1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
![]() | [Main 9000 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Blower Replacement Observations Posted by TonyJ [Email] ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I replaced the blower motor and heater core in our 93 a couple weeks ago and thought I would share a few observations. It took about 4 hours, including also watching a Bruins hockey game and was not as bad as I had feared. There are many related posts that provide valuable information.. do a search on "blower", where you will also find some of my recent posts including realization that it's nothing simple like the ventilation fan controller,which turned out to be fine. Polarsaab was absolutely right about that. The bearings were OK, but the brushes were almost gone and the commutator was worn but still functional; can't complain after 207K miles!! The heater core showed signs of small leaks at both ends, which never became a problem thanks to Barr's.
I began with the Saab shop manual, a Haynes manual, and the instructions from Quasimoto's site; I found the latter most useful as the shop manuals included major removal operations that are not necessary on the 93 (hood, wipers, plastic trim at bottom of windhield, cruise control, ECU, motor mounts, cruise control, ECU, and even raising the motor!!) Here are the observations, relative to the Quasi instructions:
* Definitely replace the heater core while you are at it; it's very little added work.
* For a 93, you don't need the heater core O-rings that are listed in the eEuroparts web site.
* Foreward position of the flap control rod IS full cold, and it places the shaft to which the cable attaches so the housing is in the way. I was able to wiggle the retainer off (and later replace it) using super-long needle nose pliers. But I couldn't get the cable off the shaft until the box was loose enough to move it a little. BE CAREFUL as Quasimoto suggests.
* In addition to the T20 bolt at the center of the evap. housing, there is another at the right.
* It was not necessary to unbolt the power steering reservoir.
* While the paragraph identified as not applying to 93 and later cars indeed does not, I found that the plastic finger to which the false bulhead bolts (leftmost) is in the way. By wedging a small block of wood between it and the firewall to push it forward, I got about an inch more maneuvering room that was necessary for re-assembly.
* There are indeed 2 attacment tabs that hold the housing in place. They both need to be released to get the housing out, but the plastic is such that it stays bent for a while, so you can release them one at a time. The left one is under the heater core pipes and not hard to access; do it first as practice. The right one is hidden below the temp control flap arm and must be released by feel with a long screwdriver.
* Before removing the motor from the housing, label the connector body before you snap it apart to get the pins out, which is necessary because the body won't fit thru the hole. If the green and black wires were swapped, the motor would run backwards.
* To get the squirrel cage off the motor shaft, you need a big vise or similar structure to support the rim while you tap on the end of the shaft. Mine was rusted, so I used a little PB blaster on it first. It didn't attack the plastic, but Lu has cautioned about how solvents can, so I wouldn't use anything unless it is rusty and won't come apart. Open the vise just enough to clear the body of the motor, then place some wood strips (e.g. 1x2) between the steel jaws and the rim to distribute the force and protect the plastic.
* The plastic squirrel cage was dirty from brush/commutator debris and cleaning it was a chore; I tried simply green degreaser, then CRC electronic component cleaner. The last of it had to be scrubbed out with q-tips.
* While everything is apart, check the control flaps and linkage and lube the shafts with light (e.g. white) grease.
Good luck! There seem to be many cases of blower failure this winter.
TonyJ 93 CSEt 207K 94 aero 87K
posted by 24.34.16...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |