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View Full Version : How To Octavia Mk1 heater blower swap.



Pastedavid
07-01-2010, 10:16 PM
Today seemed like a good enough day to change the blower motor in my Octavia, seeing as there was a lovely blue sky to work under. That it was freezing is another matter, but two layers of clothes and endless brews sorted that out!

I have no idea how to get the pictures to display in the body of text. This link is for the album containing all the photos:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/pastedavid/OctaviaFix?feat=directlink


Note: The pictures I've taken documenting the removal are actually the refitting stage as I only thought to picture them after removal (in case anyone was wondering why my 'old' fan had "2000 A3" scrawled on it).

Symptoms

Heater blower would work only intermittently. It would spring into life when the car hit a bump, but generally would then gradually slow down and stop. A searching of the internet revealed that it was likely the brushes of the electric blower motor were in need of attention. I decided to take photos of the job for the benefit of whoever wants it. There are written instructions elsewhere, this is just a supplement, really.

Before the job

Gather a No. 10 Torx driver, and a No.2 Phillips (or possibly Pozidriv - I can never tell what the difference is!) screwdriver.

The job is really very easy indeed, so any thought of difficulty should be banished at this stage.

To start

Remove the glovebox. There are 5 screws (torx head) holding it in place. Also be aware that there is an electrical wire attached - remove this before you wrench the glovebox out. The pictures show the glove box already removed, but I am sure you'll be able to imagine it still in the dash!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/8UZZqx6h6s2unMftmaNv_g?feat=directlink1

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So now with the glovebox removed, you should be left with:

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You can also see which wires need to be unplugged on that picture.

Now remove the two screws highlighted with a No. 2 Phillips / Pozidriv, or a 6mm spanner (your choice!):

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Now slide blower unit downwards.

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You should now remove the 3 screws holding the flexible cover on the back of the motor off. Under this cover there will be 1 more screw, remove this. Pull the remaining plastic away from the motor/fan assembly:

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BE CAREFUL! The fan is plastic and relatively delicate. DO NOT DROP IT!

My initial plan was to turn the brushes around by 180 degrees, and give them a quick clean with a suitable solvent, and to clean the commutator too. This is what I was greeted with:

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The decision was made to not bother just replacing the brushes as there was much degradation to a vital part of the unit, so a replacement was deemed necessary.

A phone call to the trusty local motor factors revealed a £140 bill for a new unit. No chance. A much more useful call to a breaker's yard revealed a £30 charge for a unit from a 2000 Audi A3. A much better price!

For comparison, this is the commutator of the new unit:

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So, refitting the unit is simply a reversal of the removal. The only tip I can give for refitting is that when you are installing the glovebox, make sure that the lip A and it's complimentary channel/guide, B, are properly aligned. Otherwise the glovebox will be difficult to screw in, the door will be stiff to use and there'll be an unsightly gap in the dash. Yes, I learnt the hard way!

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With all parts and tools to hand, it is little more than a 30 minute job.

evobaz
05-02-2010, 07:38 PM
Replacement brushes for A4's and Passats are available on ebay. They may well fit Octaivia's too.

Stuck a set of these in my old B5 Tdi Passat and they worked a treat;)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190365319475&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

katiestar
17-02-2010, 04:51 PM
Great advice, thanks alot! :o

evobaz
17-02-2010, 05:08 PM
Great advice, thanks alot! :o

did you replace the brushes or the full blower motor?