Crickets in my blower!! (1 Viewer)

[Rigster]

Ok, well... not really, but one of my boys made the connection as it does sound like a cricket stuck in there chirping now and again.

I am just wondering if anyone else has taken the fan out and oiled the bearing and put it back in? I did that in one of my trucks years ago as a temporary fix and years later I sold it and it was still working fine. I assume it is a sealed bearing, but all I did was drill one small hole on top of the bearing and dropped some oil in while spinning it and then sealed it again with a small dab of caulking.

Don't get me wrong, I will order a new one when I go to order a list of parts here, but for the time being, I am thinking the quick solution would be to do the above. I really do not like squeaks and rattles....

Thoughts?

 

[Felde]

Might work. There are also good chances it's a standard bearing readily available round the corner. Only thing is: It's a PITA to get to the blower, so you want to dig in there only once...
Good Luck Ralf

 

[Rigster]

Might work. There are also good chances it's a standard bearing readily available round the corner. Only thing is: It's a PITA to get to the blower, so you want to dig in there only once...
Good Luck Ralf

Thanks Ralf,

I am not removing the whole HVAC system, but just going to access the motor itself. But yes, it can be pretty tight in there for sure. I did confirm that there is a blower motor available still through PartSouq (read - free sticker opportunity ) for $200.

I will not likely even get a chance to do anything on this until this coming weekend.

 

[coldtaco]

The blower is easy to remove, as you probably already know

 

[Felde]

Realy! I thought one needs to remove this entire bucket to get to it. (I once tried that to investigate on a water leak I had around there and eventually resigned, as my AC unit and 1000 other items appeared to be in the way and need to be removed first).
But I just checked the parts diagram. Apparently the motor & fan unit can be removed by 3 screws from the bottom. .
Nice. Learned something.
Cheers Ralf

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

Three screws, a hose connection and an electrical connector. You have to be in an awkward (and painful afterwards) position, but it is doable. Ideally, you may want to take the front passenger seat out and lay down for comfort.

Pre-1999 blowers use Phillips screws. 1999 through 2010 blowers use Torx screws.

It is good to lubricate it. Take the chance to inspect the brushes. You have to remove some gaffer's tape (made of a material that feels like cloth) to have access to the motor's innards.

The fan nut requires an eight-millimeter wrench.

The fan's blades get really dirty. A soft brush and detergent are your friends.








Juan

 

[Rigster]

Well I found time today to do some vehicle work. I helped my two older boys get started replacing the parts on my oldest son's jetta, answering their questions where needed, but in between I took out the blower motor and cleaned it all out really well. The "bearings" were even simpler than I expected, just a shaft on each end with a sleeve.

Accessing it was relatively straight forward, as stated above, 3 screws. You will never get the closest one to the firewall with a regular screwdriver, so I opted for a flex tool:

The motor itself is typical simple but good Japanese engineering

cleaned it all up well, then I used a "sticky" type chain oil for the shaft and sleeve style bearing. Reassembly is a little tricky with the long springs and bushings, so I used 2 thin strips of gorilla tape to hold then in place during reassembly, then pulled them out. Duct tape should also work, but I would not use masking tape as it tears too easily and you will end up leaving some in there.

Worked like a charm:

Reassembled, put it back in and no more crickets! At least for now.