1955 Heater/ Defroster Problem

[Paul Falabella]

No fan operating for heat or defrost. Took motor off R/side cowl. Shaft stuck. Freed up with water pumps. Attached to battery,seems to work great. Will paint housing while disassembled. Gloss? Semi-gloss?

Put a little 3 in one,WD40 on the shaft and call it a day? Or have the motor rewound while it's apart?

Next. I thought this also was the heater motor but apparently not. Heater under seat is only fan motor? I assume that motor will also be frozen and need to ask same question, free up and lube or rebuild?

And what is the best way to lubricate those stiff cable actuators?

Thanks you in advance.

Edited July 16, 2012 by Paul Falabella (see edit history)

[KAD36]

You can drill a small hole in the very end of the motor housing, facing down and you can't see it, so you can put a few drops of electric motor oil in there to lube the end of the shaft. Then seal the hole with a swipe of black silicone sealer. Both of mine are painted gloss black, only because it looked neat against the satin black housing under the hood. I am not sure what the correct finish is. Both my motors are original and still give good service. Just give them a few drops of oil every few years. If they run quiet and smooth, leave them be. They will let you know when its time to rebuild.

The vent and damper actuator doors were lubed with PB blaster and worked back and forth, then just some WD40. The cables I pulled out and lubricated inside with powdered graphite. Make sure there are no sharp curves or kinks in the cables - mine weren't routed the best from the factory. Easing the curves makes them work smoother. Just like a lawn mower throttle cable.

[Guest 54fins]

ah, all the fan motors eventually stick. Any friction surface needs lubrication-

I like your idea of the little hole with the silicon sealer. as for rebuilding them, the brushes are the only real wear item. If they don't come back with a cleaning and brushes then you might find it less trouble just to buy one. I suppose you could re-wind them but I can't see how it would be economical.