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vwwestyman
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Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5687
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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 Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:33 am Post subject: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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Hello all-
I'm using a rear heater in my '78 Bus TDI Conversion.
At low or medium speeds, there is a squeaking noise that is pretty annoying, that goes away when turned to high.
I think it is a bearing. Is there a way to lube it or replace it? Recommendations on doing such?
All my searching just turns up threads for deleting rear heaters.
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Dave Cook
President, Wild Westerner Club
1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22633
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:51 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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You probably want a spray Lithium grease on a stick and hit the motor bearing, not too much. I don't know what you do with the other $10 of grease in the can left over
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jlrftype7
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Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3574
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:06 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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If the bearing will accept oil, I use the Plastic Bottles with the Telescoping Spout on them that have Thin Turbine type oil. hardware stores still carry them if the store gets any trade from HVAC or other type people since the thin spout/end gets into tight spaces without as much disassembly on a blower or motor that can use oil on its bronze or other similar bearing.
I'll try and post a picture of the oiler....One like this. I've used them on my Ceiling Mounted A/C blower motor, and my rear heater blower. As well as Household fans since again the thin nozzle gets around shrouds or other obstructions
https://www.amazon.com/ZOOM-SPOUT-OILER-MACHINE-U-...&psc=1
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
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jkidd152
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Joined: June 09, 2009
Posts: 408
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:57 pm Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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Can someone direct me to where exactly to lubricate this thing? Runs fine but it squeals at all speeds.
Thanks!
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jlrftype7
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Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3574
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 2:21 pm Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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| jkidd152 wrote: |
Can someone direct me to where exactly to lubricate this thing? Runs fine but it squeals at all speeds.
Thanks! |
. The outer bearing is right there on the end, easy to lube.
The inner one is hiding behind the squirrel cage, but is doable with the thin spout tube oiler as I’ve previously posted.
Turbine type oil is what you want, not a spray grease.
Zoom Oiler or other, even 3 in 1 oil will work.
Work some oil into the bearings, spin the cage to move it around.
Don’t over oil the inner bearing, it will throw oil around from the airflow of the cage and you might smell it for a bit once the motor is running as you’re using it.
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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jkidd152
Samba Member
Joined: June 09, 2009
Posts: 408
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 8:14 pm Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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Thanks! I hit the outer bearing and also directed some lube through the fan behind the visible surface. Looking very carefully, you can see a shaft in there. It’s quiet now! Success!
Unrelated: What are the letters for on the fan?
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spitsnrovers
Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2005
Posts: 924
Location: Calgary, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:00 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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Do you mean the letters cast into the plastic of the squirrel cage? I see "B" and "C" in your lower photo.
I understand they are used by the factory to balance the fan after assembly. Like a tire balancer - spin the fan; check for imbalance which will be show up at a particular letter; attach a little metal clip (like a tire weight).
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jlrftype7
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Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3574
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:03 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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| spitsnrovers wrote: |
Do you mean the letters cast into the plastic of the squirrel cage? I see "B" and "C" in your lower photo.
I understand they are used by the factory to balance the fan after assembly. Like a tire balancer - spin the fan; check for imbalance which will be show up at a particular letter; attach a little metal clip (like a tire weight). |
Seems like a reasonable answer.... I always wondered about those Letters too....  
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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dgbeatty
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Joined: October 26, 2006
Posts: 702
Location: Sacramento
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| Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 1:56 pm Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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The letter appear to be stationery when hit with a strobe light.This allowed a worker to properly place any necessary weight(s). All this was before full automation.
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vwwestyman
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5687
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 9:14 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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A few weeks ago, before a trip to Colorado, I dropped the heater and attempted, again, to quiet the squeak. I know I used some silicone lube and I think another lube to try to get in there and quiet it down.
I also noticed that if I tweaked the meal housing a little, it seemed to help, so I gave that a shot.
It was quiet running sitting on the ground, so I put it all back together.
Well, the squeakiness quickly returned on that trip!
I am going back this coming weekend, so I'd love any other ideas on how to quiet this thing that any of you might have.
Also, now the squeak is present on high speed, too!
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1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
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jimf909 
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Joined: April 03, 2014
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| Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 10:19 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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Lots of good info in these threads (along with some annoying rants from Terry Kay) but if you listen to TK it just may be time to replace the fan if you can't get it to be quiet with some lube. Some lube in the right place has quieted many of these fans.
Lubricating a heater fan...
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
The Mullendore (as in Karl) port thread...
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
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vwwestyman
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5687
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:22 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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Ugh. Well yesterday I dropped it again and added some 3 in 1 oil. With the heater still sitting on the ground and running on low, it was nice and quiet.
But I left it running as I mounted the splash pan back up, and the ding-dang thing was starting to squeak, though (so far) quieter than before.
I'm not optimistic that it'll stay quiet for any length of time, but I guess we'll see. May start looking for a good used rear heater unit. (Squeak free!)
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Dave Cook
President, Wild Westerner Club
1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3574
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:33 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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| vwwestyman wrote: |
Ugh. Well yesterday I dropped it again and added some 3 in 1 oil. With the heater still sitting on the ground and running on low, it was nice and quiet.
But I left it running as I mounted the splash pan back up, and the ding-dang thing was starting to squeak, though (so far) quieter than before.
I'm not optimistic that it'll stay quiet for any length of time, but I guess we'll see. May start looking for a good used rear heater unit. (Squeak free!) |
Are you sure the blower cage isn't rubbing on the shroud some where once you start reassembling it?. If it's quiet with no sheetmetal around it, then it should stay quiet once installed.
Again no silicone oil/spray, you want thin Turbine type oil, also known as machine oil. A Zoom plastic oil bottle with its long nozzle will last you almost a lifetime of oiling bearings, and the oil in the bottles is the right stuff for the job.
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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vwwestyman
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5687
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:43 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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Can you please recommend a specific oil? I googled turbine oil and machine oil and got lots of variety in results.
I used 3 in 1 yesterday because I thought I'd seen that recommended in one of the linked threads.
Is Tri-Flow a good bet? I saw that mentioned in one of the recent heater bearing lube threads.
You may be right, perhaps it was actually a different squeak I was hearing on installation.
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Dave Cook
President, Wild Westerner Club
1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3574
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:52 am Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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| vwwestyman wrote: |
Can you please recommend a specific oil? I googled turbine oil and machine oil and got lots of variety in results.
I used 3 in 1 yesterday because I thought I'd seen that recommended in one of the linked threads.
Is Tri-Flow a good bet? I saw that mentioned in one of the recent heater bearing lube threads.
You may be right, perhaps it was actually a different squeak I was hearing on installation. |
3 in 1 isn't that bad, I think its base oil stock is different than Turbine/Machine oil if I remember right. You should be fine with the 3in1. Many hardware stores, and Amazon, will carry the Zoom brand or similar oilers. I posted here on Samba, maybe on another thread and posted a link. I can do that again if needed, but the 3 in 1 probably is all you need. I googled it it's supposedly SAE 20 special blend of oils.
So it sounds like it's still the same stuff we grew up with.
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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vwwestyman
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5687
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:01 pm Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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| jlrftype7 wrote: |
| vwwestyman wrote: |
Can you please recommend a specific oil? I googled turbine oil and machine oil and got lots of variety in results.
I used 3 in 1 yesterday because I thought I'd seen that recommended in one of the linked threads.
Is Tri-Flow a good bet? I saw that mentioned in one of the recent heater bearing lube threads.
You may be right, perhaps it was actually a different squeak I was hearing on installation. |
3 in 1 isn't that bad, I think its base oil stock is different than Turbine/Machine oil if I remember right. You should be fine with the 3in1. Many hardware stores, and Amazon, will carry the Zoom brand or similar oilers. I posted here on Samba, maybe on another thread and posted a link. I can do that again if needed, but the 3 in 1 probably is all you need. I googled it it's supposedly SAE 20 special blend of oils.
So it sounds like it's still the same stuff we grew up with. |
I see that the zoom turbine oil is supposed to be sold at ACE Hardware, so I could pick some of that up this evening I suppose.
OR would TriFlow be a better oil to pick up? Also available at ACE.
I'm going on a trip this next weekend hence the motivation to have a quiet heater!
If that doesn't work, perhaps I can just deal with it the rest of this winter and then take it apart and attempt to install a new bushing when the weather warms up and I can go without the heater for a while. Something like mentioned at the end of the page here:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/wh...gs.790244/
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Dave Cook
President, Wild Westerner Club
1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3574
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 2:44 pm Post subject: Re: Squeaky Rear Heater Bearing |
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| vwwestyman wrote: |
| jlrftype7 wrote: |
| vwwestyman wrote: |
Can you please recommend a specific oil? I googled turbine oil and machine oil and got lots of variety in results.
I used 3 in 1 yesterday because I thought I'd seen that recommended in one of the linked threads.
Is Tri-Flow a good bet? I saw that mentioned in one of the recent heater bearing lube threads.
You may be right, perhaps it was actually a different squeak I was hearing on installation. |
3 in 1 isn't that bad, I think its base oil stock is different than Turbine/Machine oil if I remember right. You should be fine with the 3in1. Many hardware stores, and Amazon, will carry the Zoom brand or similar oilers. I posted here on Samba, maybe on another thread and posted a link. I can do that again if needed, but the 3 in 1 probably is all you need. I googled it it's supposedly SAE 20 special blend of oils.
So it sounds like it's still the same stuff we grew up with. |
I see that the zoom turbine oil is supposed to be sold at ACE Hardware, so I could pick some of that up this evening I suppose.
OR would TriFlow be a better oil to pick up? Also available at ACE.
I'm going on a trip this next weekend hence the motivation to have a quiet heater!
If that doesn't work, perhaps I can just deal with it the rest of this winter and then take it apart and attempt to install a new bushing when the weather warms up and I can go without the heater for a while. Something like mentioned at the end of the page here:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/wh...gs.790244/ |
You can buy the Zoom oil at Ace if you want, I think, as I noted before, you're fine with the 3 in 1 oil. Your choice, since you have a noise of some type even after oiling- Maybe post a short video of the noise here so we can all listen and take a guess at what's happening.
I have no experience with the Triflow, others here on Samba mention it often though.
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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