C1 Heater Fan Motor

[Wayne Preston]

The heater fan motor of my 57 Corvette runs slowly on high, and not on low. When on low, the coil resistor on the fan switch gets extremely hot. I removed the motor and put a couple of drops of light maching oil down the shaft, but to no avail. Do I need new bearings and/or brushes? If so, does anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to disassemble and reassemble the motor? The motor is original, and I prefer to save it. If this is a job for a professional, does anyone have a recommendation? Thanks so much, Wayne.

[Larry S.]

Re: C1 Heater Fan Motor

I would think if you brought 12 volts to it (not thru the switch) You could test the motor to see if it will ramp up to high speed. May be put some good oil (not penetrating oil) in it and let it runn for a while on high to oil it up good. You problem may be the switch.

Good Luck

[Wayne Preston]

Re: C1 Heater Fan Motor

Hi Larry, thanks for your response. I believe that I have ruled out the switch. When I removed the motor, I used a 12 V power supply and bypassed the switch. Even with a direct connection, the motor still ran slow. Is surgery necessary? Wayne

[John H.]

Re: C1 Heater Fan Motor

Make sure you have a good clean ground from the motor flange to a known good ground on the car; I ran a separate ground wire on my '57 and it worked great.

[Wayne Preston]

Re: C1 Heater Fan Motor

Hi John, Thanks for the tip. When I removed the motor and connected it to a 12V power supply, I made sure all connections were secure. Motor still runs on the slow side, and sometimes when the power is added, I have to turn the shaft by hand in order to start the motor. I'm thinking that I need to get into the motor and do a rebuild, but have not been able to find anything on how to disassemble. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Wayne

[John O.]

Re: C1 Heater Fan Motor

Hi Wayne

I never had a heater motor apart but if it has brushes and a commutator, my guess is that the grooves in the commutator are full of the dust sediment from the brushes. If you get it open, clean each groove with a nail and the commutator with sandpaper. You'll also probably need need brushes.

Good luck...........John