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To replace the blower you first need to remove the lower dash panel on the passenger's side of the car. It is held in place with three T-25 Torx head screws. Once the lower dash panel is removed you will be greeted with the knee bolster which has an SRS sticker on it.
Fear not, the knee bolster has nothing to do with the SRS and you can remove it without worry of setting of an air bag. The knee bolster is held on with three nuts. Use a deep 13mm socket and an extension to remove the nuts. You can fight it out now or you can wait until after you remove the glove box.
The next step is to remove the glove box. You first need to release the retainer arms with a small screwdriver. Next to the glove box door side of each of the arms there is a small hole. Slide the screwdriver into the hole and it will release the arm.
After the arms are released you need to remove the 6 T-25 Torx head screws that hold the glove box into the dashboard. Once the screws are removed pull the glove box forward and then press it down on the top so that it can clear the latch brace.
If you have not yet removed the knee bolster that is the next step. It comes off easier with the glove box out since you can smack it from behind to release it from the studs.
At this point you can see the blower and its four T-25 Torx screws that hold it in place.
There are two screws on the left (high and low) and two screws on the right that are much nearer the center. Before removing the screws you need to remove some of the wiring harness that is anchored on the blower housing. Near the bottom there is a connector that is held in place by the blower itself. That connector needs to be removed from the blower but it doesn't need to be disconnected. There are a couple of release tabs that need to be pulled back to get it off. I am pointing to it in this picture.
The wiring harness that mates into the blower from above also needs to be released. It simply pulls out away from the blower. And finally the power connector for the blower itself need to be removed. On the ECC it is the connector with the blue wire and the red wire.
After removing the 4 mounting screws the blower slides out for removal. It will take a bit of playing with it to get around the wring harness but once clear it comes right out.
If you are replacing the entire assembly the replacement would simply slide back in place and - as they say - installation is the opposite of the removal. In my case I tore the blower apart and lubricated it hoping to at least postpone the inevitable replacement for a while.
...Lee
