Lubricating the Vanagon heater fan

[westyventures]

[Terry Kay]

<<Then the criticism was that I was wasting my time removing, cleaning and lubing the bearings in the exact way T.K. says is the "right" way to do it now. Utterly perplexing. T.K. said I was wasting my time installing a used motor and the "right" fix was to replace the motor with a new one.>>

That's right Andy--and I'll tell you the same thing right now.

If I took the time to yank that heater box,(& you can take this to the bank) I sure as hell wouldn't waste my time installing a junk yard motor.

However, being that Vangonland seems to operate with one foot below the poverty level most of the time, If I was to install a used motor of unknown origin--not nly would I be lubing them bearings, I woud be changing the brushes and turning the armature.

No Andy--the story hasn't changed.
Old age has caused you to try and twist this story the wrong way.

I AM NOT A PROPONENT OF BORING HOLES IN THE COWL AND OILING THE END OF ONE OUTSIDE BEARING ONLY, AS KARL HAS SUGGESTED TO THE MASSES.

Got that?


<<It's hilarious how T.K. criticizes people BOTH for wasting their own time AND for saving it.>>

Can't do both Andy--make up your mind.
_________________
T.K.

[Terry Kay]

<<I think I will go out and take a 1" hole saw to the metal in front of the blower on my 83 1/2. Might as well be able to get the oil I want exactly where I want it.>>

I'd consider kicking it up a notch and cutting a 4" hole in the cowel.

More room to play.

The problem is your still only getting the outside of the outside bearing.
The whole motor isn't being serviced.




<<This kind of reminds me of the argument on the Bay Forum over cutting a hole in the rear deck to replace the fuel sender. Some hate it some love it, for myself, where's that Sawzall?>>

Good annology.
The end result is different.
Your at least able to get the whole sender replaced--not just half of it.

The cover plate for this job looks like it belongs there--and you've serviced the whole sender.

I did my 74 this way --painted the cover orange, and it looks like it might have come from the factory this way.

No harm done, everything was serviced correctly, and works right.
_________________
T.K.

[Terry Kay]

<<Why would you add oiling tubes for future use, if the only way to fix it is to take everything apart and put it back together again?>>

For the same exact reason there are oiling cups or tubes on most electric motor's--exluding this motor.
A drop or two of oil on the end bearings now and then will extend the motor's life expendency.

Never see one?

Take a ride to any machine shop and check out most of their electric machining equipment.

The job does not consist of blowing oil at the end cap of one end bearing.



<<[i](ScreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeCHIRP CHIRP Screeeeeeeeeeeee...............)>

This is the sound of your engine locking up on your oil burner for lack of proper maintainence.

After it's done with the sceaming and chirping it's lock up time.
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T.K.

[iceracer]

Thems fighten words 10c, careful now. I have to say Terry does crack me up at times. And what is his deal with Condelli. Guess I missed that one somewhere.

However, I will add something in defense of Terrys theory. This past late summer I pulled the dash on my daily driver westy as the motor had a crazy sound going on and I had stuffing flying out of my vents. Long story short mice made a nest yrs back in the squirrel cage. I cleaned it all up, lubed the heck out of the exposed bearing, bench tested it many times, installed it all and within a week the dam thing was and still is squeaking on setting 1 and 2. So I just turn up the radio or run it on 3. Anyway, moral of the story is lubing didn't help in my case but it is still working and I hope it does until I sell it next Spring.
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86 Syncro Wolfsburg edition
63 Beetle (The Iceracer)

[Sodo]

[?Waldo?]

Terry, be sure to tell the local VW dealership service people so they can have a good laugh at the stupid people on the Samba.

Great post Karl. I'll use this approach when my heater blower in my van starts making protest noises. I don't expect that to be any time soon, tho. I lubed up the used blower that I installed 2-1/2 years ago at great criticism from our very own T.K, believe it or not. Then the criticism was that I was wasting my time removing, cleaning and lubing the bearings in the exact way T.K. says is the "right" way to do it now. Utterly perplexing. T.K. said I was wasting my time installing a used motor and the "right" fix was to replace the motor with a new one. It's hilarious how T.K. criticizes people BOTH for wasting their own time AND for saving it. Anyway, my motor is still going strong and at some point when it doesn't I'll do the "evil" deed of buying myself some of the time I wasted by doing the "evil" deed of lubing up the used motor and installing it in the first place. Priceless.

[PDXWesty]

[koolmoe]

Yeap, wish I had come across this a few months ago when my front blower was squealing and I was pondering how to deal with it...and now it's just locked-up and not spinning at all. Too late!
Maybe if I made it a BIG hole...

_________________
--
Current: 1990 Westy GL (Savannah. Good to be back!)
from '95 til 2008: 1995 Pathfinder (frame rusted out, charitable parts donation)
from '91-'95: 1982 Westy Diesel (Smokey. Traded in for far too little!)
from '87-'91: 1980 VW Rabbit (my econoPorsche - passed on)

[Vanagonner]

T.K wrote-

[Wildthings]

How about calling the hole TK's Bane, seems fitting?


I think I will go out and take a 1" hole saw to the metal in front of the blower on my 83 1/2. Might as well be able to get the oil I want exactly where I want it.

This kind of reminds me of the argument on the Bay Forum over cutting a hole in the rear deck to replace the fuel sender. Some hate it some love it, for myself, where's that Sawzall?

[Terry Kay]

Removing & lubricating the end bearings is the way to go about the job--
Clean, burnish, clean & re-lube the shaft & bearings is the proper way to go about this never ending front heater motor problem--and even adding oiling tubes for future use would be a real good idea as mentioned in a prior post.

Opening up a hole in the cowel, and spraying oil on the end of a bearing ( one side only) isn't lubing a motor or shaft up properly in my book.

If your going to be doing that--save the drilling--do it the Flim Flam Condelli way.

Just blow the oil into the intake vent--it'll give you the same end result.

It's not the thought of lubing up the motor that is the problem , it's the way that their going about it that makes the job incomplete.
_________________
T.K.

[Sodo]

Hey now!

What's wrong with a grumpy guy hanging around with car nuts? TK reads a lot of technical posts and offers up some good stuff too, he does try to help fairly often. Who is so tender here?

But why he's against this project is beyond my imagination. It's a puzzler.

Well I'm going to go drill a hole, along with about 50 other folks. And I'll put black tape over the hole, and put the grille back on, and be happy as a clam. I have some Molybdenum-Sulfide spray oil - the right stuff for a bearing.

I'm very very thankful for this tip!!!!
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[iceracer]

Ok Terry, how about this one? A few years back I replaced the front heater fan from one of our reputable suppliers. I went through the whole job of pulling the dash, yada yada yada and a few months later guess what? The new motor froze up!!! So with winter fast approaching I pulled the dash again and yada yada yada and lubed that end bearing and bench tested it and wham it came to life. So I then put it all back together and lo and behold it ran for another year and was running when I sold the van this past May. So even a new motor apparently can sieze up and had I had the lube port in there I could have saved myself a bunch of time. go figure.
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86 Syncro Wolfsburg edition
63 Beetle (The Iceracer)

[tencentlife]

This time is cheap.
_________________
Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[SteveVanB]

So what if were just buyin' time........So what :fist:
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91 CARAT

[shadetreemech]

It could be dubbed "TK's Chagrin".


_________________
'84 GL 1.9
'01 Volvo V70 T5
'88 Westy - "MZDRTHY"

[Terry Kay]

I'd name it " just buying time port" cause that's all your doing.

There's more to the heater motor bearings than just the outside surface of the end bearing.

If the buyimg time port allowed you to remove the armature shaft, drill the bearing's so all of whatever your blowing in there would get to all of the shaft & bearing surfaces, I'd have to agree your onto something.

But--with this allegid miracle hole all's your doing is slapping on a band aide on a festering, and re-occuring wound at best.

God Bless America where the lazy can take the fastest path to nowhere.

This for sure sez a bunch how you guys take care of your equipment--the wham bam method.
_________________
T.K.

[tencentlife]

"Karlspritze"
_________________
Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[mordeaux]

I suggest "the Mullendore Port."