Why won't it do anything unless the fuse box is hit?

bad or loose heater switch behind dash...loose wires on switch...blower motor fuse loose in fuse box...

On a 1996 model you probably have vac actuators that control air flow. Look under the dash and you may be able to see the actuator that controls flow to the defrost and vents. There would be another one for temp control.

Only have it repaired.
There's one thing only which you could do, which is to disconnect the stereo's power completely (pull the fuse out), then reconnect it and see if it was just crashed. If no luck though, then this is likely a mechanical issue.

most of the time that problem is in the switch where u turn ur lights on i would not recommend u take apart ur dash unless u know what ur doing but before u seek help u might try the fuse box and see if u have any bad fuses

Time to get it into the dealer, unless you have the proper equipment to diagnose the problem. I won't mess with anything electrical on any vehicle.

see the diagram:
you must test wires loose, broke or burn, switch , fuse, connector, or blower motor, block resistor test or replace.

Check the relay relay maybe latched on. See if there is an identical relay in the box and swap them if problem goes away replace relay.

Hi, if the light on the switch is coming on, the relay is fine. Unless both bulbs are burned out, the problem is in the wiring between the relay and the lights. I recommend you trace the wiring backward from the passenger side fog light to the power box under the hood to see if the wire is cut. There should be two wires coming out of the power box--one going to each fog light. If the wiring looks good, it is also possible that the ground to the lights is bad.

it is normal for most of your fuses to have no power with the key off. when the key is turned on the ignition switch powers up relays that provide power to the other fuses. some vehicles are set up so that the brake lights will not illuminate unless the key is on or car is running.