HVAC Blower intermittent and noisy

[rok55]

Hello all, been awhile since I've checked in 'cause the Bonni has been doin good. Now i have a problem and hoping someone can help.

My HVAC blower speed has been ramping up and down on it's own and sometimes won't come on.

Is there a speed control circuit involved and if so where / how?
Is the not so simple answer to replace the blower motor? If so which is the best replacement option?
Is the OEM blower a sealed unit or can it be serviced (cleaned / lubed)?

TIA for the help.

[nos4blood70]

If it is the original motor, the brushes may be worn and replacement is necessary. I used a TYC motor in my 2003.

For me it started with noise, but then it became a little unpredictable in its speed and RPM. Then, I would have to smack it to even get it to move towards the end.

[Sirius]

If you decide to go after your HVAC blower motor, just get a new one. The thread in the link below has a picture of what the commutator on my old motor looked like after a decade or so of service. Not worth the effort to repair it. Based on what my blower motor looked like, I'd probably start with that. If yours is original it likely looks a lot like mine did.

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... or#p426890

Unfortunately, according to Andrew, replacing the blower motor in the 2002 is a bear and you'll probably wish you had a 2003.

NO! Wait! I have to retract that last statement. It's the 00-01 models that are a PITA. You're golden with a 2002! It's your lucky day.

[dougtoth]

The blower motor is a bitch on the 2000 & 2001.
We had to take the passenger seat out and really struggle to get the old one out and the new one in.
Took about 3 hours.
When the blower motor went out on my 2005 it took about 20 minutes.
A much better design and very simple.
I'm nut sure about the 2002.
I thought some came with a first design and some came with a second design.
Andrew would know about this.

[Namrepus28]

I don't know about you guys, but changing it out on my 2003 was the most uncomfortable job I've done on a car in a long time. Who knows, maybe I did it wrong. Lol.

But yeah, change out the motor. Same thing happened to me about 2 years ago.

[rok55]

Thanks to all for the response. The pic in the thread provided kind of speaks to my suspicions and having to bang on it to get going is the current status. Guess I'll order up the replacement and see how it goes.

Thanks again

[nos4blood70]

If the 2002 is indeed like the 2003 the job is very easy unless you are a larger person.

Move the passenger seat all the way back.

Two 7mm bolts and a push clip hold the hush panel up by the passenger's feet.

Undo the foot well light and unscrew the temp sensor from the hush panel and set aside.

Unclip some of the harnesses to make room for taking the fan out.

Three 6 mm (I believe?) screws hold the blower fan in, as well as its cooling tube and connector.

Reverse process for installation. If you are quick, it truly is an under half hour job.

[imidazol97]

I believe I also pulled down the carpet to allow a little room for the motor to drop down before I could angle it to pull out the
rest of the way.

Hardest part, besides lying on the floor was holding the new motor up in place to
get the screw started in. It's been so long I can't remember if I laid across the
seats or reached in from the door side...

Try to find some wood pieces or hard materials to swedge in under the
motor to help hold it up in place while you start the screw. I think I
ended up swedge a towel folded many times to help.

I believe that was a job where 3 hands would have helped me.

[96 SSEi]

NO, its not that bad in the 2000, its like yoga. if you do it like yoga, you use your head to hold in place.

[Sirius]

I believe I also pulled down the carpet to allow a little room for the motor to drop down before I could angle it to pull out the
rest of the way.

As I recall, I did this as well and it helped.

[Roadrunner]

Some of my old posts may be of help also.
topic46325
topic42051
In my case I got lucky and my original blower motor is still going after all these years and 325k miles.
Just needed to clean out debris and lubricate.
I had a new motor on hand just in case and returned after verifying old one was fine.

[rok55]

Hello All,
Well I ordered up the blower assembly and finally got the right combination of weather and time to take this on.
1. It turns out I apparently have the 2001 version of blower assembly.
2. I actually found all the mount screw locations and got the assembly loose and dropped a bit.
3. No amount of pulling / pushing will get it down.
4. I've read plenty of posts here about "Turning and pulling" but see no way to turn it at all, as it hit the trans tunnel on one side and a vent riser on the other.
5. Pulling straight down it just hits the lower firewall / foot well and I feel like I'd break the housing if I pull any harder.

Help! Help! Help! What's the magic here?

[rok55]

Well alrighty then! Sufficient force resulted in getting the old blower out only to find that the replacement I ordered is not correct.
I ordered the 2002 version from RA. Going back to RA I saw a statement indicating it might need a bracket (sold separately of course).
Does anybody have experience with this bracket or should I just return and reorder the correct version?

[dougtoth]

I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with that blower motor.
When we did the one on my 2000SLE and it was a bitch.
We took out the front passenger seat which made it much easier to remove and replace that blower motor.
By removing the seat I was able to lay down on my back and work on it.
We also pulled down the carpet to get a little extra room.
There was a design change in 2003 (sorry it won't help you).
When I did my 2005SLE it took about 25 minutes.
I would send the unit back and get the correct unit with the shroud installed on it.
Good luck and take your time.
It will go back in just have patience.