Quote Originally Posted by ZEUS View Post
"DO NOT REPAIR" - does anyone know why that would be printed on the resistor? If the resistor "so commonly" roasts, does something else usually suffer because of it? Any ideas on other things to check?
ObWarning: I'm familiar with resistor blocks, but not necessarily the one as installed in the VX. Keep a grain of salt handy.

Resistors convert electricity to heat. If you don't get rid of the heat, the resistor will turn into what is jokingly called an LER - Light Emiting Resistor -- it will burn itself out.

To keep the heat down, they usually put the resistor block inside the air ducts so that they have plenty of air flowing over them. This is usually enough, and so they rarely overheat. However, sometimes you get a resistor that's just weak, I guess...

If you've got an inspection mirror and light, you might peek inside the hole for any airflow obstructions. When you removed the resistor pack, was it dusty? A buildup of dust could prevent adequate cooling.

The other thing to check is that the blower is spinning well. A sticky motor would draw more amps, which might cause more heat.

Those are really the only things I can think of that would make a resistor fail early. Otherwise, I think you've just lost a random roll of the dice. You're stuck with replacing the whole resistor block as a single unit, and hopefully you never see this problem again.