For Info - how i fixed my noisy interior heater fan

Hello All

Just a quick post in case any of you are suffering the same fate

My Discovery 2 (53 plate) had a noisy interior heater fan. It sounded wobbly and out of balance making a vibrating whirring noise when on anything other than 1 or 2 speed (very annoying!)

I read on the internet that foreign objects in the fan itself can cause this ..... So i decided to have a look into it so thought i would post this just to help anyone else in the future ?

1) I removed the lower passenger side trim under the dash, just simply remove the 4 large round black trim clips and out it comes
2) Once removed you can then see the fan .... it is the round lump sitting vertically straight in front of you ..... The fan has a single electrical plug which needs to be unclipped first (with ignition off)
3) The fan is held in place with 3 screws. My screws were a spline head, 2 were a bit rusty but came out ok. They are not in that tight. I actually used a 10mm (i think it was?) socket on them as they have a HEX outer.
4) I had to undo one wiring clip held in place with a single Philips screw just to get enough free space from the loom to remove the fan downward
5) Once all the above is done, the fan just drops downwards with a little fiddle
6) Here is what surprised me. When removed their was about 4 or 5 medium dry leaves in there, and the remains of an old white paper sticker about 2" by 2" ..... i removed these objects and then slaved the plug back on to see what it was like.
7) The fan actually spins at a heck of a rate of knots when on full speed, so i guess the slightest little bit of weight in there will put it out of balance, even the leaves and a small sticker were enough to cause this.
8) Refit is a simple reverse of the above
9) I would rate this as a very very easy fix, even someone not technical can do this. Its literally 4 trim clips popped out, 4 screws and 1 plug. took about 20 minutes from start to finish total.
10) Result is now a powerful, quiet, smooth fan .... Ahh peace at last !!!!

Sorry if this should be in the technical section, but i cant seem to post in there ... guess its because im new to this forum and not enough posts ..... feel free to move it any forum managers

Hope this helps someone in the future

cheers
Dave

Thanks Dave
I had that on my lists of things to ask about I have a groaning first and second speed (bearings I think) you made it sound easy will give this a try sooner now
Thanks again

the leaves are getting in through the slots along the bulkhead by the base of the screen ,the foam filters that block the slots disintergrate with age . i had the same problem threw away the foam filters and covered the slots with some very fine mesh.

Might have a look at this with my WD40 to hand. My fan has a slight squeal or whistle as though its a bit dry.

Are the fans the same for non-A/C and A/C equipped discos? Mine's got A/C - if yours has then I'll be quids in

Hello All

Thanks for the replies

Albjames + Steveyorks ...... mine sounded a bit like dry bearings as well to be honest ... hopefully you will find some debris and this will sort it .... The fan 'blades' assembly looks as if it can actually come off the shaft, there is a sprung clip on the end - its obvious when you see it in your hand ....... I think the blades can then slide off the shaft. It is an easy job i think, its is pretty basic .... the worst issue may be if the screw heads are rusty (like mine were) ... my screws were also a star head screw (torx?) so you'll need a set of these star shaped 5 or 6 point jobbies (not Philips) ... be careful you look close as charging in with a Phillips driver may chew it up especially if they are a bit rusty in the first instance

Ref the WD40 spray into the shaft / motor ..... Im not sure about WD40 as they may be greased sealed for life bearings. Any lubricant like WD may make it worse ... then again it may cure it !!!! ..... i guess you've got nothing too loose really so i would spray ahead .... be good if you could post a reply to see how you got on

Alan Morgan ... - great top tip ... thanks for this i will have a look at mine and report back !

difflock 66 - sorry im not sure if non A/C and A/C cars are the same .... but mine has A/C so hopefully yours will be the same

4 days in now and its purring away nicely like a good un ..... im very happy as it was really annoying me !

cheers
dave

I've put up with mine being noisy for over two years 'cause I thought it was a big job!

Thanks for the info.

whey hey ! .... glad to have helped ..... easiest Fan out job ive ever done on a car i must admit

what debris was in yours ? ..... and where your screws rusted a bit ?

cheers
dave

Hi Dave, not done it yet, I have to work outdoors so need to wait for dry weather. I'll post up what I find.
Andy.

ahh ok .... its easy to do on your side just slide the seat all the way back ... takes about 20-30 mins maximum

Just done mine, 20 min job, the hardest part was removing the trim plugs! I used a mirror and torch to see one of the 3 screws which are torx with a 10mm hex head.

There were 5 or 6 dry leaves in the fan, it's now quiet as a mouse. It was making a right racket before and the noise was coming from the vents at the base of the windscreen so I wasn't convinced the problem was in the fan itself.

I was just thinking today that my fan sounded out of balance, will be giving the fan a clean over the weekend, thanks.

Mine makes a squeaking noise when I brake (which led me for months to think it was actually a brakes problem till I realised it disappeared when the fan was off). I think it's either a dry bearing or as you say something stuck in there. I'll have a look at doing this job when I feel up to it.

I was thinking I'd have to get the dash out which I wasn't relishing.....

Plain bronze bearing are oil impregnated, re oil

Good post there, so easy to do, I will check mine when it is warmer, just to clean inside

I had exactly the same issue & I'm awful with plastic clips & wiring. I had mine out and it was full of leaves and bits of cr@p
I cleaned it all out and now it's perfect. I couldn't belive IT. If I can do it anyone can !!

Glad this seems to have helped a few people ...... For info my fan is making noise again after a few months although not quite as bad ...... so i suspect leaves etc may have got back in .... im going to have to look at the air intake side of things to see how stuff is getting into the fan ..... on a previous car i had to resort to a set of the wifes old tights (urrghhh) to make a cover up ..... not nice but it did the trick ..... ill report back as i progress

cheers
dave

I was looking for some pictures and found this which shows what you have very nicely described as well as how to dismantle and lubricate if necessary.

wow .... that puts my crappy description to shame !!!

Not at all, in fact I've started to do it based on your description but felt pictures would help.

That chap's also dismantled the motor to lubricate it which seems like a good plan.