[V8] Steak Knife Blower Motor Hack (was Heater fan replacement)
Jeff Goldberg
jgoldberg at ntelos.net
Fri Dec 12 08:20:14 EST 2003
A search for "steak" in the missing 3 years of archives
turned up 11 posts. This post contains the steak knife
method along with comments on why it isn't necessary.
Jeff
> OK,
> Can anyone actually confirm that a copy of the
steak knife
> method of changing blower motors is in the archive. I've
been searching
for
> hours and all I can find is recommendations to search the
archives.
>
> Thanks to anyone who can help
I wouldn't do this hack job on my '84 5KS, let alone the
V8Q. The V8Q
has a different setup on the AC line under the cowl
different from other
type 44's. It's a PITA job to do it right, but while you're
changing the
blower, you should also change the heater core and the
hoses....then you
won't have to worry about it for another 10+ years.
I tried to search the archives....the search engine seems to
be getting
worse and worse. Here is a post I had archived on the
subject.
BCNU,
http://www.geocities.com/cobramsri/
From: "Rich, Jack" <JRich at kronos.com>
To: "V8 Audi Fans (E-mail)" <v8 at audifans.com>
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2001 14:48:04 -0500
Subject: [V8] Hacker DIYer sets new (long) time record on V8
blower motor
I replaced the blower motor in my V8 yesterday. I basically
followed the
instructions in the following link:
http://www.audifans.com/archives/1997/08/msg02239.html
which is the best that turned up on a Google search for
'Audi "blower
motor"
replace' (and is the one that turns up if you press the "I
feel lucky"
button.) This job is about the most I would want to tackle,
as a
hopelessly
inadequate DIYer. Whether you want to tackle this yourself
depends
entirely
upon how easily you can afford to pay someone else (or how
cheap you are
in
my case) and how much satisfaction you get from doing it
yourself. I
felt
satisfied, but at the upper limit of how much I want to work
on a car.
It says Eric did it in 30 minutes (hahahahahahaha) using the
steak knife
method (which I finally understand.) Others claimed 1.5 to
2.5 hours,
but I
managed it in a leisurely 7 hours, which includes setup and
cleanup time,
and the trip to the store to buy an outside snap ring
pliers. (I waited
until I could see the part and imagine what the heck one
looked like
prior
to buying one.)
Here is an edited version of the link above, which I
shortened for
printing,
and to which I have now added my own comments in brackets,
prefaced by
"jcr:". I edited out the beginning; it is a posting by Al
Powell. So
"I"
refers to Al, except within a "jcr:" comment. Note that my
comments
apply
to the 1990 V8.
For the record, here's the fan/blower replacement procedure.
Original
from
Eric Fletcher, modifications by Frank Bauer (fjb). I [Al]
have
eliminated
the references to Eric's famous steak knife, as it's not
really required.
Notes I would add:
1) Remove all cable ties which appear to be in your way.
The clipped
ends
on some of them really cut up my hands!!
2) You WILL need split ring pliers to get the split
ring/circlip off the
end of the fan motor. This ring retains the motor in the
blower housing.
This is obvious when you see it; it's on the driver's side
of the
housing.
HINT: wait to remove it until you have the heat housing
pried upwards.
It's
MUCH easier to reach then...but DON'T let the split ring fly
off to
god-knows-where when it comes loose!
3) Protect the fenders while doing this. You will be
leaning over them
a
lot and jean rivets, etc can scratch them easily.
4) The old blower has a plastic cover on the back end.
After removing
the
blower, if there is no plastic cover on the rearmost half of
the motor,
look inside the blower and make sure the housing has come
out - it often
sticks inside. If it's there, it will look like three wide
fingers
pointing
toward the open side of the blower housing. Just reach in
and pull it
out -
you can't put the new blower in place till this is removed.
[jcr: I managed to not remember this previous point, but
quickly
discovered
it on my own.]
I have also added a few notes to Eric and Frank's comments.
Subject: 5000 blower and steak knives
Here is the post from Eric. I have made a few
edits/additions - I just
performed this procedure. (My changes marked with "fjb>")
[jcr: mine
apply
to the V8 and are like this.]
Well I finally got around to doing the heater blower in my
beast. With
this method you only have to raise the blower box up about 3
inches, and
it
can be done in about half an hour.
Al: If you don't have Eric's magic fingers, est= 2.5 hours.
[jcr: hahahahaha. It took me about 7, but I didn't time it
exactly.]
Tools required:
2 Flat bladed screwdrivers one short and one of the MONDO
varitey.
1 Short Phillips head screwdriver
10mm socket
13mm socket
3" and 9" extender bar and Ratchet
Outside Snap ring pilers
[jcr: older geezers like myself will need reading glasses to
closely
inspect
what the *@#! is causing the current problem.]
Remove wiper blades with the 10mm socket.
fjb>It's a 13mm fjb> watch for the spring washer under the
nut when you
pop
the blades loose.
Remove the black plastic shield with the Audi Logo on it.
fjb> careful
popping the clips or you'll crack the shield. [jcr: no Audi
logo on the
V8.]
Remove the wiper assembly (one bolt per wiper, one on the
motor, one
electrical connection) 10mm Socket here, You might want to
lube the
linkage
while it's out....
fjb> You might want to vacuum all the crap out of the area
at this point
Al: DO IT!!! There is more crap in there than you'd
believe!!
[jcr: keep the vac out. As you raise the motor housing,
you'll be able
to
access more leaves and junk.]
Remove the Heater box Retaining strap with the phillips
driver.
Remove the Upper Radiator hose to dump about 1 quart of
coolant and
reinstall; this will prevent a mess in the next step.
[jcr: complete waste of time. There isn't enough room to
adequately
catch
the coolant into a container, which will make a big mess.
Also, see
immediately below. This just extends the total time
(especially clean
up.)]
Remove the Heater core supply and return lines.
[jcr: This *CANNOT BE DONE* in my opinion. There isn't
enough give in
any
of the components to remove the hoses, which are inserted
about an inch
onto
the lines. I gave up after a while, and waited until the
motor was part
way
up to see if then I could do it. Save yourself some time
here and don't
bother.]
Remove the Electric plug and Outside Snap ring from the back
of the
blower
motor.
Al: There is also a large washer - don't forget it when
putting it back
together!
[jcr: both Al and I waited until the housing was raised to
remove the
snap
ring.]
Shove the round Black Blower duct (passenger side) into the
heater box.
fjb> ...up to the bellows
[jcr: This will take anywhere from a few seconds to several
hours,
depending upon whether your duct is mysteriously siezed.
The duct is, in
fact, round, so if it won't freely spin, try to spin it to
free it up,
and
then it can be pushed in. Mine was able to rotate back and
forth a few
millimeters, leaving me with the impression it was not
siezed, but it was
binding on something.]
Take the small flat bladed screwdriver and run it around the
seal on the
the
firewall to loosen it.
fjb> just need to pry it loose here and there - enough so it
will move
some.
Al: Agreed. It will come loose with a firm, persistent
pull....
fjb> now go into the passenger compartment and remove the
lower panels,
console panels and footwell ducts from both sides. Also
remove
corrugated
ducts for upper vents from both sides. Now everything will
move freely
enough for the next step.
[jcr: both sides meaning driver's side as well. I was able
to remove the
lower panel below the dash without removing the side panels
on the
drivers
side.]
Take the MONDO Driver and pry between the engine bay
firewall and the
blower
housing to raise the housing 3".
[jcr: 3" is for the steak knife method. The duct diameter
is more like
5".
Also, more easily said than done. Note Al's warning about
bending the
firewall. It is thin here. I went back and forth between
the car
interior
trying to figure out what was preventing it from coming up,
including
futilely attempting to remove the heater core hose lines
again and again,
though I could never convince myself it looked like they
were binding. I
did not have trouble with the sealing gasket, which I would
have been
prepared for. It is just a tight, wiggly fit.]
fjb> raise the housing enough so that the Black Blower duct
will clear
the
black A/C heat exchanger box. It may help to do some of
this from inside
the passenger compartment since there is much left/right
clearance here.
the blower housing can be tilted up slightly on the
passenger side to
acheive the necessary clearance.
[jcr: you will get a good workout repeatedly extricating
yourself from
lying
on your back on the floor.]
Al: I did all my prying on the engine side. Careful not to
bend the
firewall foreward of the heater housing, and DON'T pry where
the AC
tubing
is under your prybar!! [jcr: my biggest success was with a
4-foot 1-1.5"
diameter wooden dowel (like a coat closet across to hang
coats) applied
below the housing (after it was already up a few inches)
from the motor
(electrical connection) side, lifting up on the dowel.]
With the housing raised take the steak knife and cut the
black blower
duct
so that it can be compressed on itself and slid futher into
the blower
box
duct. fjb> ***skip the last step*** Al: Agreed. It can be
shoved back
far
enough that this is unnecessary - You only have to get it
clear of the AC
box. [jcr: which means raising the housing much higher than
the 30-minute
steak-knife version.]
Remove the 2 visible phillips head screws holding the blower
duct adapter
onto the blower housing.
fjb> Rremove all three screws - you may need a long phillips
for the
lower
one. Al: I don't see how Frank reached this with a long
screwdriver. I
managed it using a stubby Phillips and prying the heater
housing WAY up.
If
I had needed to, I would have broken the screw free, but it
was not
necessary. However, I could NOT get the third screw back in
when
re-installing this part...so I just left it out.
[jcr: No problem whatsoever with the lower screw either
removing or
reinstalling. Easily visible and reached with a medium
screwdriver.
Biggest problem is not dropping the screw upon removal.
Exercise great
caution. Estimated chance of dropping the screw on removal:
50%.
Estimated
change of dropping it on reinstall: 20%. I got lucky here.]
Eric: Take the MONDO screwdriver and break the lower screw
out of the
blower
housing.
fjb>[and Al [and jcr]] ***skip the last step*** Remove the
duct adapter.
Remove the blower motor cooling hose.
Push the blower out of the housing through the duct hole.
Install as they say is the reverse of the removal. Use the
RTV or
Silicone to seal the blower housing back to the firewall.
That's it. I
did this in Half an Hour by myself in 30F weather.
fjb> skip the RTV part - add 1 hour to your time estimate.
Al: Don't believe them. Allow 2-3 hours. It took me 2.5.
And the
sealant
on the box was sticky enough that I didn't use any RTV - it
appeared to
me
that the seal was still good.
[jcr: agreed about the sealant. It took me somewhere around
10:30am
until
5:20 pm at a liesurely pace. I also reconnected the
electrical and
ensured
the new motor worked prior to putting it all back together.
Note that I
never removed the coolant hoses (except the one on the
radiator which
dumped
coolant all over.) Also, given how much the housing wanted
to fall back
down
while trying to raise it, I was surprised that getting it
back down took
quite a bit of time and effort. Again, back and forth
between the engine
bay, passenger floor, and driver's floor to see what was
binding. It
just
has to be wiggled slightly to the side, and forward, and
requires some
verbal abuse.]
fjb> Wwhen lowering and repositioning the blower housing,
make sure the
oval
rubber grommet/hose thingy on the bottom lines up with the
opening atop
the
transmission tunnel.
Jack Rich
> -----Original Message-----
> From: v8-bounces+jgoldberg=ntelos.net at audifans.com
> [mailto:v8-bounces+jgoldberg=ntelos.net at audifans.c
> om]On Behalf Of
> Hoffman Anthony J A1C 552 CMS/MXMVC
> Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 7:42 AM
> To: 'V8 at audifans.com'
> Subject: [V8] Heater fan replacement
>
>
> I am looking to replace the heater fan in a
> friends V8 (also mine but that
> is later). He paid $2500 for the car, and does
> everything the "easy" way.
> anyhow, he wants to use the "steak knife method".
> Has anyone seen this done,
> and where would you cut the heater box for this
> method? Also, any hints on
> doing the job right for my V8 (I'm replacing the
> fan, heater core, and valve
> in mine)? I'll be doing it in a week or so.
>
> Thanks,
> Tony
> 1991 V8 pearl 270K
> 1991 VW Fox Unk
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