'86 325e heater blower motor

[tusk]

I have been getting the high pitch squeelling noise from the heater -
I'm looking at spraying the fan berings with lubricant to quiet them down.

but I am having trouble locating and removing the blower motor and fans

does anyone have detailed instructions on the removal -

Thanks. Rick

[ironman502]

I wish I had a digital camera- I just took mine apart a month ago. There is a black panel- it's metal, but it's covered with foam- sitting in the engine compartment just in front of/below the cowl. You will need to pull of the rubber seal that touches the rear of the hood to get the panel out. The panel doesn't appear to be removable, but if you look carefully, there is a 10mm bolt at each corner. Once the cover is off, you will see the plastic blower motor case which is held on by two plastic bands. You can either cut those or try to unhook them. Once you wrestle that cover off, you've found the blower motor. I've never oiled it or anything, so I can't advise you there. Reassembling the car is a snap.

If my rambling is unclear, let me know and I'll use another 1,000 words to describe a picture I can't take.

[malcolm brumley]

Oiling won't help. The sleve bearings are worn out which lets the armature get off center and (pole). Replace the motor. They are $360. at the dealer or $119. at Auto Zone. If it is like mine, I would rate it an 8 on a scale of 1-10 in difficulty. The plastic fans have to be pressed off the shaft and onto the new motor. I used sheet metal shears to get it out of the car. (no room) Lowsy Design.

[ironman502]

Actually, the motor is not too hard to get at or remove on the e30. A repair manual is helpful, but not necessary. Bavarian Autosport sells new ones for about $130, and they usually charge high. I've called 3 parts stores and none of them sold a blower motor that old. The e36 sounds like a pain, though.