No front Demist/Heater

[philat1]

Hi All

The demist / heater fan worked for a few days when I got my van in Sept. but is now totally dead. Having searched on here and on wiki, replacement looks a real pain.

My question is:
Can I do without it for the summer months? I can use the fan lights to help with fresh air, and I assume some air flow comes through without the fan motor working.

If you have experienced this situation, could you let me what to expect?

We are off the France for three weeks June/July and would prefer to do without this job if it is practical to d so.

Thanks

[Ralf85]

If you need it the outside air blowing through the heater matrix will provide enough heat to demist and provide warm background heating for your camper. I rarely switch the fan on even in Winter time unless it is exceptionally cold or damp and demisting. It is unlikely that you will need the heater on in France in June/July. They have proper Summers there, but it can get colder in more mountainous areas if it gets cloudy, so you may want to switch your background heating on occasionally, but that's all you'll need. Have fun.

[philat1]

Thanks for your reply, I will put that job on hold.

many thanks

[Wychall]

I took my blower out yesterday just to check the airflow, which did not seem too great. Nowt wrong so stuck it back. Total job 5 hours including lunch!

[CovKid]

I am sorely tempted to find space for the blower unit OUTSIDE the blower box and route it back to the box. It would make it far easier to service and there are some much faster blowers out there. With most other vehicles, swapping the blower is fairly straightforward since they can frequently be found in the engine bay and therefore easier to get at. With these, you have to strip the whole dash which seems absurd.

I need to replace mine this year so will keep you posted when I figure out how best to do it.

[Mocki]

I hardly ever use mine, as long as you are moving more than 15 mph there is plenty of air coming through, even in winter about the only time I do put it on is if I have got wet before I get in the van and it steams up in traffic.

[nevill3]

I have just replied to a PM about this subject and will use the quote I have used before about the oiling of the bearing without removing the dash. It was a tip I found on here that is now gone.

My fan was squealing but after following these instructions https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... g#p7473125

If your heater is just squeaking / squealing then there is a much easier cure than the dash out method ( = big job )

Take grill off = 3 mins.
Take black plastic rain guard grill (above the rad) off = 3 mins

Drill a pilot hole were the grey dot is marked in this pic =


There is nothing behind the metal for miles around so not to worry about EXACT placement or how deep your drill goes when it breaks through.

Now make the hole as big as you can, I went up to about 3/4 inch with one of those tapered hole expanders on the drill. Again, no worries, make the hole as big as you want, bigger makes the job easier.

Now the tricky bit.

I soldered a 12V 21 Watt bulb onto a long bit of wire and connected it to the battery.
I dangled it in the void by hanging it through the big gap between the top of the metal panel and the bodywork. This a couple of inches above where you drilled the hole. Easier to see and feel for "in the flesh" than to write down or point out in the pic, You will figure it I am sure.

Now, if you look through the hole you drilled, the void will be well lit up by the light.
Now look up a bit and towards the dashboard.
After moving the bulb around a bit and adjusting you line of sight (it is higher up than you might imagine), you can see the end of the heater fan motor, along with the exposed bearing.

Next get an aerosol of you favourite grease, you will need to extend, by quite a lot, the little tube you clip onto the spray head. I used some of that hard black plastic "advance and retard" pipe that goes from the carb to the dizzy.

Now squirt it onto the bearing, perhaps with the fan running to aid penetration.

This is easier said than done, but you will manage I am sure ( I did )

Best to try not to get too much grease everywhere as it will cause muck being drawn in by the fan to get stuck all over the place.

Now stick some masking tape over the hole, put the grills back on and away you go

btw, the clips on my splash guard grill (the smaller inner one) broke but I found 4 small tie wraps made a very neat alternative fastener.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found that after lubricating the bearing all is quiet (For Now!!)

Also my fan appeared to have died this winter but it was only the switch that was faulty, I removed it, stripped and cleaned it and my fan now works again. Much easier job than removing the dash.

[Ralf85]

Now that's excellent. Trying the simple stuff first before assuming the worst!

[CovKid]

Yes but its pointless other than for a temporary repair. Even if you can free it off, once an electric motor has seized, the commutator burns and the motor loses all its strength. It'll also draw substantially more amps than when it was new, potentially heating up wires anywhere in that circuit just to get up to speed. I mentioned this before but most blowers are going to be over 20 years old already. They're tired. I freed mine off first time around but it now needs a 75amp fuse (yes you read that right) just to keep it going. The only long-term solution is to fit a new motor. Pain to get at but the blower itself is relatively cheap. New ones (excuse the pun) go like the wind.

[Wychall]

I replaced my blower about 12 months ago but haven't been impressed. It doesn't seem so powerful, and at slow speed setting has a distinct whine to it. So I just use it at full whack to clear mist/ice, then turn off and rely on the flow caused by driving.

[Twffr]

My replacement blower also makes an annoying drone so I tend to keep it off. I stay warm enough despite my van being drafty (condensation isn't a problem!) so I'd say ventilation seldom needs the blower if the van is moving.

[Reimotim]

You can live without the fan as others have said, but at some point it's gonna need doing. Bite the bullet and get stuck in!

Of course, you may wish you had a fan to blow around fresh air if it gets hot when you're in France.

[philat1]

Bite the bullet and get stuck in![

Your right, but I need to plan the jobs that need doing.

Remove fridge & part of kitcken unit, to sort a seam starting to rust.
Other minor rust spots.
Service. Replace cables.
Replace pop top canvas.
Buff & polish, put on stripes & logo's.
Replace washer bottle seal.

[philat1]

Strange thing happened today, the heater fan started to work, stopped and started again. I kept turning it on in the hope it would play ball. Not connected but my instrument lights have packed up again. Funny old game.