GeorgeK

Never having had a working AC in Shrek, I slowly amassed the necessary parts as budget and opportunity allowed. I got a Griffiths evaporator, a right side front blower motor (left is impossible to find anywhere but from Porsche), a CCU control panel.

Now that we have serious heat coming again, I decided to tackle the job. Good idea I did. Upon removing the fuel tank, I found a very badly rotten fuel line, the main one exiting the fuel tank to the fuel pump. Whew, dodged a bad one there. New line is on order. I also sourced a new fuel pump to replace the whining one in the car currently.

Got the AC box out in about 4 hours. Diagnosis: left side motor stuck solid. I managed to free it, but it sqeaks horribly. The right side one is silent, but seeing that I have a new motor, I will swap it in.

I also realised that the right side motor fits on the left *very* easily by removing a tiny tab (see picture below of the right engine on the left side with the offending tab, and on the right side.

Herein lies my dilemma: What to do with the left blower? I can buy a new one for an obscene amout of money, or find a righ squirrel cage and fit a right engine and squirrel cage on the left side now that I know I can easily fit the right engine there, or???

Silly question: do these electric motors turn the other way if I reverse the connections? My gut says no, but I may as well ask.

Pics:

griffiths

You can spin the motors CW or CCW.
But you can't spin the blower wheels other than their intended design.

sschultze09

Only 3-phase motors can spin in either direction depending on how their wired.

griffiths

Really..well Tesla, Edison and Weston just rolled over in their graves

sschultze09

So a single phase motor can spin in either direction by just switching the two legs? If that the case I am missing out on a million dollar industry. I was talking about a standard motor just like the OP was. Anything can be done with required electrical components but that was not his question.

griffiths

The picture shows a DC PM.
The topic is a DC PM.
The question assumes the picture, the vehicle, and application.... DC PM.
He can simply swap the leads.

Any other questions?

GeorgeK

Update with valuable (at least to me) info:

I filed the offending tabs off the blower casing, now the left and right fans fit without issue on either side.

I swapped the leads + to - and the fan motor does indeed turn the other way.

This means that I can buy another right side motor, easily available on the net, and use it on the left by putting the left cage on it, and reversing the wires.

Or?? Constructive imput welcome.

griffiths

You get an A+

GeorgeK

Thanks.
I am trying to think it all over to make sure I am not missing anything that will prevent me from finishing this job. I wish to *never* come back in there...

GeorgeK

Update and further questions:

I have tried to remove the "squirrel cage" fan off the motor shaft, to no avail. There simply is not enouth room to grab it safely. It feels like putting a china vase in the middle of a Sherman tank and destroying the whole tank without hurting the vase...

So I dismantled the motor from its shaft (destroyed is a better word, but since it was seized, it would not have gone back in the car).

The new motor has a smooth shaft, and the fan is on a serrated part of the original shaft. I need to remove the fan, and the bushing it is on. Waiting for the 2nd motor to show up and I'll tackle both together. Let's hope the serrated part on the original motor shaft is a pressed on bushing, or I'll have to have new serrated bushings made.

Pics below. As before, any insight is welcome. I feel a bit alone. Nobody has been there before?

VR6-er

Impressive, I love it when an engineering plan comes together.

GeorgeK

Again a few steps forwars today. To recapitulate:

-Inverting the leads makes the motor turn the other direction, allowing me to use 2 right side engines (available for 120$) in the car. The angle of the brushes is reverted, but it seems it should not be an issue.

-A simple dremel mod to the housing allows use of the right side engine on the left side.

Today's discovery: the serrated bushing on which the fan is pressed is in fact part of the original motor shaft. I had my local friendly machine shop make me a replacement bushing for the (smooth) shaft of the new motor, and we pressed it in.

so now I have a complete motor *with* left side fan mounted, that wil be used on the left side. I am having a 2nd bushing made to use on the 2nd new motor, so I will have 2 new motors in the AC/ventilatin case for 240$ plus whatever the machine shop will bill me (about 100$). I am luckily not counting my hours...

pics:

crg53

If you had gone with a straight knurl, you would have a better chance of this working out for you. When you press the fan onto the shaft/bushing it will ruin the I.D. and chances are it will not be centred, or have a good grip on the shaft.
I am not trying to be negative here, just a heads up on problems that may arise.

GeorgeK

True. However I have been lucky. Slightly heating the fan center, and it slipped on with moderate pressure and now holds firmly. I have put the fan in and tested it, it is not off-center. Next bushing will be made on friday and I will ask for straight knurling.

sschultze09

Sorry, I was messing with the electronics guru's on here ie.. computer nerds. That’s what I do at my day job. Maybe I should stick with construction and leave the magic to the pros. Switching two leads and she spins backwards mindboggling concept.