I've got a chance at an 84 300SD with 220K on it for $3000. The owner just spent $800.00 getting the air conditioning up to speed, but the blower motor won't fire up. Supposedly, the mechanic told him $800.00 to fix that.

Anyone replaced a blower motor lately? If so, how difficult is it? I just got the Chilton Manual, and I already have the Haynes Manual, but I haven't even broken the plastic off of them yet, so I'm unsure if they have anything on the subject.

83 300SD 172K "Goldie," getting painted as we speak.

Most likely your blower motor needs a set of new brush. Do a search on this board and you may be happy to find out that you can fix your problem for only about $6.00 for the brush.

Good luck


David

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1985 300D Turbo

Pretty easy.

- remove the passenger side carpet
- remove the passenger kick panel (rearward then inward)
- remove the lower dash panel (3 screws in the carpet under the dash, possibly 1 screw near the kick panel, 1 plastic quarter turn screw in the carpet where the panel meets the tranny hump. The black plastic panel that continues to the firewall comes out with the lower dash panel
- remove 3 or 4 screws and 1 or 2 clips around the lower blower panel
- lower blower panel, watch out for the wires. Might have to unplug the connector just to the left of the blower case
- disconnect 2 wires from the blower motor. No need to mark; one's male, one's female
- remove 3 screws around the blower frame
- lower the blower motor and cage

Don't lose or move the balancing clips on the cage if you intend to reuse the cage.

You can get a replacement motor alone or with a cage.

If you get just the motor, press the cage off the motor, rather, punch the motor shaft off the cage. Be careful getting when getting the cage on the new motor that you support the other end of the shaft and the motor case so you don't damage the bearings.

I remove the glove box so I can properly fit the side vent to the duct.

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

Like those guys said...but check the bearings on the shaft - these wear and can create a noisy motor - catches on the case. I got a good one for £5 from a breakers yard - silent and working. It's a doddle to replace them, if a little back twisting. It's easier if you raise the car and work on your knees from outside.

a doodle?

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)

If I were Flanders (Simpsons) I suppose it would be a diddly - However here in the north of England the word 'doddle' appears to have evolved - the magic of language!

Be sure to mark the plastic blower assembly before you take it out. I am not sure, but at least with the 300D blower it is easy to reinstall that casing with the new electic blower and get the thing turned. Seems the screws will still fit in there with it rotated a third turn. Then the defrost flap will open and jam into the blower fan. I has to go back with the same orientation as it went in with.
Like I said I haven't had the 300SD blower out yet, but have had an adventure with the 300D fan.

Thanks guys. Sounds pretty straightforward and cheap.

Let's see....$3000.00 minus that $800.00 blower repair.....$2200.00.......that might be the number to offer. I fix it for say......ohhhh.....less than $100.00. This might just work.

Now you're thinking like a 240D owner.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Gawlbpd,
Sixto has it right on the money. I just took mine off last week to clean it out. Only additional suggestion would be to have a small mirror handy, because the screws in the back are tucked way up in there. Are you sure it's the blower motor that's bad? I had the same problem last summer, with a $1000 estimate, and I got a second opinion from an MB indy. He said my problem may have had nothing to do with the blower fan, but that it was actually an ignition switch rear assembly problem, something I could fix myself for less than $100. He said lots of unscrupulous mechanics, at both indies and dealerships, will charge $1000 for the new rear ignition assembly, and since the AC then works fine, and the front of the ignition switch remains the same ( the original ignition key works fine) no one is the wiser. I did what he said, because I always start with the least expensive fix first, took out the old assembly, (the original ignition switch was 20 years old), compared the new rear switch assembly to the old one, and immediately saw what the problem was. Just like he had said! One of the pins on the back of the old switch was too worn to make contact. Now, both the AC and the car run fine, and I saved about $900!
Steve Kaa
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1982 300SD 313k miles

I must agree with Steve, had an 82 and an 84SD with fan motor problems, one was intermittent and the other dead. Both turned out to be the ignition switch. Around $30 as I remember. Worth checking for power at the fan before tearing everything apart

Bob H.

When my blower motor stopped it made a sound like a model airplane, intermittently, and then it just stopped. There was quite a vibration comming from the area behind the radio. I have not had the time to go after it yet but need to soon as the summer will be quite warm as usual and air would be nice.

Are there vacuum lines that would make that sound and affect the blower motor? I just assumed I blew the motor.

Joe

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www.jerseyplanning.com
1987 300TD 440K - My car
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 107K - Tim's car
2000 - CLK320 100K - Deb's car
1994 C230 150K - Josh's Car

jfiksntscher

That is the sound of the electrical brushes inside the fan motor going away. You can usually confirm that by pulling away the panels and then whacking the blower motor a little. It will usually begin to blow again, but not for long.
Whacking will shake the brushes along the channels they slide in and they can then make contact with the apeture again and then you get it to function, at least temporarily.
Not sure just why the blower makes that racket when the brushes are bad, but it does.

Anyone have experience with the A/C evaporator? My A/C on my '85 300D has a leak that "can only be at the evaporator" according to my mechanic. He said the repair is a real big $.

Any thoughts?

Alan, if its anything like tearing out a dash on a SD be prepared for your body shouting cuss words that you didn't even know that you knew.

Bob H.