[77newell]

Michael: thanks I will check that out. Having been into that metal box twice I can affirm that it is most unkind to the skin on my hands and arms. I think I checked for proper rotation but it is worth confirming.

I think there is another likely causation. It occurred to me during the night (never let a good sleep go to waste). The two dash blowers and the one for the arm rests are all situated in a single plenum above the air conditioning evaporator and the heater core. Air flows through a vent in the floor by the passenger seat, down a convoluted duct, makes a 180 degree turn up into the evaporator followed by the heater core, and then to the fan plenum. Given the resistance of that path, when the two dash fans are on they generate a slight vacuum trying to pull air through the convoluted path. That vacuum would pull air backwards down through the arm rest fan into the plenum, it's a path of little resistance. When that happens a bunch of air is bypassing the heater core and just going around in an unheated circle. I want to try measuring the temperature rise of the dash vents when the arm rest fan is on high. I suspect it will go up.If that is the case then whenever I want heat or cooling I will need to turn on the arm rest fan in order to get the best effect. I'll let you all know what I find.