Every car owner can face a problem when, when the fan of a car oven is turned on, sounds in the form of grinding, howling, crackling or squeaking begin to be heard. The fan may not rotate even if the wiring is completely intact. Is it possible to lubricate the stove motor yourself and how to carry out this process? First, you need to prepare the appropriate tools for such a procedure. We arm ourselves with a Phillips or flathead screwdriver (depending on the motor of the heating system), pliers and wrenches of suitable sizes, a cleaning cloth, a hammer, a few drops of machine oil, a little gasoline or alcohol, as well as new bushings (if you know them in advance options). Now you can start disassembling the instrument console of your machine so that you have full access to the oven fan compartment. When disconnecting the power terminals on the motor, be extremely careful not to break the contacts under the terminals. We unscrew the screws or nuts securing the motor in the compartment. Now you need to remove the blades. In the absence of a nut fastening of the fan blades (when the blades are simply tightly planted on the axle and it is too difficult to remove them by hand), you can slightly heat them using, for example, a construction hair dryer. As a result of the softening of the plastic when heated, it will be much easier to pull off.
We clean the impeller from the dirt on it, which will improve impeller balancing and reduce bearing wear. Next, you can start disassembling the motor. Depending on its model, we use wrenches or a screwdriver for disassembly. Also, the attachment of body parts for certain models can be carried out using bent antennae, which must be carefully unbent with a screwdriver or pliers. Among other things, you can find models where special removable plastic caps are used to close the bearing locations. To lubricate the bearings on such motors, you need to remove these caps and drop machine oil into specially made holes. If carrying out this procedure does not eliminate the squeak in such a motor, it will definitely need to be disassembled. All the insides removed from the motor and the housing itself should be cleaned of dust, after which a thorough inspection of the bushing bearings. With their increased wear, the motor may jam. Replace them if necessary. The next point is wiping the rubbing parts with gasoline or alcohol to completely clean them from old grease and dirt. When the gasoline (alcohol) evaporates, apply a little lubricating oil to the friction points.
Remove excess grease with a rag. Now you can start assembling the motor by performing the steps in reverse order. Pay attention to the exact location of all gaskets, bushings and other parts in their places in order to avoid the accumulation of dust in the motor and its inevitable subsequent breakdown. After installing the heater motor in place, we connect the power terminals in accordance with their polarity. Make sure that the connection is correct so that you do not have to remove the entire console due to the fan rotating in the opposite direction. When cleaning and lubricating, keep track of where and what you filmed. You can mark everything on paper to remember correctly and not to be mistaken. We hope our advice on how to lubricate the stove motor with your own hands will help you not to make mistakes when performing this type of work.
Currently, manufacturers are trying to make the car as comfortable as possible for a person. To do this, they fill it with convenient and useful functions: heater, seat heating, electric glass lifting drives, air conditioning, cruise control, etc.
But the most interesting thing is that the principle of operation of all these systems is based on the most elementary mechanisms. There are no innovations. As an example, you can take the interior heater or, as the drivers call it, the stove. It has been installed in cars since the middle of the last century. Then it was a motor that drove warm air into the pipes and pushed it out - into the salon.
A little later, fans began to be made in plastic cases, more power and smaller in order to reduce dimensions with weight and increase performance. To this day, nothing has changed, only now digital sensors have appeared in the heating, as well as an improved travel system that allows you to blow different compartments of the cabin.
An example of a stove motor
Thanks to innovations, the device can independently maintain the desired temperature in the car and heat it efficiently. But everything is still powered by that very motor. It is the heart that, if it fails, will destroy the entire system. This happens quite often even in imported cars. The main rubbing elements wear out, and the fan begins to hum, creak or even jam. To prevent this from happening, it is advisable to sometimes service the stove motor and know how to lubricate it.
There are now two main types of stoves. They are classified according to the principle of operation:
- Stationary. This is the most common system that is installed on every car without fail. It is powered by the engine, that is, from its cooling system. Antifreeze, heated by the engine, goes through the pipes to the heater radiator - to the salon. Here a motor is installed, which either blows or sucks in air from the heating element (radiator). It is pumped into the pipes, which are diverted to the windshield and side windows, as well as to the feet of the passengers. When the fan is on, hot air constantly flows through the pipe system and heats the entire interior;
- Autonomous. Another type of heaters, which is a serious competitor to a stationary device. The above system is effective only when the engine warms up, or rather antifreeze in the cooling system. Otherwise, cold air will blow. The autonomous option in this moment has a great advantage, since it allows you to heat the interior of even a muffled car. The stove itself is an installation that consumes some kind of fuel and heats air, antifreeze or oil in a special chamber. A motor is installed behind it, forcing cold air into a hot place. From it, it comes out already in a hot stream through the nozzle. This configuration allows operation independent of the motor.
Simplified diagram of the car heating system device
It is worth noting that the latter is an additional function and can be installed both by the factory and by the car owner. It is very good if these two systems are combined.
Economy is also an equally important parameter. In a stationary system, it is observed in the resource of the motor. That is, there is an additional branch pipe in the device, which is brought out to the outside of the car in the form of an air intake. At high speed, it captures the air flow that goes to the heater radiator. Thus, the design allows the electric motor to be switched off during intensive driving and to be heated with one boost.
In an autonomous system, the fan runs constantly, but the savings here are different. The main element in the heating is heated from the burnt fuel, the supply of which is controlled by special sensors. When the temperature reaches a certain value, the portion of diesel fuel, gasoline or gas decreases. The device consumes less resource and gives more heat.
Which of these systems is better is difficult to judge. On the one hand, the heat dissipation of the engine is used and thus its efficiency increases, and on the other hand, an independent system is introduced into the car, capable of operating even with a muffled engine - autonomously. We'll talk about the first type.
The electric motor, like other devices, has its own resource. If the car is old, then these things often get into trouble. They manifest themselves in noisy operation or squealing due to lack of lubricant. The motor itself consists of a fixed part with magnets (stator) and a moving part with windings (rotor). The latter is installed in the body on bronze bushings. So, if this place dries up, then a creak and an unpleasant sound appear.
Bronze bushing
In general, in the manufacture of such bushings, graphite is added to bronze, which serves as a solid lubricant. That is, in principle, they should work without auxiliary materials. However, if moisture or dust gets into the rubbing pair, then problems are guaranteed. Because of them, the bronze oxidizes and dries up, but after a couple of minutes of operation of the motor, everything is rubbed again. Therefore, the screeching disappears quickly. The reason for its appearance is also the poor-quality material from which the rotor shaft and bushings are made. They can simply permanently rot or oxidize if they were not coated with anti-corrosion stainless components during manufacture.
Bronze bushings
Many factories provide for such a development of circumstances, therefore, the sleeve and shaft are equipped with a forced lubrication system. This simple fixture minimizes wear on the pair. It is a special material with high absorbency, which is fixed close to the seat of the sleeve. Most often it is a felt ring. It must be periodically impregnated with grease (ordinary oil), which will get on the rubbing parts and reduce friction. If such a felt is installed on your car stove motor, watch it carefully. When noise is heard during operation, most likely the grease in the felt has dried out. Soak it with oil and operate the fan again.
Felt ring
The situation with felt is clear, but what to do if poor quality electric motor? This manifests itself in permanent rust on the fan shaft, due to the fact that the necessary components were not added to the steel during smelting, or the bronze bushings do not contain graphite. In this case, the steam can overheat at the place of friction and jam. Then there is still a risk of fire, which is possible in the event of an overload short circuit.
Such motors will have to be serviced much more often, because grease them only with thick grease (better than graphite). And she, as you know, does not last long.
It is better to lubricate unreliable furnace motors with graphite grease.
Lubrication of the defective stove motor
Although there is another option that many car owners use. You can make a felt ring yourself and rivet it to the motor body, and then saturate it with oil. It will not differ in any way from factory production and will last a long time. That is, you can also ride with a defective fan, but you will have to boggle your head a little. Not everyone will be able to properly lubricate or finish the stove so as not to damage other systems in the vicinity. The best thing, of course, is to simply replace the fan with a new one and forget about the problems.
It is also worth noting that roller or ball bearings can be installed instead of bronze bushings. In this case, you can completely forget about their lubrication, since they all come from the factory for electric motors closed. That is, they are already filled with the required amount of lubricant.
Before lubricating, you must first get to the fan. Most often, it is installed in the passenger compartment, under the main panel. Less often, it can be found under the hood (in this case, it will not be difficult to remove it). To dismantle the motor in the passenger compartment, it is necessary to partially disassemble the panel. But before that, it is better to remove the terminals from the battery, since there is a risk of shorting the wiring. The trim in each car is removed differently, so the recommendations will not help here. Most often, it is attached either with latches or with screws.
When you get to the motor, do not rush to take it off. Disconnect all adjoining wiring first (to gearbox and pneumatic valve). If you are going to dismantle the heater radiator as well, then you need drain antifreeze from the cooling system... To do this, unscrew the tap on the main radiator and find a clean container. But all the antifreeze will still not be able to be decanted. Some of it will remain in the pipes, so be careful when disconnecting.
Car stove motor with removed plastic cover
The motor itself is usually attached with two or three bolts, and can also be in a plastic case, which must also be unscrewed. To lubricate it, you must first disassemble and assess the internal state. You can't rush in this moment! All parts should be detached easily, without effort. If something does not work out, it means either it is not completely unscrewed, or it just stuck. Enthusiasm is misplaced here.
How to lubricate the stove motor
At the fan, the propeller must be removed, and the top cover must be unscrewed, into which the bronze bushing will be pressed. The second is located in the body (glass) itself. Before lubricating, assess their condition for backlash or depletion. If the rotor dangles in them, then it is better to immediately buy new ones and replace them. Well, if everything is in order, then it remains to wet the felt ring with oil (for example, engine oil) or coat everything with grease and assemble it correctly.
