If a common motor are any of the furnace service guys a customer or friend? They usually have good used spare parts for almost everything. Some just naturally hoard parts. See you already have something in common with them.

Sometimes even calling a service guy cold could get you what you want at a price you like. If the shaft is not latterly sloppy usually blower motors have a lot of time left in them. Time frame is many years usually.

Even out of my own stash of used furnace parts I replaced a motor, repaired a pump that I suspect got water in it by combining two. The pump was jammed and took out the start winding of the motor I think. The pump housing was different but I assumed rightly the internals where the same. The motor to pump coupling was on it's last legs as well.

To top it off one electrode insulator had become conductive probably from the furnace sitting around unused for several years. Contaminated moisture probably started the conductive path. Furnace has been chugging alone fine since the repair last fall.

I am using it as a temporary heat source on a project feeding it from a five gallon jugs. Thirty dollars today fills a jug and it depletes it fairly fast.

Alas we had a connection for .30 a litre or about 1.20 an American gallon diesel fuel. Unfortuantly the supplier of it died in a car crash last year. On a rollover on grass the roof collapsed and damaged his head.

Since I observed many American cars no longer have any strength in the roof structure I will not buy them. This was noticed some years back as I drive past a towing yard place almost daily. Just too many big three car roofs where partially or totally collapsed. General motors labels seemed the worse. Or perhaps it is just because of the big three they have more cars on the road. It was a smaller Pontiac car that got our supplier.

Also a service guy may be able to locate and tell you where a slightly used cheap high efficiency gas furnace may be. With all the housing coming down in Detroit. Detroit should be good for something.

I do not want it to sound like I am being tight. Years ago I just found it is not how many dollars you make instead it is how you spend them that makes the difference. I suspect the economy would suffer a serious setback if everyone did this as well.

The problem with this attitude is it became habitual. As the need decreased and disappeared I am still at it. I fix/repair/replace everything we own pretty well by these methods. I suspect you do much the same. I am also in a casual network where we exchange services and parts with people of similar charactaristics.

With your current pain and concerns I would probably take the fastest and easiest path for this one though. Then when better go find that furnace for 2-300 dollars or less.Two to three years old should be fine.

Since you are yet not feeling that good I an going to throw in a hopefully funny story about how cheap I am as a distraction. While getting my hair cut the barber asked me if I could locate double edged razor blades somewhere cheap as he could not. He said he would give me haircuts in exchange for them.

So we cut a deal. He suggested the almost free haircuts for them. I have to buy the blades. Another substantial supply of gillete double edged blades arrived from India this morning. Both in the deal are happy. Essentially both parties get what they want.

I think he is also reselling them. Whatever my haircuts are about three dollars each now. Meaningless in the grand scheme of life but cumulatively all of the various arrangements probably effectively double my income overall.

I concur with virtually all of that. My exception is with haircuts. My wife has been cutting my hair for 30 yrs. That's a lot of money we have saved. Probably the price of 2 or 3 vehicles we have owned.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13