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Hi! I have experienced problems with the heater on my -97 850 during this winter. It started with squeaky noises on and off (they often come on when turning) from the passenger side, getting worse gradually, and especially bad when doing longer trips. At a couple of occasions, the fan appeared to have seized completely at the end of a trip, in such way that when restarting the car the fan would not start at all and some flashing error warning came up on the ECC panel. Both times the fan restarted by itself after 1) taking out and reinserting the fuse, or 2) just inspection of the heater/fan assembly, with my hands. I have not yet tried to take out the motor for a more thorough inspection, but I have searched this forum and also localized the relevant pages on Bay 13 where this operation is described. The squeaky noise ("mad bird in the dash")continues though. And the fan works fine, blowing air at all speeds when not seized.
My conclusion according to the experienced symptoms and what I found on this forum, is that the blower motor is heading south and can die any moment from now. I went this morning to the Volvo dealer, who not only asks a ridiculous price for the part (eqv to 500US$+ which I still would accept to pay because I need heat in this freezing country), but is also out on stock until March! Believe that.
So what do I do? It appears that a few of you have made some experience about greasing the bearings of this fan motor to make it go silent and last longer. How efficient is it? What oil/grease to use; WD40 or some thicker oil?
Then a last issue which came as an advice from a Volvo mechanic this morning when I tried to buy a new fan motor: He claimed that a clogged airfilter for the ECC could be the reason for a squeaky fan. Anyone also experienced this?
I am all ears for your advices!
Br, Ola, Lier, Norway
-97 850
-58 544
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posted by
someone claiming to be ksg
on
Tue Feb 21 17:12 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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I have got mine to work by lubricating the bearings with lightweight ordinary oil. The motor will come out of the housing after you remove the torx screw and the connector but it does fit tightly. Be sure the 2 contact lugs on the motor are aligned with the slots they need to pass through. You can use a blunt object to push the motor out of the housing through the hole where the torx screw enters - something such as a wooden chopstick. Once out clean the commutator lightly with very fine cloth such as crocus cloth or 1200 grit silicon carbide paper, until it looks like copper again. You can soak the bearings to get oil into them then wipe all the excess away. This is unless there is a great deal of play or runout in the bearings - if that is so you will need to replace the motor very soon.
Aside from friction in the fan motor the external contact points and connections can become corroded. They too need to be cleaned carefully or replaced, then formed so they stay in place. A little corrosion will cause high resistance and slow or even stop the motor. You can test this by wiggling the wiring and connectors with the fan running.
With the above treatments done, I have kept my original fan running for almost 3 years now.
I don't think there is any way the pollen filter (if that is what your technician is referring to) can stop the motor. Air can always leak in some way. But you can test this by setting the recirculation so that air then does not have to pass through the filter to reach the fan.
Some people had trouble on the automatic climate control with the "power unit" which is evidently a current regulating transistor which substitutes for the resistor which the manual system has - either case the function is to regulate the speed of the fan.
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Thanks for your tips, exactly what I needed. I have to admit that the WD40 treatment did not last more than a couple of days, now the fan has started to squeal again although not so bad as before. And it has not seized. Re the pollen filter; my car showed to have none at all, so in this case that is not the reason.
My last question; the last connector, how does it get off? All the other ones were ease, but this one (main power?) does not seem to have anything to push to get it off. It is the lower one, one red and one black cable to it.
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Thanks for your tips, exactly what I needed. I have to admit that the WD40 treatment did not last more than a couple of days, now the fan has started to squeal again although not so bad as before. And it has not seized. Re the pollen filter; my car showed to have none at all, so in this case that is not the reason.
My last question; the last connector, how does it get off? All the other ones were ease, but this one (main power?) does not seem to have anything to push to get it off. It is the lower one, one red and one black cable to it.
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Your Volvo mechanic is correct. If you have a cabin filter installed, it must be changed when dirty. Otherwise, it will cause too much strain on the fan that is trying to draw air through the filter. Your car may not have a filter, it was optional that year, and then dirt on the fan blades causes the fan to slow down.
The noise you hear is the outside of the fan blade drum touching the plastic around the fan. The bearings are already worn too much. Greasing them would help, but it is a sealed unit. You will need a new fan motor (which includes blades). If your car doesn't have a filter, buy a holder and filter.
Sorry to hear about the price, but it surprises me that there is a shortage. Look on the internet for other European part sellers. Removal/installation is very easy to do at home.
Klaus
--
(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)
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Thanks for comments. I took out the fan/motor assembly this afternoon. The blades were fairly clean, so I guess that there is some kind of filter mounted. I managed to get off all the connectors, except the lower one with one red and one black cable coming from the left, probably the feed itself. I then tried to pull the motor out of the cover after loosening the torx at the back. I was only able to pull the motor out about an inch, and I did not want to force more in fear of breaking either the fan or something else.
I then gave the whole thing a hefty shower of WD40, crossed my fingers and reassembled. Eureka, the mose seems to have gone on holiday. Although the car smells a bit of WD40, it is now warm and silent. Will check this filter tomorrow (cold in the garage as hell).
Any tips on 1) getting off this lower connector and 2) to pull out the motor from the cover plate?
Br, Ola.
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posted by
someone claiming to be RGB
on
Mon Feb 27 05:20 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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When you are ready to buy a fan motor try Boston Volvo (bostonvolvo.com)
I just installed a fan motor after mine seized up - only got 310,000 miles out of it on my 93 850. Ive been using them for original Volvo parts for all the Volvo's I've owned, PV544, 123, P1800, 142, 745, 850 and V-70. The noise in mine was the bearings going more like fingernails on a chalkboard - could not rotate the cage after removing the motor.
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posted by
someone claiming to be volvobob
on
Mon Feb 27 07:41 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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Just out of curiosity, what did bostonvolvo charge for the blower motor? I think I will need to replace mine soon or turn radio up much loader!
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Ahhh, heat! Good news. Now you can wait and look for a better price, the dealers always charge twice as much. The WD40 is just fine. You managed to coat the plastic outer edge of the fan which was/is still rubbing on plastic. You will need a new fan by summer when it is easier to work on.
The filter is under the cowling below the windshield on the passenger side. Just remove 2 or 3 torx screws and the drain connector and carefully lift up the plastic. You will have room to reach in and lift the filter out. If there is no filter, you will need to buy a filter holder which replaces the round cornered plastic piece, and a filter.
Stay warm,
Klaus
--
(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)
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