Took out the blower motor in my 84 300D as it was acting up like the brushes were going bad. (Symptoms: won't start unless you give it full blast power far left button, then it will work OK at all speeds once rotating.) Took it to an alternator shop to have them put new brushes in it. Technically, it is not set up for user repair but I believe new brushes is do-able. Will let y'all know as soon as I get the word from the alternator repair guys.
Note on the removal of this item, though...in my car, one of the a/c hoses crosses underneath the motor from the firewall to the expansion valve. The only way to get the motor out is by removing that hose. Good thing my a/c is freon-free at the moment LOL. Nobody ever told me of that little issue. If you are working on your a/c in one of these cars, consider new brushes in your motor while you have your freon out. Once I got the motor out, it was apparent that the brushes were about gone. So it appears that the diagnosis was correct.
While I had a bit of access to the evaporator, I decided to see how cruddy it was. Verdict: it was cruddy. I went to my local Toyota dealer and got their evaporator cleaner kit for $20, and sprayed the evaporator out with it. I used a soft toothbrush very lightly on it between sprays, up and down with the grain, those vanes are delicate. That kit will fill up the evap box with foam about four times. The foam then condenses and drips out of the condensation tube, really dirty. At first the toothbrush was black with crud but by the third foaming, it was pretty clean.
I have posted a before and after video on youtube, each about 20 to 30 seconds. Since you can't see the evaporator directly, it's kind of like an automotive colonoscopy. Comparing the two videos, it looks like I took 20 years of crud off by using the cleaner. Not like brand new, but 75% or more of the way there. Close enough I hope. Now if the guys at the alternator shop have good luck with my blower motor, I'll be set.
Here are the videos:
Before
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s28UP0EPb4o
Not a very good video but in the beginning and end of the clip you can see the crud.
After
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brY0kiySSwU
A better video seeing how clean one can of the Toyota evap cleaner got it.
There is also a video of my standup comedy in my channel if you need a laff.
Jim
No comments:
Post a Comment