Club 80-90 Forums

I have two vans and both of them have noisy bearings in the heater fans,
one has had a new fan, but it has been hardly used over a few years,
this one is the noisier of the two.
Is there a simple trick to aid them, cut the noise and hopefully extend the life?

Anyone got an idea for this problem?
Thanks

There is a temporary fix on the samba. It might buy some time, sooner or later it will give up and then it’s dash out time.

one is a new Brickwerks item, just unused for a few years in stationary van in the weather,
got a feeling some oil would work..
what was the Samba fix?

There is info knocking about. I found it a while back when I had the same. There was a thread somewhere that involved drilling holes behind the grill to allow access with an oil can.
Most f the advice is - its far better to get it changed. I ditched the resistor pack for a variable motor controller (info on here - covkid I think) and replaced all the foam and seals at the same time.

Search for “mullendore port”

Thats the ticket.
Thanks

Don't waste your time. If the fan is 30 years old, you know what the answer is. By the time the bearings have dried out, the motor will already be drawing way more amps than when it was new. Its worn out. Fit a new one. Trying to lubricate a knackered motor will be temporary at best and this is the right time of year to swap a blower motor out, unlike the Winter when you need it most and it will choose to let you down.

Replaced many. Its a job many seem to fear but its very straightforward to be honest.

The new one/ hardly used one is making a noise also.

In that Samba thread linked to,
they install new blower motors,
but also install homemade oiling pipes,
for new motors as well why not?
This is a very sensible idea about increasing the life of the motor.
And making it quieter and smoother during that life.

All motors need lubrication (even if sealed inside a bearing) and it does dry out eventually. Much will depend on the make and age of the motor but in any event they're by no means precision motors. However, if its a nearly new motor then something is clearly wrong - either that or the vent grate is missing and theres a leaf stuck in there. By all means drill a hole and lube it (not WD40) but recognise that without being properly greased its likely to dry out again very quickly and it still may prove difficult to get it where it needs to be. I'm not keen on this solution with an original motor as it misses the point, but if its still in the flush of youth, then perhaps lubricating it may help in this instance. I think I'd be using something like a silicone maintenance spray (works well on PC power supply fan motors) or at least something that won't dry out or disperse quite so easily.

I changed from resistor pack to a (Chinese) PWM pack and found my starter battery running flat if I didn't use the van for a while. It turned out that the PWM controller still draws a small but significant quiescent current when the on board switch is in the off position. I am not sure whether this is a fault or a design feature but I now feed it by a relay connected to my fridge feed so no engine no current.