2001 SL1 noisy blower fan—possible solution
2001 SL1 noisy blower fan—possible solution
Originally THIS thread.
I just pulled the blower fan and saw its squirrel cage had moved FORWARD, UP about 5mm. Weird, since the fan sits on top of the motor, its axis pointing upward. It's been slowly working itself UP against gravity for 23 years. That's 0.21mm per year.
I carefully tapped it back into place, made sure it had proper clearance to spin, and was careful to only use the high fan speed setting for all my investigations, since lower speeds use the resistor pack that needs the cooling from the fan (or it risks burning itself out) that's missing when it's pulled from its shroud. (Thank you derf.)
Symptoms?
1. occasional rattle
2. slowdown and stoppage of the blower motor
3. different rattle sounds and different stoppage symptoms depending on the way the car was turning, ac- or decelerating.
4. overheating of the fan causing deformation of the connector and subsequent poor connection
All of these point to the 5mm movement being the cause.
1. too far forward motion makes the squirrel cage contact a close surface
2. slight expansion pushes the squirrel cage further into the nearby surface
3. proximity to close surfaces affected by its rubber mounts allowing it to momentarily contact the nearby surfaces
4. stoppage and seizing up of the squirrel cage from touching the close surfaces turned the motor windings into a heating element
I'll update the thread after tonight's test across town. Stay tuned… (really Doug, you think people are going to stay tuned? Geesh…)
Can the connector be bought at a GM dealership? I think I can track down its part number…
Here's the link to the online page showing the diagram of the connector, but how do I track down the part number? Ooos! I found it, and Rock Auto has it online for about $17.
I just pulled the blower fan and saw its squirrel cage had moved FORWARD, UP about 5mm. Weird, since the fan sits on top of the motor, its axis pointing upward. It's been slowly working itself UP against gravity for 23 years. That's 0.21mm per year.
I carefully tapped it back into place, made sure it had proper clearance to spin, and was careful to only use the high fan speed setting for all my investigations, since lower speeds use the resistor pack that needs the cooling from the fan (or it risks burning itself out) that's missing when it's pulled from its shroud. (Thank you derf.)
Symptoms?
1. occasional rattle
2. slowdown and stoppage of the blower motor
3. different rattle sounds and different stoppage symptoms depending on the way the car was turning, ac- or decelerating.
4. overheating of the fan causing deformation of the connector and subsequent poor connection
All of these point to the 5mm movement being the cause.
1. too far forward motion makes the squirrel cage contact a close surface
2. slight expansion pushes the squirrel cage further into the nearby surface
3. proximity to close surfaces affected by its rubber mounts allowing it to momentarily contact the nearby surfaces
4. stoppage and seizing up of the squirrel cage from touching the close surfaces turned the motor windings into a heating element
I'll update the thread after tonight's test across town. Stay tuned… (really Doug, you think people are going to stay tuned? Geesh…)
Can the connector be bought at a GM dealership? I think I can track down its part number…
Here's the link to the online page showing the diagram of the connector, but how do I track down the part number? Ooos! I found it, and Rock Auto has it online for about $17.
Last edited by d0ugparker; Aug 9, 2024 at 07:31 PM.
That seems to have been it
I *SO* wish I had the time! I'm opting for another 23 year timespan to play itself out first. Then I'll invest in the set screw. ;-)
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
