[NewCadOwner]

I have a 97 Catera...have had good luck with it compared to most other owners...I'm no car genius so I hope I can get answers.

My power seats aren't working. When I put a new fuse in, it blew that one after a few seconds of moving the seat around...any ideas?

Second, my foglights don't work anymore. Used to, dont now. The turn signals next to them do, but when I push the fog button, I get nothing, no light on the dash or anything. Ideas?

Lastly, my heater blows hot air only through the driver side vents and blows cool out through the pass. side. Odd. I'm usually roasting while the passenger is freezing to death. What could this be?

 

[Eldyfig]

Power seats - check all the wiring under the seats for breaks. Something could be shorting out.

Foglights - it the indicator light isn't coming on maybe the switch is defective. Try popping the switch out and checking for current coming out when you switch it on.

Hot/cool air - sounds like an air mix door is not operating properly.

 

[ccclarke]

Problem #1 - Inoperative Power Seat: Could be a couple of things, but since the fuse consistently blows, there's a short in there someplace. Pull the seat and inspect the wiring carefully, since the car has a few years on it. If you're proficient with a multimeter, disconnect the seat motor and check its resistance against a shop manual schematic or compare it to the opposite seat (if the opposite seat is powered and operating nominally.)

Problem #2 - Inoperative Fog Lights: Start with the fuse. Then the bulbs. If those are good, place a meter across the circuit (at the light if it's easy enough to access) and check for 12vdc when the switch is on. If no voltage, check the switch for proper operation and wiring path continuity to the lights in that order, using --you guessed it, a multimeter.

Problem #3 - Heat Active On One Side Only: Sounds a lot like a damper solenoid isn't operating to send the air where you want it. Again, a shop manual is invaluable, especially if you need to get behind the dash to locate the suspected faulty component.

Let us know what you find so we can eliminate the obvious and get your vehicle running like a champ!

CCC