to give props. The Vacuum switches are on the left hand side of the yellow box.

Ok, we checked out all of those and they are all working fine everything is running smooth under there. We are going to try flushing the system. Idk what to do next!

Flushing will only clean out the inside of the heater core itself and would give you more heat if you didn't have much. It will not improve air flow. If all of the diverters are opening and no air is coming out. The only other thing to check is upstream. There must be a blockage before the blower. You could remove the cowl and look in that area. That is where the air is drawn from. Maybe a critter made a nest in your heater box. I believe you said that your husband replaced the blower motor. I think you need to have a look at what happened during that procedure. Pull it out and power it up on a bench. Make sure the squirrel cage is spinning. Stick your hand into the hole and feel around (with the engine off and the battery terminal remove to be extra safe).

Ok. We took the blower motor back off and the squirrel cage is working fine. There was some pine needles in by the heater core and we cleandd it all out but it did not do anything to change the heat blowing. Could the heater core stop air flow if it was plugged or something?

The heater core looks like a mini radiator...

Air Flows through it and removes heat from the fluid that circulates inside it. If it were the cause of the airflow problem, when you switch to cool air on the heater control panel then the air would bypass it and flow unobstructed.
You checked the vacuum switches up under the dash in the drivers foot well area? They move when you switch from defrost to vents to footwell? Try this on the lowest fan setting in case they are very week.

Lets start this over...
1. The fan operates on all the different speed settings?
2. no air comes out of any of the selectable areas (ie defrost, foot well, vents, combination settings)
3. The vacuum switches move when switched between selectable areas (i.e. defrost, foot well, etc...)

The only place left to look if all of the other problems turn up negative is the cowl. This is the grill like piece right in front of the windshield. Remove the wiper arm and 4 screws and it should come out (never done it myself) This is where the air come in. Check for an obstruction there.

Ok
1-yes you can hear the fan change speeds.
2-very little heat comes out of any of them, not enough to warm you
3-the vacuum switches do move when switching from the different areas

We stuck something down the defrost and it seemed to do all the way in.
I am thinking the only place left is between the heater core and where the ductwork is. That doesnt seem like much area.

I will check the cowel and see what I get

Very little heat or very little air? Or both?