W114 blower fan

[tc20]

Hi all,
i noticed yesterday morning that my windshield blower has stopped working. Car is a '72 230.6, non AC, and the knob is centrally mounted on the dash, 3 speed fan. I checked the fuse (8A), which also governs the brake lights and its fine. I actually relaced the fuse anyway, but still no juice.
I normally let the old girl warm up for a few minutes before driving, and usually even without the fan on, this is sufficient to clear the screen and have the cabin nice and toasty. However, it is something i would like to get sorted before the onset of the frosty mornings. Any ideas?

Oh, btw, i hadnt used the fan for c. 6 months (car had been off the road) but it was working fine the last time.

Thanks in advance,
tony

[Mike D]

Does the circulating fan work? The one for the A/C mounted in the center console? Turn the knob to A/C and see if the fan engages. If it does then check the "cross-over" switch mounted on the side of the center console above the acc. pedal (on a LHD).

This is a vacuum actuated switch so you might go back and double-check any vacuum lines you have worked on.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

If there's no electrical fault, the blower motor may be slightly stuck. The easiest way to possibly get it going again, is to look through the center dash vent with a flashlight so you can see the fan blades. Then using a long piece of clothes-hanger or similar tool through the vent, try to turn the fan. Some have also gone though the cowl vent with penetrating oil or WD-40, but I'd try the clothes-hanger approach first. If the above fix only provides temporary operation, or your blower motor is severely stuck, replacement may be your only option - but at least this job will be easier with your car because there's no AC.

Also without AC, this car has no vacuum switch.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[tc20]

@ MarkDiS - thanks for that, i'll give it a shot. I posted the problem on a site over here, and guys are telling me it could be as you suggest, or that the motor is shot - which is a major PITA, dash-out job .
Another W114 owner mentioned that his motor also went, but he got thru' last winter witjout too much hassle. It doesnt get severely cold here, -5C would be a real cold overnight temp, and as i let the motor warm up before driving, it usually is ok, its just the cold and frosty mornings are my cause for concern.
I'll try to remedy over the next couple of days, at least the forecast is good til the weekend

thanks, i'll let you know how i get on

tony

[Mike D]

Oops! Now that I went back and re-read your original post I see you said it's "non-A/C". Never mind.

The heater fan is not that bad of a job without A/C. Time consuming but not difficult. I don't think you have to pull the dash. Just the center console and heater core. Good time to have the heater core cleaned and checked. Also might as well renew the seals in the hot water diverter assembly.

Ahhh, the joys of maintaining a 35 year old automobile!

[300SDog]

Replaced the fan on my 280/8 and took 2 days working slow. Pulled the passenger seat to help with space for sprawling around, marked all cables and their attachments with masking tape for easy reassembly. There's alot more cables than you think. Another hazard is brittle plastic heater box, tabs and ears breaking off. Otherwise mostly common sense. Manually close hot water valves at firewall before beginning. Center console on 114's pulls out easily. Good opportunity to grease lever heat control tracks too. And the job will not disable the car if you need to make parts and tool runs. Recollect a new replacement fan cost somewhere around $150. You will see metal clips attached to fan blades, leave em alone - they're ballance weights. Most difficult nuts to reach were pair of 7mm's on ends of heat slider face plate. Couple of cable nubs were busted on heat control levers, so replaced the slider system too.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

$168 was what I paid for one from Mercedes for my '72 250 in 1988.
Unfortunately, the price had skyrocketed to around $400 when I last checked a few years ago!

Happy Motoring, Mark

[tc20]

@ Dog - great info, thanks for that.

Hopefully i'll get some time this afternoon to give MarkDiS's suggestions with the coat hanger a try. Failing that, and IF the motor is shot, it leaves me with 2 options - (a) a lot of labour and a lot of expense, or (b) live with it

I'll let you know how it goes

Tony

[meltedpanda]

Ahh so nice to be talking with my buddies again, hello Mark , and Dog, have you made it back to the bluegrass yet?

Tony, there are other options that have not been mentioned. one is actually adapting another auxillary fan in the cowl to push the air over the heater box. There are posts in this forum that describes the technique. Some have used computer fans and the like. I got my fan running by taking the steps Mark mentioned and then used a long plastic tube to draw up some AT fluid and then guided it into the bearing portion of the fan and she was good to go.
IT has been said that the MB engineers started with the fan and built the body around it. Good Luck

[tc20]

Hi guys,
i tried to turn the fan blades as Mark Di suggested, but im not sure if i made good contact with the coathanger (flashlight i used wasn't the brightest). Turned the ignition on, but no joy from the blower.

@ Meltedpanda- thanks for the tip, i might just learn to live without the fan for the time being

I'll try again with a more powerful flashlight and see if i get anywhere.

[300SDog]

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

Ahh so nice to be talking with my buddies again, hello Mark , and Dog, have you made it back to the bluegrass yet?

Tony, there are other options that have not been mentioned. one is actually adapting another auxillary fan in the cowl to push the air over the heater box. There are posts in this forum that describes the technique. Some have used computer fans and the like. I got my fan running by taking the steps Mark mentioned and then used a long plastic tube to draw up some AT fluid and then guided it into the bearing portion of the fan and she was good to go.
IT has been said that the MB engineers started with the fan and built the body around it. Good Luck

Ron, glad to hear from you. Deffinitely gonna be home for Thanksgiving. It's weird out here on Left Coast. Makes me kinda feel outa place like the village idiot. Had figured yer next project would be bathtub pontoon Benz. Sighted one on the highway, doin about 70mph in sandwich lane. Was 190b by my reckoning. Had no emblems or hood star, painted primer flat gray. Most folks probly thought it was an old packard or something. Looked cool as hell!!

TC20 am sure ye know this already, but corner wing windows on yer 114/115 will hep clear fog from windshield no matter how cold'n rainy with snow y'all get at Ireland. Meanwhile replacing the blower fan aint impossible you understand. Beaucoup squirming around under dash thats the worst of it.

[daidnik]

You can remove the center air louvers pretty easily and this will give you a better opening.

To remove, take out the two screws in the upper corners just inside the louver opening.

The blower knob just pulls straight out; it keys into the switch with a blade screwdriver type connection.

There is also a joint to the lever that opens and closes the flap for outside airflow that will have to be disconnected. As I recall, you can unscrew this joint with a screwdriver thru the louver.

It all sounds harder than it is. Once you have that louver assy out, it is easy to see the fan blades. A long stick works well to turn it.

On my W115, there is a separate fuse in its own little box mounted high near the firewall on the passenger side of the car inside the engine compartment. That's the fuse that blew on mine when the fan became stuck from sitting for a long time.

[tc20]

@ DD - thanks again for your help, and yeah i know the trick with the fly-windows. As for snow, pfft, we haven't had a decent fall for 25 years, tho i am living right on the coast ...actually the time of that last great fall we had just moved to a little village (parents and I), i was to start high school later that year, and the villlage was completely cut-off. There was only one shop, and the owner lived about 10miles away, so the army had to drop supplies in by helicopter. Other than that, snow will only last a day or so at most at sea level, it'll stay on the hills longer for sure. In fact the last two weeks we've been hitting highs of 18-20C, bring on global warming i say!

@ daidnik - thanks for your help too, i'll give your suggestion a shot over the next few days.

Thanks again guys, much appreciated

[Messmate]

Hi There Folks, Got mine going "the easy way" after trying to access through the dash air vents. [good practice though] Just take off the wiper blades and the nuts under them, pop off the 5 press studs? from the front of the cowl and remove cowl and the mesh from under it. Reach in with your hand and manually rotate fan, then WD spray followed by a smidgen of oil applied on your fingertip. Don't forger to restore/revitalize the components you took off as you replace them. Check fuses 1st of course, and jiggle appropriate wires. If you live anywhere they salt the roads, buy a Subaru. Good Luck Dave

[ctaylor738]

Second Messmate's suggestion. I've revived a couple of blowers that way. My favorite chemical is several applications of PB Blaster.