Squeaky HVAC blower motor.
 

Hi.

I think my motor is squeaking, varies with speed (I guess in theory it could be the AC compressor bearings too) of the fan. Not loud but oh my God, is it annoying.

Has anyone replaced/greased theirs?

Is it accessible via the engine bay, scuttle or is it glovebox out job?

Thanks in advance, John

Heater fan is under that big cover in the centre of the scuttle area in the engine bay, remove the cover and pollen filter with the engine running and listen to see if the sound is coming from there. You need to remove both sides of the scuttle covers before the centre cover will come off.

Cheers Manny. One job for when it's not so cold.

How do folks go about getting part numbers for these things?

Seems anything with A8 attached to the name costs 8 times as much!

When I put my VIN into the online versions of ETKA I get:


Something is wrong…
There is no result for your VIN code or your entered VIN code is incorrect!
Please try again!

Ok. So I got to the heater blower, and it is noisy. Tried liberally squirting in a dry lubricant. Did nothing essentially. I've ordered a replacement blower motor. Anyone know how I get the old one out? Looks fairly secure where it is under the two flaps/pollen filter.

Hope this helps +++

That does Matt. A real help. Ta.

Any idea how I get the intake housing off?

I think this blower is going to have to really make some serious noise before I rip the thing out in this weather!

Yes, see PDF, assuming this is the part you're referring to.

Bingo. I owe you another online Beer Matt. How do you get these PDFs, do you subscribe to have access to ETKA or something?

One day at a meet I hope :cheers:

I have ELSA, the workshop repair manual, installed on my PC's. There are download links somewhere in the web, but I bought the CD's for £10 off ebay.

Deffo. Hold me to at least 5 internet beers. I know what I'll be downloading later on.

Ok, Merry Chrimbo all.

Managed to get this done earlier today.

Fiddly job that requires large ish Allen hexbits, 5.5mm socket/spanner and/or I think it was a T15 torn bit. Oh and double jointed child's hands. Not having those I managed with a bendy torx driver, saved the day essentially.

The ELSA guide says to remove both wipers, I managed just removing the nearside.

This is in no way a guide, but hopefully the pictures will help anyone who needs to do this themselves.

I reckon my blower had got noisy from water ingress, as the drainage ducts I think have been squished when the pollen filter has been replaced incorrectly; it's quite fiddly to do right I guess.

Took a good while to find screws that were hidden in different locations to the earlier D3s. Hope this helps, I think the pics explain the process pretty much.

I started by marking with tape the position of the wipers:
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...D77FB8EDCB.jpg

Remove plastics:
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...E37603B188.jpg

and nearside wiper arm with this:
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...2B5F27CC26.jpg

Remove bracing that has 13 bolts:
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...9E8D272469.jpg

This is the bugger, and it has two MORE tiny screws behind it. Don't forget those
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...57CA1D5D62.jpg

These are the ducts that I think have been neglected:
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...1EB4322734.jpg

All the best. John

Nice work John +++

In the Elsa guide there's a section about adding a seal to a joint to prevent water ingress.

Yeah. I read that Matt. I may add some where it said, I'm not entirely convinced by the recommendation, but I ran out of time, and it can be done quite easily I believe in situ.

Thanks John, useful write up +++
You didn't say what the result was - did you replace the blower motor or do something to lubricate it or what? If you replaced it what was the cost?

Sorry. Yeah, I replaced it with a used blower. £70 from eBay. The old one functioned well bar the noise, it may have needed oil or new bushes, I don't know. Just wanted the awful sound gone to be honest. I may try and sort the old blower motor out, and keep it as a spare. Don't really have the time to muck about these days!

I have the same issue on a D3 so was interested in wether it was cured or fixed by replacing - thanks that's helpful +++

Glad it helped. I was surprised at how many small screws needed removing. And you really do need some bendy tools and dollops of patience. Even by Audi's standards. Something to bear in mind if you do attempt yours. What concerned me was the noise of the old one, it didn't sound that bad. I guess the '8 is so quiet that any noise is a big deal. The replacement in the engine bay didn't sound that different, but inside the car was almost silent.

Thanks yes it seems variable in noise but is never more than a small squeaking noise, sometimes it is almost seeming to be assisted by the wind when the blower is on slow but there is more wind outside. If I turn up the fan speed it always goes, but it doesn't stop it getting on my nerves lol

Mine was like a metallic cricket, then frog and only when cold. Then it began to scrape and groan. Really started to do my nut in by the time I changed it it sounded like aluminium ladders coming loose on a roof rack. Was worse when I slowed on slip roads. Was comically bad!