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'90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

Hi everyone:

I just changed the two-wire blower motor on my '91 740 and found after much Internet research that a GM style motor from a '91-'96 Chevy Caprice/Impala/Olds Vista Cruiser/Buick Roadmaster/Cadillac Brougham fits perfectly (physically). The only difference is the wire harness connector; the original will not fit directly. I simply made an adaptor pigtail from a bit of heavy automotive wire and some female and male crimp on spade connectors. This allowed me to connect the original harness plug to the motor without hacking anything. I just had to be sure that the polarity was correct so that the motor didn't run backwards.

The motor that I used was a Factory Air brand (made by Unimotor - a good company) #35339 that lists for $49.88 on the PartsAmerica web site. You can pick this motor up at any PartsAmerica store and they will price match their web price if you bring a copy of the listing. It also has a lifetime warranty.

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?mfrcode=FAA&mfrpartnumber=35339&parttype=117&ptset=A

Although PartsAmerica lists this as a correct replacement for the late style (two wire) 740, the Factory Air company's catalog does not. They list a #35318 as the correct two-wire replacement (which costs about $25 more and is not always in stock). I compared the specs on the 35339 and the 35318 and they are functionally the same except for the connector:

http://www.4s.com/webcatalog/PartForm.aspx?Part_no=35339;000100&Manuf_No=NA

http://www.4s.com/webcatalog/PartForm.aspx?Part_no=35318;000100&Manuf_No=NA


Of course, another option is to pull one out of any '91-'96 rear wheel drive full size GM car at a salvage yard (or Ebay.)

I wanted to pass this information along as it opens up a very workable substitution for a blower motor on these cars if you need one quickly and cannot get the "exact" one.

This may also be of interest since the 740 FAQ's says that there is no GM substitute for the later 740 cars. Perhaps this can be updated(?)

Thanks and sorry for the long-winded post!


Andrew S.








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    '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

    Do you have a color code?

    What color wire on the GM motor to what wire on the stock motor?
    --
    '75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm








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      '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

      The new motor only had a two-conductor connector on it - no wires. After installing the motor, the connector ends up at the rear of the motor (hard to see.) The positive (hot) terminal was on the driver's side once it was installed if I remember correctly:


      Blower Motor installed
      |_____|
      + -

      The original positive feed wire on my car is red and white. You'll know if it is hooked up backwards as I doubt that you'll get any positive airflow out of the vents. The motor should have a direction of rotation sticker on it - mine did. If you have enough wire you can test it before installing it. Be careful - they like to eat fingers!

      Andrew S.








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    '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

    Hey, this is great info. Thanks! My blower motor recently started squeaking again. I'm going to yank it out and try to lube it somehow again, but if worse comes to worse and it dies again, now I know I have a cheap and suitable replacement. FCP Groton had one available but it was about $80.
    --
    Ken
    1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
    My Volvo 'Project'
    Click here for the 700/900 FAQ
    (or on the upper righthand of your screen, drop








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      '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

      I bought one from FCP about a year ago -- it's worked fine, but just started chirping last week on a long drive.

      If I have to replace it again, I'll certainly try the GM replacement.

      Thanks Andrew.

      Jeff Pierce








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      '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

      Hi Ken:

      I am glad to pass this along as it does save a few bucks over the "correct" nearly identical motor.

      Good luck trying to lube your old motor. I tried that over the summer and the one that was in my car was already an aftermarket replacement that was pretty much sealed. I had a terrible time prying it apart and putting it back together again. It was pressed together at the factory and reassembly was frustrating to say the least. Looking back on it, I should have just replaced it with a new one due to all of the effort that I spent - only having to replace it anyway six months later.

      Good luck,

      Andrew S.








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        '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

        Yeah,I've tried to take it apart before and quickly realized that it was a lost cause. My concept of 'lubing it' is putting a drop of mobil 1 synthetic on the exposed tip of the axle and turning the fan on and trying to get it to drop down the edges of the axle. =P It seemed to help a little last time.
        --
        Ken
        1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
        My Volvo 'Project'
        Click here for the 700/900 FAQ
        (or on the upper righthand of your screen, drop








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        '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

        I'm not so sure the OE & GM parts were all that different, since you did find one that matched up. In a previous job, I got to see Valeo blower motors on the incoming dock of a Delco plant. Some of these were relabeled "Bosch" and shipped back out the door. The other half of the lot was built into blower motor assemblies (fans, housings, heater cores, etc) for GM plants. The 740 replacements could be just another example.








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          '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

          That reminds me of what I found in one of the cars I parted out. (don't recall if it was the 86 or one of the 90s) The blower motor appeared to have been recently replaced. On it was a paper sticker with the AC Delco logo and "Made in USA". This was on the outside, visible when the unit was installed. On the other side, stamped in the metal, was "Made in England" What's going on here !?!?








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            '90+ 740 (and 940?) GM blower motor interchange found! 700 1991

            Hmm... Perhaps the individual parts of the motor were manufactured in different places but assembled in another? The motor that I bought was made by Unimotor of Canada even though the box said "Four Seasons."







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