240 blower motor

[Ron W]

any helpful hints on changing blower motor on 86 240 w-air would be
most appreciated.
Thanks Ron

 

[James Sweet]

any helpful hints on changing blower motor on 86 240 w-air would be
most appreciated.
Thanks Ron

Same as any 240, it's a big job any way you look at it. Pull the center
console, pull the glovebox, remove the instrument cluster, disconnect the
vents, remove the dash, remove the framing pieces from the center console,
disconnect the ducting, pop off the clips, remove the side panels from the
blower box, remove the nuts and pull off the blower wheels, remove the
shroud around the motor, take out the bolts, disconnect the wiring harness
and feed it through, remove the motor. Reinstall everything in reverse
order. Took me about 4 hours on the only one I've done, wasn't fun in the
least but it went fairly smoothly. As far as hints, keep track of all the
fasteners in ziplock bags and don't do it when you're tired/frustrated/have
to use the car later that day.

 

[Glenn Klein]

any helpful hints on changing blower motor on 86 240 w-air would be
most appreciated.
Thanks Ron

Figure about 10 Hours if you have never tinkered with this before it is
not a easy job for the do it yourself person to perform. In my tenure
with Volvo cars this always a job which i dislike performing due the
fact that you are hanging on the edge of the car for most of the time
required to perform this repair
Glenn
Volvo Technician

--
"*-344-*Never Forgotten"
Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as
long as I live,
nor should any American.
"Mow Green"

 

[James Sweet]

Figure about 10 Hours if you have never tinkered with this before it is
not a easy job for the do it yourself person to perform. In my tenure
with Volvo cars this always a job which i dislike performing due the
fact that you are hanging on the edge of the car for most of the time
required to perform this repair
Glenn
Volvo Technician

I don't see how it would take 10 hours unless you get stuck or take a lot of
breaks, it is one of the most difficult repairs on the whole car though.

 

[Mike F]

I don't see how it would take 10 hours unless you get stuck or take a lot of
breaks, it is one of the most difficult repairs on the whole car though.

I would say 10 hours is a good estimate for an inexperienced person with
limited tools who's never done this before.

Also one other tip - there's lots of ground wire terminals that live
under various screws that will need to be removed. I write the number
of terminals under each screw on a piece of masking tape and stick it
beside the hole. That way you can be sure of getting all the grounds
grounded again.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

[mccaldwell2]

There may be two alternatives: 1) lubricate; 2) cut large access hole.
Instructions for both approaches should be available in archives of
this NG.

 

[James Sweet]

There may be two alternatives: 1) lubricate; 2) cut large access hole.
Instructions for both approaches should be available in archives of
this NG.

I've heard of those and considered trying them, but once I got in there it
appeared it would be easier to just do it by the book. Lubrication is an
option but likely won't help for long. Could buy you some time until the
weather warms up though.

 

[Michael Cerkowski]

I've heard of those and considered trying them, but once I got in there it
appeared it would be easier to just do it by the book. Lubrication is an
option but likely won't help for long. Could buy you some time until the
weather warms up though.

My 'lube job' has lasted about 5 years, althouth the motor is noisy
and
I go easy on it, often 'parking' the switch to shut the fan off
completely.
I've attached the info for the 'Drill 'N 'Squirt' procedure, which takes
a
newby maybe 2 hours, tops.
--






http://www.albany.net/~mjc1/index.html

From - Wed May 05 15:27:43 1999
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From: Mike Froebel <"metrixmf()"@icant.net>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.volvo
Subject: Re: Best Lubricant for 240 Fan Motor?
Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 13:08:16 -0400
Organization: ICAN.Net Customer
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Xref: news.monmouth.com alt.autos.volvo:38985

I'll be doing that Drill 'N Squirt fan motor lube soon, and was
wondering what to use as oil. I want something that isn't particularly
toxic, and was thinking of either Mobil 1 5w-30 or the Teflon lube that
Slick 50 (yes, I know) makes. Amy suggestions? I'd like it to stay lubed
and quiet for at least a couple of years.

I used synthetic hypoid oil - rear axle lube - in my '83 and never had
another problem, but I took the motor out and apart.

 

[Michael Cerkowski]

Oops, wrong file. I'll try again:
--






http://www.albany.net/~mjc1/index.html

From - Thu Jan 28 18:45:34 1999
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Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 21:19:56 +0000
To: [email protected]
From: Ian Edwards <[email protected]>
Reply-To: Ian Edwards <Ian'norubbish'[email protected]>
Subject: Re: 240 Blower motor
References: <[email protected]>
<[email protected]>
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If it's any consolation, those blowers can screech for quite a long
time before failing. The one on the "new" 240 we have did it briefly
during subzero weather. We lowered the speed to "1" and it stopped. My
'67 122S has a blower that would also do it occasionally. It's a shame
that no one has figured out a way (if one exists) to get in there and
just squirt a little oil into the bearing...

Funny you should say that!

Here is a copy of a post I kept from the alt.autos.volvo newsgroup from
about 6 months ago. My fan motor was just starting to squeak so I filed
this reply in my '240 useful' file.

Quote mode on>

The 240 heater motor is prone to failure of the lubricant in bearings.
This is typical after about 8 years (more or less depending on how much
you use the fan). When the lubricant fails, you will notice the fan
running slower, emitting a squeal, and/or emitting a burning insulation
odour. Repair by a dealer involves replacing the motor (~$150 part)
plus about 7 hours labour. This can easily cost a total of $700. For
the more frugal and those willing to invest a little time and virtually
no money, there is another solution!

It is relatively simple to lubricate the motor bearings. This will take
the average ham fisted home mechanic 1 to 2 hours the first time and
probably no more than 1/2 hour thereafter. Re-lubrication is
recommended every 2 - 4 years (depending on use). For the benefit of
those interested in trying this process, I describe it below. I have
added the relevant parts of a posting by Bill Leonard after he did the
job.
- - - -
Remove the centre console so that you can get access to the heater
housing (usually beige plastic, but later grey). The centre section of
the housing is a drum about 8 inches in diameter and 8 inches long. The
centre axis is horizontal from left to right. At each end the drum
shaped section the housing is a couple of inches larger in diameter. An
ASCII art rendition of the view with your eyeball between the driver's
and passenger's seats looking forward:
___ ___
| |____________| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | 0 @ 0 | |
| | | |
| |____________| |
|___| |___|

o = where to drill holes
@ = optional hole for improved visibility

At each end of the 8 in dia drum, and an inch above the middle, drill
a 1/2 in dia hole - 3/8 in will do if you find 1/2" hard. An even
larger hole will make the job easier and will not adversely affect the
hater. Your drill will be horizontal, pointing towards the front of the
car.

You will need an oil can with a long spout or other means to deliver the
oil through the holes to the bearings. A light oil (like sewing machine
oil) will be best, as it must be able to soak into the porous 'oilite'
bearing material.

Now, with a flashlight or other light showing the way, look through one
hole and put the spout of the oil can through the other. You will be
able to see the bushing on the end of the motor shaft. There is no oil
port as such, but it is pretty obvious where the bushings are. Put a
drop or two of oil on the bushing. Now switch holes and lubricate the
other bushing. Let the oil soak into the porous bushing material for a
half hour and repeat the process. Try the fan. It should run like new.
Seal the holes with duct tape or any other method you prefer and
reassemble anything you took apart to get in there.

With any luck at all, the motor will run happily for another few years.

Comments from anyone who can improve on the description or otherwise add
something are most welcome.


From: [email protected] (Bill Leonard)
To: [email protected]

First I want to Thank Randy Hess for telling me how to do this.

Here is my explanation:

First disconnect the battery. Remove side panels. This is done by
removing the two screws on top and two plastic clips on bottom of each
side panel. Now console face should pull forward at the top, a little.
Remove two phillips screws from bottom of console face. Pull console
back and remove wires from switches and lights on top of console face. I
marked these wires with electricians number tape but you can just
remember if you want. I left in the a/c control switch attached
to it's capillary tube (white plastic coated flexible tube) and just
moved the console face out of the way by removing the first of 4 big
screws holding the console to its supports and slipping the cap tube by.
Remove the other 3 big screws, the console should be loose. Remove the 4
smaller screws that hold the plate with the heater controls, ( temp
slide, vacuum buttons and motor switch). You should now be able to
remove the console and this should be all you need to take apart.

Now, move the wires out of the way and take a good look at the plastic
motor housing. Mine is tan plastic, the motor sits in this in a
horizontal positions. One each end is a fan blade housing attached to
the motor housing. Drill a hole (I used a dremel type tool) small to
start, about 2 inches in from the end. Be careful, if you are too close
to the fan blade housing you will drill in to a lip of that on the
inside of the motor housing. That won't hurt anything, it will tell you
where you are and you can drill a little more toward the motor. You want
to stay out from the motor as far as possible in order to get a good
angle to shoot the lube into the motor bushing.

At this point I used a flexible light on a tube that a friend lent me.
Walmart sells them for $14. the light is at the end of a 12" tube and
can fit thru a 1/4 " hole. It also helped me position the spray tube so
I could spray the lube into the bushing.

The holes ended up being about 1" dia and could have been bigger without
hurting anything. The motor shaft is about 4 " lg on each end of the
motor. I covered the holes with aluminum duct tape but cloth would work
too.

Put it back together and that is that. How long the fix works is unknown
tome.

Bill Leonard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote mode off <

Good luck,

Regards,
--
Ian Edwards. ('88 240, '84 924, '74 MG BGT)
Watford, United Kingdom.

- Remove 'norubbish' to reply. If you post from .hotmail or .yahoo, my spam
filters will block you.

 

[Pat Quadlander]

For DIY virgin, plan more than 10 hours.

A. Alternative method for shorter job:
1. insert dynamite stick
2. ignite
3. buy later model 240 with less miles

B. But, seriously, an aging 240 blower motor begins failing erratically,
usually when temperature dips below 30 F. If you can wait a few more
minutes until the car engine is good and warm before you turn the fan on,
and your A/C temp control is turned all the way to red (hottest), and you
jerk the fan on/off, on/off, on/off several times, then you will jerk the
fan axle bushing to spin free (listen for symptomatic: quiet = good;
whining/screeching pitch = bad). The totally warm engine, transferred into
the the radiator coolant and on to the heater element, will minimize the
seizing behavior on the aging fan motor bushings. This method may buy you
2 - 4 years.

C. Another method is the frequently documented method of only halfway
blowing up your car, by dismantling the center console until you reach the
tightly constructed fan shroud. Instead of dismantling further, cut some
small holes in the shroud/enclosure (or one much larger holer), and squirt
some good, long-lasting lubricant on the fan axle bushings and run the fan
to make sure that the lubricant has solved the fan seizing and screeching
problem. Then, cover the holes with your favorite duct tape, and put the
center console all back together. Do this routine at the beginning of each
winter to buy about 3 more years (maybe more?).

D. The last resort is the actual complete job: replace the damn motor.
Though seldom needed, it's probably easier to replace the 240 engine (that
B230F thing). I wish the A/C heater blower motor was as durable as the
B230F thing. Usually, it's kind of cool to discover the simple economy
inherent in older Volvo engineering and design and ease of maintenance.
However, this blower motor thing, it defies understanding, unless it's
Italian (just jerking with you).

I hope either B., or C. will work for you.

A., and D. in jest,
Pat Q
'91 240
'70 1800E (fan blower often squeaks, but re-built A/C always blows cold)

 

[Mike F]

For DIY virgin, plan more than 10 hours.

A. Alternative method for shorter job:
1. insert dynamite stick
2. ignite
3. buy later model 240 with less miles

B. But, seriously, an aging 240 blower motor begins failing erratically,
usually when temperature dips below 30 F. If you can wait a few more
minutes until the car engine is good and warm before you turn the fan on,
and your A/C temp control is turned all the way to red (hottest), and you
jerk the fan on/off, on/off, on/off several times, then you will jerk the
fan axle bushing to spin free (listen for symptomatic: quiet = good;
whining/screeching pitch = bad). The totally warm engine, transferred into
the the radiator coolant and on to the heater element, will minimize the
seizing behavior on the aging fan motor bushings. This method may buy you
2 - 4 years.

C. Another method is the frequently documented method of only halfway
blowing up your car, by dismantling the center console until you reach the
tightly constructed fan shroud. Instead of dismantling further, cut some
small holes in the shroud/enclosure (or one much larger holer), and squirt
some good, long-lasting lubricant on the fan axle bushings and run the fan
to make sure that the lubricant has solved the fan seizing and screeching
problem. Then, cover the holes with your favorite duct tape, and put the
center console all back together. Do this routine at the beginning of each
winter to buy about 3 more years (maybe more?).

D. The last resort is the actual complete job: replace the damn motor.
Though seldom needed, it's probably easier to replace the 240 engine (that
B230F thing). I wish the A/C heater blower motor was as durable as the
B230F thing. Usually, it's kind of cool to discover the simple economy
inherent in older Volvo engineering and design and ease of maintenance.
However, this blower motor thing, it defies understanding, unless it's
Italian (just jerking with you).

I hope either B., or C. will work for you.

A., and D. in jest,
Pat Q
'91 240
'70 1800E (fan blower often squeaks, but re-built A/C always blows cold)

With my 240s, I did a combo of C and D. Dismantle and remove and put
one drop of oil on each shaft - I used rear axle oil as I thought that
was the most durable oil there was. (Note: that heater motor is still
working quietly more than 10 years later.) I counselled someone here to
use the same oil, using method C alone - not good, using the buckshot
method, gear oil is much too stinky!

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

[Mike F]

I used synthetic hypoid oil - rear axle lube - in my '83 and never had
another problem, but I took the motor out and apart.

Just in case someone misses the other message I just posted, the above
oil is too stinky for the drill and squirt method!

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

[Danil]

Figure about 10 Hours if you have never tinkered with this before it is
not a easy job for the do it yourself person to perform. In my tenure
with Volvo cars this always a job which i dislike performing due the
fact that you are hanging on the edge of the car for most of the time
required to perform this repair
Glenn
Volvo Technician

I have breezed through all posts (replies) here, and 10 seems a tad bit
high, but if you are a little non-confident in your abilities and didn't
remove at least one front seat and the steering wheel before starting,
your back will likely give you a few reasons to take lots-o-breaks and
may take you even longer than 10 hours. I have replaced blower in both
my 240's one had A/C one didn't and that made no difference to me at
all. I did myself the favour and removed both front seats in each case
though. I believe there are explicit directions posted in brickboard
website on how to do it. Well I tackled this job here in Mississauga
Ontario Canada October 2003 not too hot and not too cold, actually just
right. You wanna be doing this task now in heated garage (well lit)If
you live in upper states for sure.

Dan

 

[James Sweet]

For DIY virgin, plan more than 10 hours.

A. Alternative method for shorter job:
1. insert dynamite stick
2. ignite
3. buy later model 240 with less miles

B. But, seriously, an aging 240 blower motor begins failing erratically,
usually when temperature dips below 30 F. If you can wait a few more
minutes until the car engine is good and warm before you turn the fan on,
and your A/C temp control is turned all the way to red (hottest), and you
jerk the fan on/off, on/off, on/off several times, then you will jerk the
fan axle bushing to spin free (listen for symptomatic: quiet = good;
whining/screeching pitch = bad). The totally warm engine, transferred into
the the radiator coolant and on to the heater element, will minimize the
seizing behavior on the aging fan motor bushings. This method may buy you
2 - 4 years.

C. Another method is the frequently documented method of only halfway
blowing up your car, by dismantling the center console until you reach the
tightly constructed fan shroud. Instead of dismantling further, cut some
small holes in the shroud/enclosure (or one much larger holer), and squirt
some good, long-lasting lubricant on the fan axle bushings and run the fan
to make sure that the lubricant has solved the fan seizing and screeching
problem. Then, cover the holes with your favorite duct tape, and put the
center console all back together. Do this routine at the beginning of each
winter to buy about 3 more years (maybe more?).

D. The last resort is the actual complete job: replace the damn motor.
Though seldom needed, it's probably easier to replace the 240 engine (that
B230F thing). I wish the A/C heater blower motor was as durable as the
B230F thing. Usually, it's kind of cool to discover the simple economy
inherent in older Volvo engineering and design and ease of maintenance.
However, this blower motor thing, it defies understanding, unless it's
Italian (just jerking with you).

I hope either B., or C. will work for you.

Or just replace the damn motor and be done with it for another 15 years,
it's not THAT hard, and you'll learn something in the process. It's nice to
not have to worry if you'll be able to defrost your windshield on a cold
morning rather than try to take a shortcut to save some time.

 

[Michael Cerkowski]

Just in case someone misses the other message I just posted, the above
oil is too stinky for the drill and squirt method!

Yeah, in subsequent posts I noted that distinctive sulphur smell; I
had
thought that using synthetic gear oil would be safe, but it stank for a
couple
of months. Durable, but smelly. I'd suggest using 5W-30 synthetic
*motor*
oil, I think.


--






http://www.albany.net/~mjc1/index.html

 

[Mike F]

Yeah, in subsequent posts I noted that distinctive sulphur smell; I
had
thought that using synthetic gear oil would be safe, but it stank for a
couple
of months. Durable, but smelly. I'd suggest using 5W-30 synthetic
*motor*
oil, I think.

Oh, that was you, was it?

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

[Michael Cerkowski]

Oh, that was you, was it?

Yes, but I hold no grudges. At least it worked! I keep meaning to
edit that
archived post to add the motor oil suggestion, but I keep forgetting. It
would
also be nice to know how well it works, first...

....

 

[Pm]

Can I suggest removing the seats first? Only a few bolts each and it gives
heaps of room to move without performing acrobatics.

Paul
79 245 GL
84 240 GLE