3 years ago, I wrote a DIY on how to replace a blower fan. I replaced mine with a good used one, not knowing I'd have the car this long. That one failed, so I got to re-hone my blower motor removal skills.

Just a additional few tips to my post, for anyone doing it.....

Have a regulator ready, just in case yours is bad. This is a part that goes under the blower motor.

To get the squirrel fan off the old motor (which I didn't have to do before since I replaced an entire unit), the ONLY way to do it, is with a small gear puller, as another DIY post shows. You can do the free rental program at AutoZone.

Using WD 40 on the blower motor shaft will help the fan slide off a bit easier, but your shaft probably has a lot of rust on it, so sand the ends first, then use a bit of WD 40.

Using the gear puller almost takes 2 people unless you get it just right, as the center bolt will keep slipping off the shaft as you turn the puller bolt. There are 2 ends to the gear puller, you want to use the more shallow ones; the deep ones are too wide for the spokes. You want to use 3 arms, not 2, on the puller, and position them properly on the puller itself. If they're not all grabbing on the underside of the squirrel fan hub, you probably have them spaced wrong through the spokes of the fan.

Someone posted that he lubed his squirrel fan, used a pair of vice grips on the shaft and simply twisted his fan off. This is a great way to break one of your spokes. Someone else posted that he used 2 pieces of wood to support the plastic fan wheel vertically, while using a center punch and hammer on the shaft. This didn't work for me at all, and is a great way to warp your fan, which makes reinstallation very hard. Use the 3 gear puller, trust me on this.

Once your fans are off, putting them on your new fan is the next challenge. Before you put them on, plan this out... Your new motor will go in, with the electrical hookups on the driver's side of the car. The fan fins need to be pointed toward the front of the car, not the other way around.

While you have the blower out, your regulator is under the blower motor area, the evaporator coil to the rear, towards the cabin. If there is debris in that area, CAREFULLY use a vacuum to suck out the debris, there might be disintigrated foam pieces in there as well. If your fins are dirty (mine were just on the driver's side from the foam), use a computer terminal cleaner (from Office Depot or AutoZone might have it). You can also get a foam cleaner they sell for home HVAC units, or order ahead of time from NAPA, etc. Spray the cleaner on the coils; it evaporates almost immediately, then give it a small spray of water with a garden hose or spray bottle when done. The tubes have coolant in them, so you don't want to puncture anything!

To put the squirrel fan on the shaft of the new blower motor, use a socket from your socket set over the hub of the wheel, have someone firmly hold the motor, and hammer it on.

Put the blower motor into its proper place (rotate it until it sits in properly). Test by hand to see if it's hitting the sides, especially looking for any warpage of the wheel. Remove and adjust fan as necessary. When perfected, put back in place. The red and blue wires go on the outside of the clamp at their base, then under the groove of the clamp, and plugged in, red on the top, blue on bottom. Only AFTER you've clamped it in and removed any tools, etc., test the fan by turning the key to glow plug position. At first, you may get air out of the wrong vents, but that's only because of your heat, a/c, or defrost settings won't actuate until the car is actually started, and it'll take maybe 30 seconds for your pods to fully open or close to the proper positions.

If all is well, put on the top plastic part enclosure, and test it again to see if your fan is rubbing against it. If all is well, reassemble the car.

Great write up. Is this for a W124 or W201? doesn`t sound like a W123 or W126.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Thanks for noticing.