HELP: Remove the Squirrel Cage Fans from a 124 Blower Motor Assembly....
 

What is the slick way to remove the Squirrel Cage Fans from a 124 Blower Motor Assembly without doing damage?????? One can use a brass drift punch but anybody got a good suggestion of what to use as a support for the fan pressed piece that you are driving the shaft against??? The idea of a puller does not seem practical here.

I used the smallest puller available from the Autozone tool "borrowing" program. The legs just fit in between the spokes. I liked that much better than any method involving a hammer. Used an arbor press to put them back on, had to use some wood blocks to support things properly. Only needed to adjust once after initial trial fit. Its a slow process but its still a whole lot cheaper than buying a motor with the fans.

For my 123 (vaguely similar) I supported the squirrel cage (the 123 has only one) on two wooden blocks with the motor hanging down, then gently tapped the shaft with a hammer and pin punch. I had a box lined with shop rags under the motor, ready to catch and it went fine.

A puller will also work; the key is to have plenty of support under that plastic squirrel cage and to be patient and gentle. The plastic may be brittle after so many years. Remember to measure or photograph the blower before dis-assembly so you get the fans on the new motor same as they were on the old motor.

Jeremy

what do one of these motors cost on average?
i have a 124 turbo wagon and the fan wont turn on.

People seem to always say "use a puller" "use a punch".....all pointless. Spray the squirrel cage ends (inside and out) on the shaft with PB blaster or Kroil and let it set 30 minutes to an hour....then hold one of the cages (or put a vice grips on the motor shaft....and twist it off by hand! (While being careful not to damage the cage) I removed both cages from the blower in my sister's 190e that way today, and installed them onto the new motor the same way. No punches or pullers required!

Yours must have been loose!
 

Oh man, no way, no way. I tried that, and lucky I didn't break the spokes to the squirrel cage. Yours must have been pretty loose. Mine is nearly welded on.

I tried to heat it after spraying liquid wrench on it, but no such luck. Hammer and punch, no luck. Gear puller keeps slipping off, I'm off to the store now to have someone hold it for me while I turn the knob.

I have done it the way Jeremy mentions in post #3 (with wooden blocks) many times and on many different cars. It works great. Just take your time. I also lubed the shaft with PB as in post #5.

I also have done it enough to know this... Be sure you mark the shaft and the cage with a sharpie before removing the fan. This way you can put the fan back in the exact same position on the shaft. That staple (or staples) in the fan is (are) there to balance the assembly. If you re-install the fan in the wrong position it will cause a vibration and wear the motor out prematurely.

Removing plastic squirrle cage fans
 

Sprayed with WD40 for several days. Tried puller and it kept slipping. Put vise grips on the shaft. The fans were very hard to break loose but they did. Started spinning and pulling on the fans. Lots of spinning and WD40.... 20 minutes later.... Done. Make sure and measure each fans position on the shaft. Mark them left and Right. Draw a line across both fans with a marker showing how they were mounted in relation to each other. Draw a picture with the measurements noted.

I also have done it enough to know this... Be sure you mark the shaft and the cage with a sharpie before removing the fan. This way you can put the fan back in the exact same position on the shaft. That staple (or staples) in the fan is (are) there to balance the assembly. If you re-install the fan in the wrong position it will cause a vibration and wear the motor out prematurely {quote}

So the staples are to balance the cage assemblies with the motor.
What happens if they are installed on a new motor? How would you know where to line them up?

Charlie