I'm cheap and fixed the front fan on my 84 with just cleaning and lube. The fan motor bearings were so dry/stiff enough that the fan would not start on low, I had to start it on medium or high, then switch to low. After the lengthy prrocess of removing the dash and splitting the heater plastic housing, I removed the motor, disambled it and soaked the felt at the bearings with Gumout and blew dry with air. I repeated this a few times to clean out the crud and then oiled the bearing and felt with "turbine oil" from an appliance parts shop, comes in bottle with a "zoom" pull out spout, it's a great long lasting oil for bushing type bearings. Reassembled the heater with sealant made from thin strings of "mor-tite" rope caulk. I's been years and no problems or squeaks. While I was in there I also replaced the foam on the flaps that act as gaskets. I did the same thing to my Jetta, and unfortunately the fan now clicks slightly, so this repair might not always be fool proof but i did save a couple of Benjamins. |
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