Hello Henryk, It is on the passenger side, under the glove box area. First remove the little leg air vent on the side of the console buy turning the plastic screw 90 degrees. Careful not to damage the little louvre inside.

4 screws or so to remove the padded exterior cover, then there is a black plastic cover over the fan. 4 or 5 screws to remove the cover, then 4 screws holding the motor and it drops out. Disconnect the plug. Now here is the hard part: It is the relay that is burnt out, and typical of MB, they have redesigned the relay to dissipate the heat better. As a result the new relay will not fit the old motor. You guessed it, you have to buy both a new motor and new relay. As a result, you also need a new plastic cover to fit the new shape. You may need a new plug assembly also, not sure.

Total cost for the parts is $717.50 Retail but you can get a 20% discount at Caliber Motors, Inc. in Anaheim Hills, Ca. The parts numbers for the '97 are (but be sure and ask him if they are the same for the 96):
210-835-27-40 New Housing cover------$38.40
210-821-15-51----Switch--------------------169.00
210-820-09-17--Electric cable and plug----33.60
210-820-68-42 Blower Motor--------------334.40
Total---------------------------------------------------------$574.00
That is in October of '03. Prices may be higher now.

So you will save $146 in part and about $500 in labor to do this 1 hour at the most (actually about 30 min if you don't get a back ache) job. Caliber's sales number is1-800-252-6877. That is all I know. Good luck. Harvey

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hlg