Front fan motor bushes gone?

[Dodgey]

Just thought I'd check before I dismantle the fan, but the symptoms suggest my fan bushes have gone.

- No front fan - well - it will gently run here and there for a few seconds
- rear fan runs fine - so controls are good.
- front duct removed, fan spins freely by hand.
- switch heater on, front fan will rotate not very fast for a second or two if you give it a shove. Then stops. repeatable each time by nudging fan.
- 12 direct to fan, same result - fan will do as above.

[wonkanoby]

some have found the springs push brushes in have rotted

[321Away]

as mentioned, pull apart and check, can be just crud n rust in lower bearing or corroded/rusted connections, wont know til you get in there!

Julian

[Dodgey]

I'm in there! - rusted and a bit damp. Brushes are hardly worn and the springs still spring. Will clean up and lube (wd40?) - seems odd that there is a rubber tube that seems to allow water to run into the motor?

[wonkanoby]

used a smidge of copper grease my self

be sure drain hole that rubber pipe connects to is clear

if blocked water over flows into fan

[Dodgey]

Thanks. All sorted now. I lubed the bushes and springs with a little machine oil, more to inhibit rusting. Works like a charm now - I now have a small tornado in the van! Some water had definitely got into the motor base- was wet in there and mildly corroded.

Drain holes in the upper bonnet lip are all good.

The rubber pipe leading to the motor must surely be a motor vent? The way it's plumbed in it should get fresh air sent down it from above. Water isn't going to find it's way there so must have been from the general plastic shrouding above. The metal base of the motor was covered in mouldy gunge, inside and out, so I have to assume water collected on the lower plastic cover and the motor sat in it.

This is the condition as I found it. I've not photographed it cleaned up as I forgot

[Simon Jones]

Well done at getting that fixed. This was one I came across to repair. The spindle had rusted and seized in the bearing so the whole bearing was turning round in its housing. Was unable to shift the bearing so had to transplant the innards from motor from another vehicle. This is what can happen when the drain pipe in the centre of the windscreen scuttle panel gets blocked so water pours into the fan casing.