Hi Guys,

Went to get the air conditioning serviced and was told that the eletric fan in front od the condensor was seized and should be replaced (I know I have seen posts here that the fan is not really needed). Given that the price quoted for a new fan was $390 can I decided that I had nothing to lose by trying to get the origianl fan working again. I took it out and remover the four screws on the back, there is really nothing to the fan so it is easy to take the back off and take as much rust out of the motor as possible. A little light oil on the bearings, (you may have to take the fan blade off as well (it is a backward threaded nut by the way)) and the fan can be truned again. I put a small bead of silicon around the casing of the motor (where the flanges meet up) put everything back together and hooked the motor up to the battery. Needless to say it runs like new again, So I guess I am saying don't be afraid to take this motor apart and clean and lube it, you can save yourself a lot of money and it will probably last another 12 years (or until the housing completely rusts out).

Thanks for the tip! The fan in my car has been seized for years, but with a conversion to R134a completed last year, I've found that it would be nice to have the added airflow through the condensor when sitting in traffic.

Well I think that was what the fan was for in the first place. Like I said the fan coems apart fairly easily, you will need to remove the brushes (they are a bit tricky to get back on) to get the main housing split apart, you may also need to drill out some of the screws if they have rusted as badly as mine did. Not a big deal just replace them with new ones (and put a good bead of silicon on, it will help hold things together too). Good luck