a/c switch went out suddenly?

Yesterday on the way home from the coast,I tried to turn on the a/c. It wouldn`t come one at all. I turned the fan speen knob back and fourth a few times as well as the knob that controls which vents the a/c blows out of. I could here the gates inside the dash opening and closing,but the unit would still not come on and blow air out. I tried it again and it started working.

After driving for awhile with the a/c on full blast,I attempted to turn the fan speen down,and when I did,the a/c stopped working again and hasn`t come back on since.

Do I need to replace that entire panel that has the a/c knobs? If so,where`s the best place to buy a replacement and what`s the easiest/recommended way to remove it?

How about the year?

Oops,sorry. I`d just rolled out of bed when I posted. It`s a 1998 Olds 88,base model I`m assuming.

I searched the forum and found this post,but there`s no update from the op if he/she resolved the issue:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=744641

I took the HVAC control head off and a few of the wires are all burnt up. It`s the wires that run to the fan speed control knob. What would`ve caused that to happen? Also,I`m assuming the HVAC head has to be replaced........is there anywhere besides a GM dealer to get one? Maybe an aftermarket one from Autozone,O`Reilly,etc?

Would this be the correct part?

http://www.autozone.com/R,2382484/initialAction,partProductDetail/store,3535/partType,00302/shopping/partProductDetail.htm

You should check the fan resistors & terminals on the firewall fan box. High amperage draw in this area can cause all kinds of problems.

No pic at AZ, but I do not believe they will not have the control head, only the fan control module. Head is dealer only.

I went to O`Reilly`s and ordered what they said is the a/c-heater control panel. It`s what they call a "guaranteed used part",but it was only $173 as opposed to over $300 for a dealer part. I found some used ones from junked cars on Ebay for about $40,but I decided to take my chances with the O`Reilly`s one. If it`s not the correct part,I`m under no obligation.

I`ll get back with y`all here after the part comes in and let everyone know the outcome.