blower motor /resister replacement pics

[M_3_X]

Just finished replacing the motor fan myself, I don't know what had happened in there but this is what came out:





Scored a motor fan out of a 1990 sedan at the pull a part today and had good practice removing it. The clip was a bitch and a half to undo, everything else went relatively straight forward.

Finally I have full blast air!

[digger]

mine only works on speed 4, should i buy a new resistor for $30 or do many of them come good with a clean up? its one of those things i dont want to have to redo but if the resistors rarely fail then i dont want to waste money at same time and it will take a week or two to get one locally most likely

leading up to it not working on anything but speed 4 i did hear an occasional light squeak when i first turn fan on for a few seconds every now and then. is that pointing towards blower on its way out?

[GoldMember]

Great thread - thanks for the DIY and pics!

With the pics, the job is not at all complicated; the challenge now is that the parts may be so stuck in there after sitting unmoved for so long, that it might take enough force to move them you'd be worried about breaking something or have you thinking that you are attempting to moving things in the wrong direction.

In my case, I could not get the blower motor resistor to move more than a few mm by pulling with fingers even when reaching behind it and reefing, and I eventually had to grab the resistor with pliers and pull to get it out. I thought the old plastic might break, but it did not.

The blower motor clip was a bear to undo. "Click" thanks for the post suggesting to use the channel lock pliers. I was not able to loosen it that way, but the post did help make it clear that you simply pull or pry the bottom of the clip down, so I ended up just using a screwdriver and twisting to pry the end of the clip down and out. It took a ridiculous amount of force to pry the clip out (maybe because it hasn't moved in ~27 years?), but prying it out didn't seem to mangle anything severely.

I personally had a tough time getting the motor clipped back in because the band fell out of it's original position and I couldn't figure out where it hooks in before you put the motor in. I still don't know how I did it. Got lucky. I hope this helps someone.

[Black_E30]

Great thread - thanks for the DIY and pics!

With the pics, the job is not at all complicated; the challenge now is that the parts may be so stuck in there after sitting unmoved for so long, that it might take enough force to move them you'd be worried about breaking something or have you thinking that you are attempting to moving things in the wrong direction.

In my case, I could not get the blower motor resistor to move more than a few mm by pulling with fingers even when reaching behind it and reefing, and I eventually had to grab the resistor with pliers and pull to get it out. I thought the old plastic might break, but it did not.

The blower motor clip was a bear to undo. "Click" thanks for the post suggesting to use the channel lock pliers. I was not able to loosen it that way, but the post did help make it clear that you simply pull or pry the bottom of the clip down, so I ended up just using a screwdriver and twisting to pry the end of the clip down and out. It took a ridiculous amount of force to pry the clip out (maybe because it hasn't moved in ~27 years?), but prying it out didn't seem to mangle anything severely.

[andrewboi]

Thanks for the DIY - needed to pull the blower motor and the photos here were helpful!

[GoldMember]

the plastic tab has probably broken off of the rod that opens and closes the flap. I assume at this point they are broken on most E30s. I epoxied mine back together and as far as I know, its still working.

On yours, which side broke? The one on the flap, or the one under the dash?

[GoldMember]

Cool, thanks for the reply on that. I'm probably not going back in there anytime soon though. :)

[nando]

the plastic tab has probably broken off of the rod that opens and closes the flap. I assume at this point they are broken on most E30s. I epoxied mine back together and as far as I know, its still working.

[GoldMember]

Cool. I got the ACM for $223 with tax from Pelican, who apparently had to source from WorldPac. Otherwise it would have been $25 cheaper. I used to have access to WorldPac through a friend. That was nice.

The ACM comes with a pigtail on one of the electrical connections (both male), which you need to convert it to female, like the original motor had.

Did the job yesterday. One thing I would have done differently is to have tied up the metal clamp straight away (like I've seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PyjOwnZH8o), in order to see where it goes. I let it fall out of where-ever it clips at the back of the motor and assumed it went where there is a metal strip riveted in. Well, I didn't have enough slack to clip the motor in when I got it all together, so I had to pull it out and put it back a couple of times to figure it out. Didn't get any pics, sorry. Otherwise it was straight forward and not too much of a pain. I have an ETA and seems like there's more stuff in the way with the cold start valve and mount for flywheel sensors on the valve cover. Just more stuff to take apart and tie up.

Also discovered that one of my fresh air/recirc flaps isn't working. You can see them on the sides of the fan housing once the firewall panel is off. By the time I figured that out, I was done with the motor and couldn't see taking it back apart. Isn't there a little motor under the dash for that, IIRC? I just left it closed manually.

[Das Delfin]

You can find the Behr for 200. I think I got mine from bavauto last year.

This job isn't hard on a regular m20 car. I've removed mine a few times. It gets hung up on the intake manifold initially so you have to turn it a certain way to get it free.

[GoldMember]

Cool, maybe I should do that valve adjustment I've been meaning to do at the same time, while I've got all that stuff loose. ;) Thanks!

[nando]

don't know, never done it on an E36. It's not *that* bad but I thought it was harder than the wiper arm replacement. It might just be the M20 though, the motor doesn't really clear the manifold very well - I did one on an M42 car and it was much easier.

[GoldMember]

Nando, exactly! That's why I'm asking. ;) I'd love to save some money though!

I have to do one on an e36 as well. I understand e30's are easier, no?

[nando]

personally, it's enough of a pain in the ass job to do - I wouldn't want to do it twice. Online ratings aren't always accurate but that 3 star rating on the cheap one wouldn't give me warm fuzzys.

[GoldMember]

ACM brand?

Hi, super old thread. I have to do my blower motor in the 325e. What is the consensus on the ACM motor, vs. the Behr. ACM is considerably less expensive. Or do I need to spring for the OG BMW version?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item4

Thanks!