whiteNSXs

Hi guys. I did a search with different wordings and came up with no thread. I had not driven my 1989 Cab for 3 months. I had an ice cold AC which worked just fine 3 months ago. I took the car for a spin, and realized the AC went dead. I traced the problem to a non-op blower inside the evaporator/blower box. I am hoping to find a pictorial showing steps of removal of the cover and replacing the blower WITHOUT disconnecting of the AC lines. I have read that someone did just that from an old thread but I have not been able to find a step by step thread. I have read that Griffith has an motor upgrade but it only goes up to 1985. I have sourced the motor+cage fan from Porsche and it is under $250 so I think I will go with that. Can someone point me to a specific thread for this DIY repair?
Thanks,
Steve

1986 Targa

Fuse?

Relay in smugler's box?

Gerry

whiteNSXs

Gerry,
Fuse and relay are fine. There are 12 volt juice at the blower plug but the evaporator blower would not turn so it is for sure the blower motor.
Thanks,
Steve

griffiths

We provide instructions with our blower motors , don’t think the dealer will, but this might help you.

Briefly:
1) Open the trunk.
2) Pull back the trunk floor carpet.
3) Open the lid on the smuggler’s box.
4) Carefully remove the aluminum thermostat sensor tube with its brass sleeve, do not break the tube or put sharp bends in it.
5) Loosen the hose clamp around the short black evaporator air out tube at the evap box side.
6) Unplug the evap blower motor electrical connector.
7) Peel back the black tar like insulation (Prestite tape) surrounding the expansion valve riser tube and the evaporator outlet pipe.
8) Remove the hold down bracket attached to the top of the evap box toward the front of the car.
Ditto, on the bracket in the RH rear corner near the AC relay.
9) Pack rags around the box below the top section so when things fall down the sides they don’t go too far.
10) Find a piece of thin single strand wire, approx .015-.031" in diameter, steel or stainless preferred.
11) There are 4 clips press fit over 4 tabs around the sides of the box. Pick your favorite to start with.
12) Thread the wire through the hole in the clip and give it a twist so it does not fall off.
13) Take a flat blade screw driver and slide the clip off the tabs on the box, take your time, don’t break the plastic tabs on the box halves.
14) After you get all 4 clips off, from the RH fender side lift the side of the box upward and carefully slide it toward you, lifting up as you go. Sometimes the black tar insulation tape by the evaporator pipes and TEV can be sticky.
15) Remove the screw on the top of the box in the center hub that holds the motor inside.
16) Depending upon the year and previous work, there should be a short rectangular piece of plastic that locks in the motor power wire into the top of the box, remove it.
17) Remove the metal screws that secure the bottom baffle (rectangular piece with round hole) inside the evaporator box top.
18) Pull the blower wheel and motor out of the box, note the direction of the 2 wire/spade connectors.
19) Put new motor in box top, attach 2 wires to terminals, put it back together. If you were able to salvage the black Prestite tape use it to seal the gaps in the box around the TEV riser tube and evap outlet pipe. Carefully re-insert the brass sleeve and aluminum sensor tube into the evaporator core fins without wiggling it to much.

Griffiths Tech

yogi

I'm not the OP but I want to thank Griffiths for the excellent directions. One additional question. Do you recommend vacuuming the evaporator after removing the blower? thanks

griffiths

Asume you mean to mean vacuum external surfaces (fins) on evaporator. The bottom of te evaporator tends tonto load up because air flow is upward. Difficult to clean evaporator while in box

whiteNSXs

Thanks a million to Griffith for such awesome instructions. I was wondering why it does not offer a Kuehl motor for 1986-1989. I would have gone with that if it was available.
Thanks again.
Steve

griffiths

We are working on it.
The 1970-1985, LHD, 911 and 930 evaporator box is configured for the motor shaft pointing upwards, motor is mounted inside the box top on a platform. The 86-89 years have the motor shaft pointed downwards, motor mounted in top of box. The two versions of the box top, early (70-85) vs. later (86-89), have different heights so mounting our high output motor will not work on later box tops. However, if you can locate an early box top with its old motor and blower wheel inside you can use our high output motor.

Pavegeno928

I have a 1988 911 and bought Griff's blower motor upgrade. I sourced the earlier box top as Griff mentioned through Suncoast Porsche in Florida. If they don't have it you can try LA Dismantlers. Took me a couple of hours using Griff's detailed instructions. The Hurricane Blower made a great system phenomenal. If you can source the box top, you'll want the better blower especially in a hot, humid climate.

rusnak

I may be in the minority here, but I would say remove the entire evaporator in order to replace the blower motor.

I've also heard great things about Griff's stuff.

Get the AC recharging hose set with manifold, and a good vacuum pump, such as by Robinair. Replace the refrigerant and compatible oil after doing a proper evacuation and vacuum. If you're changing refrigerant types, then make sure the expansion valve and capilary tube are compatible.

whiteNSXs

If all one needs is to replace the motor and it does not involve taking out the entire evaporator, I do not see why it would be beneficial to take out the whole thing. As I said before that my system was running very cold before the blower went dead.
Steve

Pavegeno928

No need to pull the evaporator...unless you are looking to add complexity and break something else or if something else needs attention.