A friend has a 01 TL and he told me that his fan stopped working for a bit he slapped the dash and it worked for a while before it completely stopped. The ac goes on cause he feels the cold air come out so this is just a fan issue. Is there a way he can verify that it's the fan for sure?

 

first guess
there is a wire connector for the fan that tends to overheat and melt
look under the outside bottem edge of glovebox for the connector
examine both sides if needed,,damage can hide

acura makes a replacement with longer wires so it lessens the strain and should solve the problem

when that happens --sometimes it takes another part with it, remove glove box per cabin air filter DIY, then remove fan mounting plate and fan, on its backside is the part

who has the correct name for that--transistor?? or resistor?

 

Well what it sounds like is you are having problems with the blower motor.

Start off with the above advice. Should put you on the right track and try putting it onto full blast and see if it works.... usually when the blower motor resistor goes out, it will affect all speeds EXCEPT full blast.