Heater A/C blower motor replacement

[Rich Z]

Anyone ever replaced their heater A/C blower motor? Looks pretty easy in the shop manuals, but looking to see if there are any gotchas. Mine started making a racket last week and I'm thinking maybe I've got a mouse that got in there and got caught in the fan. Or some nesting material got in there. Anyway SOMETHING is making a hell of a racket when I turn on the blower.

There appears to be two different styles of blower motors. One says "manual" and the other says "auto". I'm assuming my Z06 is the "auto" version....

Biggest problem with this is trying to get the panel out from under the dash on the passenger side and remove the motor while my legs are hanging out the door being chewed on by mosquitos and yellow flies. I guess wearing long pants would help....

 

[chris308]

Yea i replaced mine a few months ago. Just like installing the clb, you have to be a contorsionist to get it done. 3 small nut screws and a plug is all that holds it up iirc....

 

[Mannings]

Replaced mine in about 30 minutes. Maybe have you wife or kid do it while you supervise, makes them feel like their participating. :hehehe:

 

[Rich Z]

I had someone tell me that more than likely the fan isn't broken, just probably filled with mouse nesting material. He showed me pics of a fan he took out of his car.

Oh well, maybe I'll tackle this tomorrow.

Shoot, I just remembered that I have a new shifter I want to install a well. :banghead:

 

[Rich Z]

Well, I'm glad I didn't go ahead and order a new blower motor ahead of time like I had been thinking I should do. I just got done pulling the blower motor out and took a look at it. Was actually a pretty easy job to do. Just need a flat blade screwdriver to pry the retaining clips for the cover panel and a 15T driver for the three screws holding the motor in place. Being a contortionist would help, but if I can do it, most anyone else can as well. One of the screws is not visible at all and has to be worked with using the braille method. Just pull the electrical plug from the socket, remove a small section of rubber hose held on by a wrap around rubber band sort of thingie, unscrew the three screws and it drops out with a little bit of maneuvering. To put it back in, just do the reverse. I didn't even curse once during the entire time.

Anyway, what had apparently happened is that a mouse had eaten poison and crawled into the ductwork and died. When I had started up the car on the day the fan motor made noise, I noticed a real sour smell coming from the vents. I commented on it to Connie that I thought there might be a dead mouse somewhere. We've had problems with rodents for years, and this is the major incentive for getting a garage built. Anyway, when I had to slam on the brakes later that day, it must have knocked the mouse into the fan cage and of course unbalanced it to make that vibration noise.

As you will see from the pics, this probably was a GOOD thing. The dead mouse (and fan blades) is covered with maggots and the cyst like things they form into just prior to becoming new flies. Had the mouse still been in the ductwork or I had waited much longer to tackle pulling out that blower motor, in a few more days the inside of my car would have been FILLED with flies. What a surprise THAT would have been when I got into the car!

Anyway, might take a few days for that sour dead smell to go away, but at least the cause is gone and the blower motor works fine now.

Damned rodents........

 

[MRS. XTREME]

Well YAY on it not being anything major like we suspected

and GROSS on the mouse... I am so glad you didnt wait on it that would have NOT been good at all !!!!

Good job on doing it yourself :dancer01:

and not a knuckle brusied