Hi guys,

Anybody know of a quick fix for the lousy blower motor that sounds like it's about to fly right through the floor? I looked through the forums, and it's obviously a regular problem with these cars. It's absolutely freezing here in Toronto these days, and I don't have access to a garage. Is there anything that can be squirted up there relatively easily or anything else that will stop that awful noise (squeeking, rattling, grinding - intermittently) at least until it get's warmer so that I can either replace the whole unit, or fix it properly.

Thanks,
Iikka.

IPD has them on sale now, by the way. I think I'm going to pick one up and then trust people on here to walk me through the replacement in a couple of months.

Until it warms up to replace the blower motor, a quick fix is to drill a 1/4" hole through the plastic housing directly underneath blower motor's shaft. This will allow you to squirt a spray lubricant into the motor's shaft which should temporarily silence the squeeling noises.
Keith
--
1990 740GL Wagon 223k AW70L B230F 8 Valve Non-Turbo Rex/Regina

Sounds like a good idea,

Do you or anybody else know exactly how to pinpoint the location of the shaft? Are there any diagrams or pictures floating around of this procedure?
Knowing me, I'll turn the panel into swiss cheese with the "hit and miss" technique.

Thanks,
Iikka.

The best way to find the motor shaft so you can spray lubricant into it is to remove the two plastic panals. I don't know if your car is exactly like my 1990 740 gl wagon, but on mine it goes this way...
Passenger's side front seat. Pull out one plastic tab hiding large phillips screw in front of seat along door edge. Take screw out. Slide this panal out of its clip. Look under glove box and release three plastic clips by turning the slots 45 degrees. Pull this plastic panal down and toward you, wiggling it some. It will slide out. Look underneath the glovebox and in the back right corner you will see the bottom of the heater blower motor. It will have a wire plugged into it. Locate the center of the blower motor and you should see the end of the shaft that is siezed up. This is what is causing all that whining noise. Condensation forms there and it just siezes the thing up. If you cannot see the end of the shaft then you must drill a hole in the bottom center cover plate of the blower motor (1/8" bit will work fine here). This hole will allow you to fit the plastic nozzle into it and spray it good. Motor should stop making funny noises at this point. Remember this is a temporary fix. Noise will eventually return, who knows when. You may want to keep panels off until you replace motor, but if you are not sure if you can remember how they go back on later you should reinstall them now. One person I talked to said he uses WD40, but that is up to you.
Keith
--
1990 740GL Wagon 228k AW70L B230F 8 Valve Non-Turbo Rex/Regina

"If you cannot see the end of the shaft then you must drill a hole in the bottom center cover plate of the blower motor"...
actually, you need to drill a hole in the black plastic bottom shroud that has a dimple on it. The dimple is where you drill the hole (right in the middle). The motor's shaft is directly above that dimple.
Keith
--
1990 740GL Wagon 228k AW70L B230F 8 Valve Non-Turbo Rex/Regina

I will try this, thanks a lot for your help!

Iikka.

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=741414

While it is possible to squirt oil in the bearing to stop the noise, you have to drop the blower motor to do that since access is otherwise impossible. If you're going to drop the blower motor, then go ahead and replace it instead of putzing around with oiling the bearing. The job takes no more than 20 minutes. Your only real risk is fracturing some plastic panels in the cold.

Man I have got to learn to work on cars. My mechanic quoted me about 300 for a new blower motor install. If it is a 20 minute job I can't believe his price was so high. Maybe he is using OEM parts?

Hello Fellow Canadian,

Go to the Parts Source and order a Siemens made replacement blower for a 1984 Chev Citation with the single power connection (I think the Chev with A/C had this config). The part # is: 14-7705-0 and the Siemens number is: PM-105.

The PM-105 motor assembly is identical to the OEM one and only cost $25CDN. You could ask for the Siemens made Volvo drop in replacement but the Part Source will charge you double. Both of the Siemens motor assemblies are the same but the difference is that the fan cage comes with the Siemens made Volvo replacement. Not worth it if you can gingerly remove the cage off the OEM blower and reuse it.

Cheap and effective. Ask me how I know ;)

Tim