W126 New Fan Blower & Motor: Is it DIY - and if so, HOW?
 

I just received a new fan blower & motor for my 350SD (from eBay seller Mercedes991) and I'm wondering if this is something I might be able to do myself. I have decided that the injector rebuild is out of my league, so I will be leaving that to a professional. Perhaps I can save a few $ by doing this job myself... what do you think?

I have attached a picture of the fan I received - would someone please confirm it is the right part first? Thanks!

From there, where do I begin to install it? I have been told it is behind the glove box liner - is that correct? If so, how do I get in there - are there any particular things to be careful of?

Thanks for the help! It will be nice to have my fan running again - especially since it's getting a little too cool to cruise around with the sunroof wide open all the time - high temps projected around 68F here in Las Vegas next week!!

I don't recall attacking the blower motor from the glove box in a W126.

IIRC the W126 blower comes off from under the dash. Pry off the right front door sill plate, remove the right front kick panel (1 screw, 2 clips?), remove the lower dash panel (3 screws along the dash edge and a quarter turn clip into the tranny tunnel?), remove blower casing lower cover (2 screws and 2 springy c-clamps), remove the electrical connectors to the motor, remove the 3 screws holding the blower motor and cage to the blower casing.

Sixto
93 300SD

Rusty -- I just pulled my blower motor out to do some maintainence on it. It's very easy.

According to my MB Service Manual CD, the procedure for our different year 126s is the same.

What I did was take out the three screws and one tab holding the cover underneath the glove box. Then there's a plastic shield that pops off. A few phillips screws hold the blower motor cover and a few more hold the fan assembly in.

You'll need a phillips screwdriver and a light of some kind. Might help to slide the passenger seat all the way back.

Wasn't too bad. A lot of dust and whatnot may fall out of the fan. Might want to put something down over the carpet.

That's all there is to it.

Good luck,
Bill

I have done this repair on my car and this procedure and Sixto's procedure are correct, the glove compartment does not need to be removed for access. I removed the motor to rebuild it and bench test it only to find the motor was good (although I rebuilt it anyhow) but the "porcupine" regulator that controls the fan was bad. So you may want to hook test leads to your battery and test the old motor once you get it out to make sure.

Thanks for the help guys - I'm planning to attempt it some evening soon (I have to wait until my wife is out - :rolleyes: - she has no faith that I can do this myself and is insisting that I take it to our mechanic, but I would rather save the money at this point since I have several other things I would like to have done that will require me to pay a mechanic - i.e. new Bosio nozzles & injector rebuilding) so I will see how it goes when I have the chance!:D

Hey Ched - when you found out the 'porcupine' regulator was bad instead of the fan motor, how much was a new regulator and how diffcult was that to replace? I'm hoping mine is just the motor - the symptom with mine was a gradual slow-down over the last 3 months. The fan was really strong when I got the car back in June, then it started slowing down, then it wouldn't start when I started the car - I had to 'thump' the dash under the glove box several times to make the fan start - and now even that doesn't really do anything. At this point, IF the fan starts turning (which it usually does not) it is VERY slow and doesn't do much except make an annoying noise. What do you think - does that sound like a bad motor?

Anyway, I'll get to it sometime very soon - like I said I just have to wait for the right opportunity!:D

Could not remove the carpeted cover under the glove box...
 

Well, my wife left about an hour ago, so I decided to give it a shot...

I removed the three screws and the clip, but I could not get the carpeted cover below the glove box to budge. I could pry the front of the cover away from the dash, but it was still obviously being held in place by something - I just don't know what. I got down on the floor and peered under the dash and I could not see anything else holding that cover in place. Is there some method to removing that cover that I don't know? I resisted the urge to force it - I certainly do not want to break something!

I also saw an unplugged plug on the left under the carpeted cover close to the center column - looked like perhaps something to do with the radio, like an antenna plug or something - looked a little like a small microphone plug... any ideas what that is? Sorry, I didn't get a photo of it - perhaps I'll try to snap one and post it in a little while (after my frustration fades a little!:D )

In re-reading the posts on this thread, I realized that I skipped the first two steps in Sixto's instructions. Is this the reason I cannot remove the lower dash panel? Is it supported by the kick panel?
Sorry - just trying to get it right so I can do this myself and save a few $ (leaving more to spend on new injectors, etc...:D )

The symptoms sound like the motor, probably the brushes which are replaceable. Mine was completely dead so the diagnosis was difficult. With yours, I would swap out the motors and see if that solves the problem, likely will. The regulator is bolted to the imprinted black motor cover, it will be obvious. I found one used on Ebay for $25. New is very expensive as I recall.

With the 3 screws out, is it loose at one end or the other? Are you able to pry it down enough to determine where it's still held to the dash?

I don't know for sure that it's supported by the kick panel. I'm pretty sure it is.

And maybe the duct that goes to the right dash vent is attached to the lower panel in a way that you have to tug it off. Hard to describe sufficient force in words.

As I recall there's a quarter turn fastener where the lower panel curves to meet the console. You might have found this in what you describe as a plug or socket.

Sixto
93 300SD

When I took out the three screws and the clip (the quarter turn fastener) I could pry the front of the carpeted panel down just enough to see behind it, but it was just flexing and not really moving away from the dash per se. I could not move it enough to see what was still holding it to the dash. I did notice an unplugged plug behind the left side - looked like something perhaps from the radio, but I'm not sure what it was. Anyway, it still seemed to be attached to the dash pretty solidly.

I was curious about the duct that goes to/from the door into that carpeted panel below the glove box - what the heck is that???

How do you go about prying off the door sill? I'm just concerned that I might break something - is it held on by clips or something? And where are the 2 screws and the clip that hold the kick panel?

It seems like it will be easy enough for me to replace the fan if I can just figure out how to get TO the darn thing! I guess that's the fun part, huh?!?!?:silly:

Mine wasn't, but our cars are almost ten years apart. I removed the kick panel first before realizing it didn't have to come off.

I think I had to pull on the panel a bit to get it off, but it wasn't too tight. It houses the duct which delivers air to the front doors.

Bill

If I remember correctly from last year, you should not have to remove the door sill or kick panel (at least I didn't) to get access to the fan cover. I did however, have to remove the passenger side floor mat because it extends so far up along the firewall that I seem to remember interference when dropping the carpeted panel. You may have to use a bit of force on the panel, it is a snug force fit.

My car does not have a glove box. Is the procedure the same?

Yes.

Sixto
87 300D

one more screw????
 

Hey guys....

I THINK there is one more screw in the panel......As I recall there are 3 screws along the front edge and then there is one screw sort of in the middle of the panel. I don't recall if that one screw just holds the 2 parts of the panel together or if it screws up into something.

Also, on mine you have to pull "down" on the front....then pull it out toward the seat to disengage it from the "back". It has some supports along the engine side that you might need to LIFT upwards to get them to disengage.

Hope this helps.