Blower motor replacement--1991 Accord EX

Hello.

It appears that the heater blower motor is kaput in my 1991
Accord EX. I verified that the fuses are OK and that there
is voltage at the connector (2P, as I recall.)

Questions:

1. The best quote I have so far is $170 for the part.
Is there any chance I might be able to rebuild the motor?

2. If I remove the blower assembly and it takes me a few
days to get the job done, will the car be driveable? I think
the issue here would be whether the control unit behind the
glovebox can be reinstalled while the blower assembly is
out?

3. Any caveats about doing this job?

Thanks
-Mark

 

Got a manual? My 91 Civic's has the steps and drawing for
removing/installing the blower motor. www.autozone.com has a
manual for your car, free online. Steps should be under
"chassis-electrical" or similar.

There are troubleshooting steps, as well.

 

Yes, I have gone through the troubleshooting tips in
the factory manual. I have now reached the box
labeled "inspect blower motor." Unless there is a way
to do this without removing the motor, it is time to crawl
under the dashboard with a flashlight and a screwdriver.

But manuals don't always tell the whole story. I appreciate
practical advice from someone who has done the job.

 

It's a lot easier than you think. Do you have these steps?:
<http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/89-91_accord_blower_motor_removal.pdf>

What happens when you send battery power directly to the motor's electrical
connector?

 

Yes I do, but thank you for posting it.

Haven't tried that. I did verify that battery voltage is present at the 2-P
connector
per the troubleshooting flowchart. Unless the connector is defective or
there is a
break in the wiring between the connector and the motor, this _should_
indicate
a defective motor. Also, the motor had become a bit noisy over the last few
weeks, which suggests to me that it was on its way out.

The job doesn't look too intimidating as described in the manual, but I know
that manuals don't always tell the entire story. . .

 

Could be just worn brushes, however, I don't know if they are
replaceable on that motor.

 

Hi Mark

The first thing about this problem is that

1. Check the voltage at the 2 pin coupler with varying the blower
speed. the specs are in the shop manual.

2. Check the resistance the motor side.

3. Removing the motor is not easy in accord if it is not correctly it
may lead to entire HVAC servicing

4. Before doing any work disconnect the battery and remove the ECU.
After you have removed the motor..( in case you deciode to do so) re
connect the ECU .with this procedure the MIL will not come on.

After that you can drive the vehicle.

Regards

Gaurav

 

Finished! And only one extra screw left over.

The hardest part was fitting the blower assembly
back into position.

-Mark

 

Looks like you already fixed it, but for future readers of this
thread...

I did succesfully rebuild a blower motor in a 91 Civic Hatchback. All
it needed was brushes that I got from ACE hardware.

Todd K.

 

Yeah, once I got everything apart I discovered that the motor was
rebuildable. Unfortunately, it is raining like an SOB here every day
and I have to work outside, and this is my only vehicle, and so on.
So I really wanted to have a new, working motor in hand before
I started tearing into the car.

My old motor had become a bit noisy in the weeks before the
failure, so I speculated that it needed rebushing. That would
have complicated a rebuild. In the end I'm not sure what was
wrong with it as it does spin when I connect it to the battery.
A motor may behave better when not under a load, of course.

In any event, everything is back together and working nicely
for about $185 (new motor plus a set of deep-reach metric
sockets to do the job.) I'm sure that's better than what the
Honda dealership would have quoted me.

-Mark

 

I too bought the $200 motor before I tore into it, then a couple of
weeks later rebuilt the old one just to see if I could.

Todd K.

 

Mine was $150. . .the Carquest version, and definitely not
rebuildable. I'll keep my old one available for rebuilding,
in case I have to do this job again in two or three years.

-Mark

 

and you get to keep the tools! money spent on tools is money well spent.
and thank gawd for harbor freight.