Date:         Tue, 28 Dec 2004 20:13:06 -0500
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: WTB: heater switch
Comments: To: Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <41D10D0D.3070504@mchsi.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 02:36 12/28/2004, Al and Sue Brase wrote:
>Call me a glass-half-empty guy, but if your fan switch works for 15
>years and then melts, what is happening here?

The switch seems marginal for the load; the circuit definitely is.

>I've replaced them and replaced them and put in 30 amp fuses when the
>smaller ones burned out. But what was wrong was that the blower motor
>was drawing to much because its lube was gone.

Any idea what they were actually drawing?  I measured 12 amps on a new
blower (running in free air, direct from a 12v battery) and the same for
two that I unstuck and cleaned up.  They weren't turning before, so no numbers.

>  (This is not a job for
>the faint of heart!) On taking the blower motor out, it is not
>serviceable, but I've drilled a hole in each end of the plastic fan and
>dripped light oil onto the shaft.

Or you can press/drive the rotor off the shaft and do a more thorough
job.  But not as you say for the faint-hearted or those without mechanical
intuition.  Incidentally all three that I've worked on had brushes in
almost-new condition, commutator in fine shape except needing the slots
cleaned, dry felts, dry bearings.

david


--
David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage," '85 GL "Poor Relation"