I noticed there are a few postings from heater blower motor replacements going on. For the faithful dedicated and now fully initiated out there......


Disclaimer - Throughout the following article there are generic expletives (identified by the symbols such as $*#&^$% ) used for the sake of artistic merit. Reader's reaction may vary from being offended (these are the readers that have NEVER replaced a fan) to substituting harsh expletives for the symbols (these are the readers who are taking a break from the two day job of attempting to replace the fan before they read the archives here). The author means no offense by the use of these symbolic expletives - however reader discretion is advised. :)


That $*#&^$% HEATER FAN MOTOR!!!


What is that noise coming from the dash when I run the fan??

Did some leaves get up into the fan??
Did something fall down the defrost vents in the summer??
What happens next???????
(Suspense music please)
Here's what next!!!



Obviously when "They" designed the first Volvo it was like God creating the Garden of Eden.
There had to be one thing in the Garden that could screw up the perfection created or it would be Heaven, not Eden - Right?

Well "They" at Volvo said " Lets do a heater thing so that we will really know who loves us and who doesn't - and besides we have to give some wretched folks, with the power of choice, a reason to buy all those other brands of cars on the road.

So here we are - the hardcore remnant, happily chugging along in our 200 series bricks, smiling because our 1980 brick is worth more than a 1996 Topaz and rides better and besides - no one except a Volvonian has a #$*%@%$ clue how old our beloved Brick is anyway.

So at this juncture, my friend, you have a number of options.

1.) Take it to a Volvo service garage and pay the huge coin for a new fan motor install (3/4 of that big bill is labour). This will have you cursing the high cost of owning a Volvo but you will have QUIET heat for years.

2.) Buy a new fan motor and spend one or two Saturdays saving a big labour bill - getting intimate with the inner dash of your beloved brick. (yes intimate - by the time you're done you will feel like you've been royally @*#^ed)

3.) Go down to your nearest auto wrecker/ recycler/ u-pick and get a used fan motor for half the cost of a new one - spend the one or two Saturdays the same as above, and then REALLY CURSE!!! when the &*#%#$^(*?$ old fan motor craps out in 6 months cuz you had no idea it came out of a brick OLDER than yours.
Then you are faced with selecting another choice from the above list. Hopefully- you are like most of us Volvonians and only try a shortcut ONCE!!!

4.) Take a real hard look at your Brick - write down all the things it needs and what is good on it - go and buy another one that has a good fan motor but needs a lot of stuff that is good on yours (little things like transmission, motor, driveshaft, - nothing big). Put all the good things from yours onto the other one and drive IT. This could be easier than trying to replace the fan motor on your Brick.

5.) Decide that this is the one thing you can not live with - that the powers that be at Volvo have pushed it too far - and you go and buy some other brand. Now you can enjoy quiet heat blowing for years to come - even if there are a million things wrong with the rest of the car - the fan works silently!! Reason enough to leave the fold.

You wonder why the powers that be just couldn't copy some one else for the fan idea. Then Volvo would have the best of all worlds.

And every time you see a Brick go by, you feel the gnawing in your craw, a lump in your throat, and you think of "those fanatical Volvo owners" .... And you start to dream about all the things you loved about your old Brick that your present manufacturer just hasn't figured out yet, (as you drive sitting with your bottom almost on the floor hoping no one ever hits you are they will have to use a sardine can opener to get you out).

Five maybe seven years later - you're ready. You come across a reasonable deal on a Brick. Not near as fancy or flashy as your current brand Z ride - but as soon as you sit in it - you realize you never should have left. So SOLID, so HEFTY, So SAFE, So MATURE & STATELY, So THE WAY ALL CARS SHOULD BE MADE!!!!
You buy it .... and are once again a member of "THE REMNANT" a true VOLVONIAN, once again chugging down the road smug in the knowledge that no one really knows the age of your Brick except "our own kind."

Until that fateful day... what is that little rasping noise coming from the dash when I turn on the fan?
Did something fall down the defrost slot??

OH GOD NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Its the *#&%$%^#$%#% fan motor!!!!!!!!!

But this time you're ready !!!!!!

Enjoy and HAPPY BRIKIN

Gord Hull
(The Brickbat)

69 144, 78 242, 80 245, 86 245, 87 245

then there's the old saw about the 6 pound test fishing line.

ASSEMBLING A VOLVO 240:

1] Hang the blower motor from the rafters using 2 lengths of 6 pound test fishing line.

2] Assemble the entire rest of the car, excepting the windshield, around the blower motor.

3] pull the fishing line off of the blower through the defroster vents.

4] Install the windshield.

Conversely:

INSTALLING A 240 BLOWER MOTOR IN 4 EASY STEPS:

1] Remove everything from the car that is NOT the blower motor.

2] Remove the blower motor.

3] Suspend the new motor from a suitable support using 6 pound test fishing line.

4] Reassemble car.

Goldy,

Well written post. Also, thoroughly enjoyed the perspective. The blower motor is a rite of passage for any Volvotron. Not that difficult just a lengthy process.

Art Benstein's web-site helped me quite a bit (Thanks so much to you ARTTY B: maybe you could insert a section about removing the old pin/connectors and replacing them on a new resistor pack's plug..hint...hint...would helped me just that little bit more.)

Peace, Jon

This moment I can look out the window and see six 240s made from 79 to 91, arranged in our driveway, all running, legal and insured. Only one has had the blower motor changed, a job I viewed as a volvo rite of passage and an opportunity to make notes on the process. The others have been shown photos of the operation and now are all scared to make a sound much less the death rattle.

One fine day for a blower motor
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Art, that was very nicely done! Pictures ALWAYS help! The part that scared me was when I saw the pile of parts laying out on the lawn. I will save this, and one day have the courage to embark on such a project. Take care, and thanks for all the good advice!
--
Michael 'Street'... one AZ '85 244DL 188K miles

Michael,
I should apologize for that pic. It wasn't consciously intended to discourage anyone, but I believe it may have had that effect. Sorry. It really isn't that bad, I just wanted to wash the remaining hints of the PO's pets from the ductwork. Have 320K on it now, blower runs great and the car smells like leather creme.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

one question - why tear the entire center console, etc out?

Don Foster had a posting several years back that dropped the time for the job from 2 days to about 3 hours.

The console stayed in. removing the seats was advisable.

Basically, the ends of the fan housings were sliced off with a dremel tool cutting wheel. About 3/8" in from the edge.

Then the fans are unclipped and removed, and the motor is slid out one end.

this is the short abreviated version - but I wish I had heard of it the first time around. Actually not, doing it the long way gave me an appreciation for the shortcuts.

But your illustrated instructions are absolutely great.

Thanks for posting it.

Brick On!!!

I agree with you, although I wasn't in any hurry and did not consider this the onerous task to get over and done, that, say, chasing farts would be.

Next time, not if, but when, I change one, I'll use the "chainsaw" method just to experience it. Maybe on someone else's car. And I'll remove the dash for comfort, as Chris Herbst points out. Maybe that threat, in addition to the yardsale photo, will scare all of mine to silence!

Oddly, I met an Audi owner/enthusiast who tells me an engine hoist is part of the procedure for doing the same job on a Quattro. He says the DIY workaround is also cutting the plenum and resealing with duct tape. I traded my last non-volvo vehicle to him for an LH2.2 green book and a thank you for not having to tow it to the yard.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

RAther than use duct tape - it dries out and falls off after some time - I drill 3 pair of 1/8" holes arounds the circumference of the patch I cut out of the end of the plenum. One hole inside the cut line, the matching hole opposite and outside the cut line. The hole may need to be slightly enlarged. Then when I re-assemble, I attach the center piece with 3 small nylon zap straps, and then seal the cut line with silicone - I have never had to look at it again.

adios

Oh, I recall that post now, thinking at the time the method solves the problem of how to support the patch from the inside to be able to put good pressure on tape.

Last year, just as winter was settling in, the heater cores on BOTH my bricks went kaput.

The 87 245 was easy - I had an 86 parts car that matched.

The 78 242 was another story. I had an 80 245, but the heater core, fan, and fan housing/plenum are different on the pre-79 or pre-80 models.

Needless to say - both dashes were removed...

Amazing what I was able to accomplish with a dremel tool, some silicone, and the short metal stud screws (used to attach metal 2x4 studs together). Those screws are ery sharp pointed (can delf pilot into steel very well) and are short enough that they don't puncture things behind. Plus their head is large enough that they work great when the door liner cardboard is wrecked and the door liner clips fall out.

There was a posting about cutting the right end of the plenum off and sliding the heater core out the side. it actually went rather well as I recall.

Gotta hand it to you - you take great instructional photos.

Gord Hull
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

Oh my lord! What a post! Take a deep breath, walk away from your Vo. Now, people during this last week have posted many problems with the blower motor here. You can also go to the search under "HELP".
This blower motor I believe makes this sound due to bad bearings (mine also does this from time to time). That's my little advice... I'm sure you'll have plenty of replies to this post in the meantime... take care :-)
--
Michael 'Street'... one AZ '85 244DL 188K miles

At this moment that article is very funny. However, I have saved it to reread at a future date to remind me why I would rather get the motor replaced than my car! The 1980 is on its 3rd, or maybe 4th blower motor. Unfortunately I think that number 4, or 5, may be looming up all too soon, there are small noises coming from the dash occasionally. Luckily due to the relatively mild climate here (and a good warm coat in the winter) I have managed to put off this terrible event by using the fan very seldom.

I had not really thought about it that much but it is true that only fellow "Volvonians" really know the age of brick. If you keep your brick clean, waxed, in good running order and replace worn out interior parts you can really surprise people when you let them know how old the car really is. Of course what probably impresses many of them the most in my case is NO car payments in 21 years!

Happy bricking

Two 240 wagons, 1980, 1983