98 V70: Blower/Evap Service

Post by **sleddriver** » 13 May 2016, 20:05

A while ago, I pulled the A/C blower out, cleaned off the squirrel cage, then removed it, split the case on the motor and oiled both bushing felts with 10w=30. Put it all back together, it worked much better, reached higher speeds, and I thought I was done. 98 V70 Blower Motor Rework

Evidently not.....

I noticed the HIGH speed wasn't very high anymore and worse, that the motor would slow down, then suddenly speed up, then down, then up. A/C season has since arrived in Cen Tx. so I wanted another crack at it.

I should also mention, that the ECC unit has a fault in the drvr. side temp control motor driver: It won't reverse polarity. I pulled it apart and inspected it on my test bench. Nothing visually amiss (leaking EC's, burned resistors, etc.) As a temp fix, I turned the drvr side motor to select COLD air using a 9V battery, then left it unplugged from the ECC. Same with the pass. side. The ECC will still control the fan speed, but that's it for now. This was a quick fix for getting cold air back after the ECC defaulted to 100% HOT. You can read more about it here.

So I pulled it out again today, turned on the variable fan speed to 100% and the motor ran very fast & smooth. However at this point, it was cold. I later discovered when it heats up, it gets squirrely. This is a Delco motor. I'm going to try and find it with a local rep that knows a lot about the DELCO catalog. Sure would save me some $$$$$.

I also took a look at the evap core and noticed about a 5" x 5" section in the lower, right hand corner was quite dirty, even looked a bit clogged. The rest of the coil (from what I could see), looked OK. So I slid in a can of TuffStuff, my favorite all-purpose foaming cleaner, pointed it near the bottom, and foamed the evap real good, then tilted it higher and sprayed again. Removed the can, and sprayed more towards the drvr side, both level and upwards. Finally I sprayed the blower access bottom inside and let it all sit about 10min. while working.

I use this product in my house to clean the evap core every year and it works great. Has the same detergents as most evap coil cleaners and is a fraction of the price. The fact that it foams means you can get it inside the core, then it'll foam up. No need to rinse, as around here evap cores sweat a lot. So, it's self-rinsing.

I sprayed it down again during blower speed testing, put the blower back in, powered it up, and let it go, pushing the foam in even deeper. It then occurred to me to check the cabin air filter. I'd bought the charcoal version previously, which made it difficult to judge how much dirt it had absorbed. I figured one test would be to fire up the blower with no filter in place. Quite a difference in airflow! That was enough for me, I later picked up a new one.

The result is I think I'm in for a new motor, as the commutator is worn down on this one and the brushes are about 1/4". Plus this is a sintered bronze bushing motor: No ball bearings. It's seen a lot of use in Tx heat over the course of 19 years. After all, it's been running most of the time the car has.

There was a noticeable difference in "chill factor" with a new cabin filter + clean evap core.

My next task is to continue troubleshooting the motor drvr ckt in the ECC. I'm figuring it's a simple Darlington drvr chip. I'll also replace the electrolytic caps while in there. More later.......

Post by **erikv11** » 13 May 2016, 21:34

I'm not following what you are saying about Delco and the blower motor? The factory motor is by Bosch, they can be had for about $70 (http://www.autohausaz.com/search/produc ... 0130111134) and last a good long time. You replace it once and never have to go back in.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 14 May 2016, 00:09

Perhaps someone swapped it out previously and decided to be cheap?

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 14 May 2016, 07:02

I've always gotten blower motors from a pull-a-part...they are easy to replace and if they go south again, replace again! LOL

Post by **sleddriver** » 14 May 2016, 11:42

erikv11 wrote:I'm not following what you are saying about Delco and the blower motor? The factory motor is by Bosch, they can be had for about $70 (http://www.autohausaz.com/search/produc ... 0130111134) and last a good long time. You replace it once and never have to go back in.

Mine is definitely a Delco and OEM. While researching this, I've also noted others motors were Delco as well.

I really appreciate that link! Didn't even know Autohaus carried such a thing. That's a good buy if it fits.

Post by **sleddriver** » 14 May 2016, 11:46

MadeInJapan wrote:I've always gotten blower motors from a pull-a-part...they are easy to replace and if they go south again, replace again! LOL

Problem with that is you never know what you're getting. Further, if the vanes on the squirrel cage are clogged, it'll greatly impair its ability to move air. You're indeed fortunate to have a PNP yard to pull from. Not so lucky here.

Post by **scot850** » 14 May 2016, 14:04

I pull these regularly at PnP when on sale. I check that the cage has no movement on the shaft and then stash. I think I pay about $15 CDN (about $12 US) for them and they are easy to swap out.

I can't recall, but did you clean the temp sensor in the dash? I think I recall you did. These and the resistor packs can also cause variable fan speed, but the symptoms you mention are of the bearing in the motor failing.

Neil.

Post by **sleddriver** » 14 May 2016, 17:14

Re: Scot_850. It seems many have a local PNP with lots of Volvo parts! You guys are lucky! I'll have to widen my search. I wrecked the dash temp sensor. Pulled the pin-head right off it! Bad luck, that. After pulling the motor, I realized there is another just like it in the duct. I'll pull that one, characterize it, then look for a replacement from Mouser or Digi-key. I definitely don't plan on buying a new one!

Here's the motor ID info:

Delco
ITTA - USA
22137253
05/07/97A
12V 12819

Today is a rainy one, so I could pull it apart. Instead, I'm going to dive into the ECC module and locate the faulty motor driver chip.

Post by **sleddriver** » 14 May 2016, 17:35

erikv11 wrote:I'm not following what you are saying about Delco and the blower motor? The factory motor is by Bosch, they can be had for about $70 (http://www.autohausaz.com/search/produc ... 0130111134) and last a good long time. You replace it once and never have to go back in.

After just watching one of Robert's DIY videos, I now realize that the linked motor is the style he talked about and that mine is quite different how it's mounted. Mine has a circular metal ring, attached to the motor case, that slips into a rubber mount, which is then mounted onto a plastic piece. This plastic piece is held to the outer frame with 3 Torx screws.

Roberts & the linked Autohaus motor, don't have this large metal ring at all. Further separating the squirrel cage can easily be done. On mine, I either have to use a narrow fan puller, or wedge it off with opposing pry bars. You can't use a vise or collar.

Volvo sure made A LOT of changes on many things during this model year: Blower motors, Charcan locations, SHUT-OFF valve types, etc. A bit confusing for those who want to DIY.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 14 May 2016, 18:53

Ah, yes- the dreaded design change- so basically it sounds like you got a '99...mid year of '98 production, some things changed. Mine is exactly like the 850's but even those were a little different during production, especially the '93 and '94's compared to later models.

Btw, if anyone needs a resister pack- for some reason I have 2. These hardly ever go bad but if they do, it's one of those "scratch your head moments and the fan doesn't work...Okay, enough said. Just PM me if you need one- even if you read this 2 years from now- I'll probably still have at least one of these left and will send it to you for the cost of shipping.