fan/blower makes RUMBLING sound on '88 Prelude

hi...
i have an '88 honda prelude si.

mechanic replaced the blower motor & switch 300 miles ago. i've barely
used it.

it's now making a loud rumbling sound... louder as the fan speed is
increased.

i'm hoping maybe there's a leaf caught in the duct? but it persists.

also, when the mechanic replaced the blower motor, the a/c doesn't blow
cold anymore.

thnx for any insight,
frank

 

Sounds like your mechanic either didn't install the motor correctly, didn't
reconnect all the wires, didn't connect them in the right places, blew the
compressor fuse while he was working on it, didn't use the right switch, or
in some other way botched the job.

My first choice would be to take it back to him and stare at him until he
gets it right.

 

mechanic replaced the blower motor & switch 300 miles ago. i've barely

I'm with E Meyer on this one. What was the original problem? I've got about
120,000 miles on my '88 Prelude blower. I had to replace the blower resistor
once but everything else just hums along.

 

guess i was hoping for another reason...

the original prob. was:
the blower knob was getting harder & harder to turn.
then pretty much together, the fan stopped blowing & u couldn't turn the
knob, either.

before that it always had good ac & heat.

this was my father's (new) & then my brother's car. he didn't really
need/want anymore & offered to give to me. i had to get (& pay) to get
some things in better running condition... like the exhaust.

then needed a battery & alternator, starter wire...

then last inspection i needed rear rotors & brakes, 2 fuel injectors, tune
up, 3 tires... & got the blower motor & switch done then... ouch!

i don't really need the car, so i'm selling it & now the "fan's
rumbling"...

anyway, i mention all this in case u guys had any of this work done along
the way. my brother had to have the "trans. rebuilt" a few year ago.

i like the zippy feel & the steering, but overall, it's been costing me.


so do u think it's the actual motor that's bad?

thnx for the opinions,
frank

 

2 injectors? honda injectors are incredibly reliable, but you needed
two? how did they test? either your car's a complete piece of shinola
or your mechanic's blowing smoke.

 

That's a new one on me. OK, bad switch or something binding on the switch
shaft.

How many miles on the car, by the way?

I just replaced the exhaust on my '88 last weekend after about 120,000 miles.
Boy, those flange bolts were really on there tight.

Keep it! You don't have many things left to do.

Has the timing belt been changed? That should happen every 60,000 miles. Do
the water pump at the same time. If the timing belt goes, you will need some
serious and expensive engine repairs.

I wonder where your mechanic got the blower? It might be an inexact replacement
or one taken out of a wreck.

In the interest of science, pull that blower out and run it on the bench.
Here's how: Remove the glove compartment and frame. Remove the heater duct
which is held in place by four screws. Remove three mounting bolts. Disconnect
the electrical connectors for the blower motor, resistor and recirculation
control motor. Then remove the blower.

 

hi charles & thnx for ur input & interest. someday i hope to do more myself
on my cars!


* the car has 118,000 miles... & only a few thousand on the rebuilt
trans.

yeah, some things like alt., battery, brakes, etc. that's wear & tear...
with the fuel injectors i did smell a lot of 'raw gasoline', but i wonder
if they could 've been cleaned instead of replacing?

* what do u mean 'run on the bench'? do u mean pull it & get power to it &
see if it's noisy when not hooked up?

* thnx for the directions on removing, is it time consuming? i'm not sure
i want to get into it. i may take it back to mechanic & see where i get.

* i'm tempted to keep, but... i've noticed a few other things like there
seems to be some
- 'vibration/looseness' under the passenger front end [tire wearing fine,
motor mount?],
- sunroof leaks sometimes [drain holes r clean],
- steering column seems to need greased? [makes a slight rubbing sound-
"sheeeee"- when moving the steering wheel, i've tried spraying lub.]
- there's a transmission leak [upper seal?] ,
- & MAY need new struts...

* mechanic charged me re: blower:
PARTS-
knob $ 8.43
blower switch 44.65
blower motor 69.00

+ LABOR 59.00
TOTAL $181.08

so, i thought/understood it was new?

thnx again,
frank

 

Is that an automatic or a manual transmission?

I'm not sure. I've never had any problems with fuel injectors.

Yes. It would be beneficial to run the blower outside of its housing to make
sure that it's not binding or rubbing against something. Like you said in an
earlier message, maybe there's some foreign object stuck in there. Maybe
there's a bad bearing. It's hard to tell with it in the car although with the
glove box and duct removed you'll have a better idea. Maybe the mechanic just
forgot to tighten the mounting bolts.

Ten or fifteen minutes to get it out of the car and more to take it apart. I
think you can do it all with a Phillips screwdriver.

I'm not sure he should be trusted unless he's going to fix that rumbling sound
for free.

You'll have to watch it more closely. Does it only happen in turns? While
accelerating? While braking? Could be a worn tie rod. Struts. Warped rotor.
Tire out of balance. If you can narrow down the symptoms, you'll help a
mechanic find the problem more quickly. It should be inspected soon, though.
Some things in the front end break without warning and can kill you.

I think the recommended interval for struts is 60,000 miles.

How many accidents has this thing been in? Your father and brother really
trashed this car, didn't they?

It's unlikely that the blower is new at $69. The online discounted price at San
Leandro Honda (http://www.slhondaparts.com/) is $228.92 for just the new motor!

Do you ever listen to Car Talk on National Public Radio? I highly recommend it
every week. Tom and Ray are very funny guys. Go to their Website
(http://www.cartalk.com/) and look at the top of the left column for "Where To
Listen."

Chuck

 

hi charles, & any others interested...

i removed the "blower" per ur helpful instructions & found the "white fan"
to be full of, what looked to me like some sort of insulation; gray with
flecks of red, etc.

i removed the debris & wiped clean. this helped a lot, but there was still
a lil rumble so i removed the "middle silver diaphram" (motor?) via the 2
screws & removed any debri, etc.

now, i have 2 questions before i proceed.

1) i can't seem to get electrical current to blower. so i again removed
the "middle silver diaphram". there r 2 small silver squares attached to
copper wire + 2 springs. there r also 2 slots...
DO THE SQUARES SLIDE INTO THE SLOTS? they ARE NOT there right now. &
WHERE DO THE SPRINGS GO?

2) before i removed the "middle silver diaphram". the blower was still
rumbling a little. when i push up on the black housing, it seems to stop
(or get a LOT better). the 3 mounting screws only seem to get so tight,
thus the looseness seems to be causing a vibration.

is that the way the screws are, or could the housing be stripped where the
screws insert?

thnx again for any help,
frank

 

You should probably remove the cover of the air plenum. You might find more of
that debris there. If I read the drawings correctly, it is item 8 in this
picture:
http://www.slhondaparts.com/browse.asp?Model=PRELUDE&Year=1988&TrimLevel=2DR+2%2
E0SI&TransLevel=4ATKA&Section=H&Category=B++50++%7CHOOD&PartCatalogId=13SF10&Vie
wParts=true

It's a horizontal plastic cover that runs the width of the vehicle at the back
of the engine compartment under the hood.

The motor mounts with _three_ screws. The motor is item 8 in this picture:
http://www.slhondaparts.com/browse.asp?Model=PRELUDE&Year=1988&TrimLevel=2DR+2%2
E0SI&TransLevel=4ATKA&Section=E&Category=B++1701%7CHEATER+BLOWER&Doors=2&Emissio
ns=KA&PartCatalogId=13SF10&ViewParts=true

Does the motor spin freely when you turn it by hand?

It appears that the electrical connection to the motor is item 9 in the picture
above. Twelve volts across the tabs runs the blower - at full speed! Hold on!
Perhaps the springs hold the connector to the motor so that it doesn't work
loose but that would be unusual. The connectors usually have a integral locking
tab.

The housing should mount securely. I'm guessing that the screw holes are
stripped or there is something in the way. Honda recommends a relatively low 7
foot-pounds of torque on those mounting screws. When they are fully engaged it
should not be possible to jostle the blower assembly. Do the mounting holes
align easily when you remount the blower? If you can't get the bolts tight
enough to stop the vibration, perhaps the nuts that the mounting bolts screw
into have been damaged. It is unlikely that was done at the factory. I know
you didn't do it so that leaves one suspect: the mechanic who replaced the motor
recently. I like this guy less and less as the story develops.

Can you screw the bolts into the nuts securely without the blower in the way?
If they wobble when fully tightened, you should replace the nuts.

P.S. My notes show that the replacement interval for the timing belt is 90,000
miles for this vehicle, not 60,000 miles as I wrote in an earlier message. In
any case I'll bet you're due for a new one.

 

charles:

thnx for posting. i'm gonna re-read & digest, & will answer tonight.

do u kno if i can post a photo?

yeah, the mechanic did a few things i didn't like & i don't go to him
anymore.

thnx again,
frank

 

hi charles: i'll answer ur ?'s via this post & email u a layout with photos
i did. i don't see a way to attach a file within this post.

*Does the motor spin freely when you turn it by hand?

together with the cap, thus centering the shaft better.

*Perhaps the springs hold the connector to the motor so that it doesn't
work loose but that would be unusual. The connectors usually have a
integral locking tab.

few ways & nothing really seems to be correct.

*Do the mounting holes align easily when you remount the blower? >YES

*Can you screw the bolts into the nuts securely without the blower in the
way? >YES

*If they wobble when fully tightened, you should replace the nuts. >the
blower doesn't really move, & there's NO play side to side. the blower
fits back into the dash fine. it just seems like i can push up on the
blower motor a tad. to be honest, that's prob. the least of my problem!

lemme kno if can read the photo file OK. i saved as a photoshop file. i
can prob. save in other formats if u need it to be different.

thnx,
frank

 

While I'm waiting for the photo, I have two questions.

Do you recall if you removed the springs from something inside the blower
assembly or did you just find them lying loose? Could they be the spring clips
which hold the blower housing together?