Don’t forget to check the fuses. I don’t remember the numbers off the top of my head, but I know there are two different ones. One allows fan speeds 1-3 (which pass through the resistor) the other fuse is a nice 30 amp fuse which allows the fan to go full bore.

If you replace the 30A one and it the motor works for a bit then the fuse blows again chances are that some connectors are corroding or in my case the fan had started to seize causing it to draw too much current which fried the resistor.

While you’re tearing your dash apart I would recommend getting a cabin air filter to stop dust and other junk from getting to the motor, but I think your car has one seeing as how it's a 97.