I have 1986 Suburban with a bad heater blower. I was thinking about getting a cheap 12 volt muffin fan. allelectronics has this for $3:
Nidec Beta V=99 TA350DC, Model M35291-35. 12 Vdc, 2.3 Amps. 150 CFM,
Would it be powerful enough or do I have to look for something better
Or this one $18.50
12VDC 6.75" COOLING FANComair Rotron "Major=99" JQ12ROX. 12 Vdc, 2.26 Amps. 6.75" x 5.92" x
2=2E" 235 CFM ball bearing cooling fan. Four wires. Fuse and polarity protected. Metal housing. Polycarbonate impeller. UL, CSA, CE.Or just get several of the three-dollar fans. How many CFM do I need to heat a Suburban?
No.
Yes. Try a wrecker, eBay or Google for parts.
I suspect that you will want to repair or replace the original.
FWIW I had the same problem on a 1982 Toyota Corolla. Took the blower apart, and the motor brushes were worn out.
Toyota Parts did not sell the brushes, just the whole motor for $$$.
Took the old brushes to a vacum cleaner repair place, and found some vacum cleaner motor brushes that were slightly bigger for $2 or $3.
Bought them and filed them down to fit.
Installed them, and the blower ran again for years, till I junked the car
Martin
Re: The propeller type muffin fan won't be able to deliver the airflow necessary for proper operation of the heating/cooling system. The 150 cfm is almost certainly the open frame rating; ie fan not installed in any sort of duct-work. The "squirrel cage" blower that is installed in your Suburban is much more robust in terms of air delivery capability in combination with the duct-work of the vehicle. Besides; how would you install a muffin fan in the vehicle venitlation system?
Try checking the fan power leads for continuity; if you get continuity then the brushes may be good and a bearing may be siezed. If no continuity, even when the motor shaft is rotated, then the brushes may be worn out or they may be clogged up with dust (I had this happen on old Ford LTD I owned years ago; cleaned out the crap and it ran good as new.) If the shaft is hard to turn by hand, then usually you can just lube the bearings to get things going again. Those motors don't typically wipe out the bearings; they simply don't have the torque. But the original lube does dry up and turn to a gummy soap-type substance over the years and that alone can seize the shaft. Use some penetrating oil on the bearings to break them loose, then apply a heavier lube to the bearings before reinstallation.
Dan Akers
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