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Old 06-16-2011, 10:35 PM
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TKiLL TKiLL is offline
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Default DIY: Blower Fan Lubrication

So my heat/AC fan was making this really nerve racking buzzing sound after only 14,000KM's... and then I decided to solve this problem myself because I need my car and can't let it sit at the dealership for too long.

When I opened everything, I noticed that the motor bearings had no lubrication whatsoever and that there was a boat load of metallic gray dust everywhere under the plastic fan piece. The ends of the rods had like "sand" in them which was causing the vibration and most likely would cause it to overheat.

Materials Required:
WD-40
Vaseline
Toothpicks
Paper Towels
+ Screw Driver
Solid Screw Driver
Good Lighting
Lots of Time
__________________________________________________ ______________________________
First, you need to remove the plastic cover under the foot area of the passenger side. There are two plastic clips which you will need to use some thumb and finger nails to pop off. Make sure to put them somewhere safe because I lost one .

Second, you could take out the glove box also if you want the extra room. To do that just open the glove box and on the left and right side u squeeze the plastic in to let the tabs out. Keep the left hand for supporting the glove box. There is a black thing just a little bit lower on the right side just squeeze the 4 tabs in with your right hand and slide it out. Then slowly let the glove box drop all the way down and pull it towards your body.

Third, take the motor's assembly out. It is quite a tight squeeze in there but if u leave the door open u can go into it upside down. You need to pull off this clear tube thing, there's a tab on the power adapter and then take the 3 screws out. Loosen each screw the same amount as you go.

Fourth, the assembly will just drop out and there will be a nut at the top of the plastic fan. Just hold onto the fan and unscrew the nut with the wrench.

Fifth, you will need to somehow remove the plastic fan off of the motor rod. I sprayed some WD-40 on it to loosen it up and it popped off after putting quite a bit of pulling force with my right fingers while pulling the black part at the same time with my left. Be careful not to damage anything. Warning: Tight grip is required as parts may start flying.

Sixth, once you got the plastic fan put the washer you find in a safe place. You may notice this metallic dust everywhere on the underside. I have no idea what it was but I washed it all off with some soap and then used a blow dryer for quick drying. The metal rod was as dry as the Sahara desert on mine and I put some Vaseline on it and then some WD-40. (I thought I was done but the motor still buzzed after reinstallation with fan facing up)

Seventh, flip the black assembly to the other side and take out the single screw with some blue permanent marker on it. Now this was the hard part for me. Flip it over and you will need to use a skinny rod or solid screw driver (not the switching bit kind) to fit into the holes on the fan side. Make sure not to touch the orange metal inside!! and separate the 2 parts. When I did it the motor and black plastic assembly flew out of my hands (Probably from greasy hands) and the motor dropped onto the table top while the black thing landed onto a bag (Phew).

Eighth, the bottom of the motor was where my buzzing noise was coming from. No sign of any lubrication whatsoever and lots of crusty super dried up metallic dust. Use WD-40 to loosen the dirt a bit and spin the shaft on the other side fully around clockwise and counter clockwise. The dirt will start collecting on the metal tabs. Use a toothpick to get rid of the clumps and clean it off with a tissue each time. It was pretty bad and I needed an extra spray of WD-40 and more time. Make sure to do it in the sun so you can make sure to get rid of everything there. After everything is cleaned up put some Vaseline on the end and spin it again. Make sure there are no noises when it is being spun. Put some downward pressure to simulate the fans weight and make sure there aren't any noises. I also put some WD-40 into the internal area by the silver tab onto the copper coloured internals.

Ninth, clean out the inside of the plastic motor assembly. Put the motor back in, single motor screw, flip it over, washer, plastic fan, and tighten the nut. Make sure when twisting the nut back onto the fan, it is tight. When done, spin it again upright or better yet plug it back into the power adapter inside to test it (Glove box will need to be out in order to test it upright). Make sure you hold it tight because it's sooo much stronger than before even when the fan is on the lowest setting. plug the white tube in, power adapter (If you didn't do it yet), and screw it back in place. Test for any rattles. Give the cover a good wipe down and put everything back on.

Tenth, enjoy ur ultra strong non-buzzing lubricated fan . It might stink of WD-40 for a few days but definitely worth it. If you know any other product that would be good for lubricating and protecting it please tell us. My fan is a lot stronger than before and I would've never ever ever ran it that dry like that before. Very disappointed with Mitsubishi for failing to even put lubrication on the motor's spinning parts. It prob would've overheated sooner or later from me putting it on middle or max to stop the random buzzing noises. I swear my fan blows a lot harder than before and on max you can feel/hear that bad boy hoovering the air from the outside on the passenger side's vents.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Glovebox.jpg (68.5 KB, 17 views)
File Type: jpg Glovebox2.jpg (42.1 KB, 15 views)
File Type: jpg Fan1.jpg (34.4 KB, 15 views)
File Type: jpg Fan2.jpg (39.8 KB, 14 views)
File Type: jpg All3.jpg (66.4 KB, 16 views)

Last edited by TKiLL; 06-16-2011 at 11:53 PM.
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  #2  
Old 06-16-2011, 10:51 PM
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TKiLL TKiLL is offline
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Default

Some additional photos for reference.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg BottomMotor.jpg (61.4 KB, 10 views)
File Type: jpg InnerLowerCopperArea.jpg (61.1 KB, 10 views)
File Type: jpg FANTEST.jpg (27.7 KB, 11 views)
File Type: jpg Fan Underside (Used to be dirty).jpg (52.3 KB, 11 views)
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Old 06-17-2011, 01:59 PM
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BravoZero BravoZero is offline
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Nice writeup! I haven't seen too many people have the blower fan give them problems, but this is a great solution.
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Old 02-08-2012, 12:00 PM
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MTZL MTZL is offline
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Great write up. I need to do this to my blower.
She is making too much noise blowing.
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Old 02-08-2012, 01:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTZL View Post
Great write up. I need to do this to my blower.
She is making too much noise blowing.
You need to put a muzzle on dat bish!
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