Heater Blower Quit

[Glennzbimmer]

Well, the heater blower started squeeling about a week ago, then it was intermittently operating on and off at various speeds. Today it quit and when I opened the fuze box, the 25 Amp fuse was cooked and it smelled of melting plastic. My guess, not visually confirmed yet, the motor brushes finally wore out and the mother is now frozen, overloading the circuit, hence the cooked fuse.

If this is so, what the best course of action? I hope it's an easy remove and replace from the cowl access port under the hood. Where can I get a motor and just swap the fan blades to save money?

thank y0u,

glennZbimmer

[Mike W.]

If it was brushes it would have been a silent death, yours sounds like bearings. Access isn't difficult and last I knew replacement Bosch/Behr motors were available from Autohausaz for not too much money new. 30 year old plastic is brittle, but some have done it successfully. If you have a Sofica I don't believe motors alone are available, nor do I know if Bosch/Behr cages will fit. Some have apparently made Bosch motors fit in Sofica housings, but they're not the same. And or buy used, they often come up for sale here.

[Glennzbimmer]

Thank you, Mike. For now, I'm going to have to use a 12V portable heater/fan until I can get on this. This morning the blower came back on. I cycled the AC blower then switched to heat, same squealing sound. I wonder if I can lube the bearings with some fine lubricant that doesn't attract dirt?

[Blue Shadow]

Just be glad you have heater blower problems not ac blower problems. Much harder to change. The heater blower is easy.

Get one replace it and move on. No reason to dive in with oil for a fuse area melting current draining worn out fan.

Shoulda oiled it with the first squeal. And since you are going to try, you want some nice turbine oil, something thin with no additives since you want it to get sucked up into the sintered bronze bushings to come out as needed over time. No WD40, not Teflon or other fancy additive types, and I can't say oil cause WD ain't an oil.

[Mike W.]

I like Triflow but turbine oil would be fine too. With a fresh shot of oil you might be able to limp it for a month or more, but it's not going to last long the bearings are toast. If it quiets down, remember, it's not fixed, you just got brief reprieve, it's on the way out.

[Peete]

Mine did this last winter. I bought the machine oil and lubed it. It worked for a little but on the coldest day(Snowpocalypse) in ATL the blower motor decided enough was enough. I froze in 1.5 hours of stop and go traffic. The next day I ordered a NEW Behr blower, Install is easy and it's a good time to vacuum out out all of the crap in that area. I forgot what I paid but it was money well spent. I have no worries this winter. Moral of the story, buy a new one and be done with it.

[Glennzbimmer]

OK! B/B blower out. Rust is evident. New one ordered, soon to be installed!

[Owndapwn]

I just finished oiling mine this morning.
Pretty easy to get out. Got the blower back in no problem, but I can't get the firewall cover back on without a buddy. I'm pretty sure mine is tweaked though.
I just pulled it out and oiled the shit out of it with some generic oil and now it spins on everything but low. It'll get me through to the summer, when I can worry about shit like that.

[Mike W.]

I just pulled it out and oiled the shit out of it with some generic oil and now it spins on everything but low. It'll get me through to the summer, when I can worry about shit like that.

Won't run on low? I doubt it will make it to March. Maybe not even to February unless it's just the resistor that's bad.

[Owndapwn]

I just pulled it out and oiled the shit out of it with some generic oil and now it spins on everything but low. It'll get me through to the summer, when I can worry about shit like that.

Won't run on low? I doubt it will make it to March. Maybe not even to February unless it's just the resistor that's bad.

Well, if it doesn't, I'll just go back to wearing gloves while I drive. Not a huge deal to me. I love the cold. My girlfriend hates it though, so I oiled the fans.
I put a bandaid on the fan. Bandaids wear off, I know this. My intention is to keep putting the bandaid on until I finish rebuilding the important bits.