Heater fan lubrication?

[Steve76063]

I think I know the answer, but I’ll ask anyway...

is there any way to lubricate the heater fan motor without pulling the heater box?  After my outside refurbishment (not really a restoration) I noticed the heater fan didn’t work. After running a new ground wire (and checking that I did have 12 volts) I tried again and melted the plastic fuse!

i used a long screwdriver and the fan blades are very stiff, so I’m sure any 47 year old lube has dried up. 

I’m just checking to see if it’s possible it lubricate it without pulling the box (I did that  40 years ago and remember that it wasn’t easy) but suspect that that’ll be my only recourse. 

[JohnS]

You can probably use something like Wurth HHS-2000 spray grease to get a lubricant in there.  It's great stuff.  Sprays as a liquid and then hardens into a grease.  Great for the 2002 door hinges.

Edited June 5, 2019 by JohnS

[Simeon]

There are definitely posts on this subject from @mike and Mintgrun Tom as I have exactly the same issue. You can, with a bit of ingenuity, lubricate the top bearing which is likely to be worst due to exposure. 

 

I am planning on rebuilding my heater box anyway but there are ways and means. 

[JohnS]

If the fan motor still has the black plastic dust cover covering the the top bushing it can be a challenge to get oil in there.  The cover does unsnap from the motor, but  they can be fragile after years of heat.  Here's a picture of that dust cover to give you an idea.  Like Simeon said, there's definitely some past threads on this topic and interesting solutions other folks came up with.  If you pull the box, you can unclip the fan motor from it's cage and clean it really well and lube it up easily.  I had one motor that I thought was completely seized up.  A little TLC and it's been working fine for a long time.  Good luck

  

Edited June 6, 2019 by JohnS

['76mintgrün'02]

I like tri-flow and used a little piece of weedeater fuel line between squirter hoses to reach in there and shoot the upper and lower bearings on the motor.  

 

(hi Simeon)

[Steve76063]

Thanks Mintgrun & Simeon...I'll give that a shot and keep my fingers crossed-I don't look forward to trying to remove the box with the AC unit in the way.

[Steve76063]

Mintgrun... I rigged up a hose like you showed and first sprayed both ends of the motor with WD-40 and let it sit for a day.  The blades were a bit easier to turn with a long screwdriver (they were very hard to turn at first). I then sprayed some Silicroil on both sides and let sit another day. The blades were easier, but still wouldn’t turn with 12v applied, so I turned on the power and then reached in and turned the blades and it started spinning ?. I let it spin for a while, shut it off and sprayed some more lubricant. If it’ll start on it’s own tomorrow, I’ll call it a success?.  Only issue is that it’ll probably smell like oil for a while but definitely better than pulling the heater box!

['76mintgrün'02]

Hey, that's great Steve!  I'd never heard of Sili Kroil, but it sounds slippery.  I just read a review of the stuff, titled "stinky magic in a can" which said "...  the stinkiness is unique, and fairly lasting. SO be careful where you use it. Not so great for regular lubrication of most things in your house, as it will stink the place up...."

 

The Tri-flow has teflon... which also sounds slippery.  I like WD-40 for cleaning dirt off of my carburetor.  I like the smell of it too.

 

This is a fun little trick you can do with the straw, where you spin it between your fingers, while holding the end near a small flame until it droops over.  It takes just a second or two before it makes a little 90 degree tip, for shooting up into hard to reach areas. 

 

 

It might help get oil up into the lower bearing.

 

Tom

[jimk]

9 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

as it will stink the place up..

How about the car?  Or does it already stink?

[ray_]

56 minutes ago, jimk said:

How about the car?  Or does it already stink?

It goes like stink!

 

?

[Steve76063]

I like that right-angle trick...I'll have to give it a try.

 

The fan still works today on all 3 speeds ?, and the SiliKroil small isn't too bad (or my nose has gone numb ?)

[fjord-tii]

Not to hijack this thread, having just rebuilt and installed a heater box, I later wondered if an external fan like from SPAL would replace the OEM design? There is a 4” one, photo below.

[Simeon]

4 hours ago, fjord-tii said:

Not to hijack this thread, having just rebuilt and installed a heater box, I later wondered if an external fan like from SPAL would replace the OEM design? There is a 4” one, photo below.

 

Someone on here a few years back replaced theirs with a large server rack fan. I think it was Okay. 

 

You would need to upgrade your wiring and speed resistors but no reason why that wouldn’t work well.