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Need Detailed 'How To' to Clean Blower Motor/Fan

57K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  W. Ian Blanton 
#1 ·
Hi:

I've got an 01 MDX w/83k miles on it! I need HELP!!!

This is the second time I've had to shell out $80 to have the Blower Motor Fan cleaned out by the dealer. OUCH!!! So...

Does anyone have detailed pictures, step by step instructions about how to both remove and clean this and the 'Air Intake at the windshield Cowling' out???


If so, would you kindly post/share them.

Thanks!

Ken
 
#3 ·
My blower motor started squeaking terribly recently. Not the kind of squeak from leaves in there (although there were a couple small ones), but rather the squeak of an axle/spindle that needs lubricating. I was hoping that I could remove the blower fan, disassemble it and lube it. No such luck. As best I can tell, it is a sealed unit, more or less. There is a clip that appears to hold the plastic fan part to the main axle, but I could not figure out a way to remove the fan from the axle. I did take some lube and shoot it into the assembly using one of those little straws that comes on a WD40 can (I used silicone, then motorcycle chain wax as lube, not wd40). This seems to have temporarily stopped the squeaking, but I'm pretty sure it will come back before long.

I read the above-referenced TSB after doing this work last night. You do need to remove the plastic that covers the fuse panel in the passenger wheel well, but you do not need to peel back carpet nor pull up the door sill nor the door opening trim. Just carefully remove the kick panel (I wasn't careful and it didn't break - I got pissed off and yanked it off w/out breaking it). I happened to have a torx screwdriver which made removing two of the screws pretty easy. I needed an 8mm (I think) socket for the third - the one most outboard/near the outside of the car because I couldn't get the screwdriver angled in there. It would have helped if I'd had my full tool kit with very short socket ratchet handle, but alas it was up at our ski house. I managed to get it off though.

The part number for the blower fan assembly is 79310-S84-A01. I searched online and the cheapest Honda-made unit I could find was around $140. I found a knock-off brand called TYC from some place called Logical-Source for about $58 shipped. Here's a link to their current web page with the motor: https://www.logical-source.com/2001-ACURA-MDX-3704.html With any luck, the replacement will last as long as the original (I'm currently at 191K miles). For now, my spray lube job has resolved it and now I will be able to get the old blower motor out of there more quickly the next time. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to swap in the new one in about 15 minutes once it arrives next week. In the meantime my ride to work was blissfully un-squeaky. Even better, our ride to Tahoe will hopefully be reasonably quiet this weekend. Driving home last Monday was painful (or cold).
 
#4 ·
jreidg3 said:
Attached is the service bulletin for cleaning the blower motor. I had to do this on saturday after a leaf got sucked into the blower and made a horrible buzzing sound.

Total time to remove, clean and replace 30 minutes. and thats taking your time.
Awesome! Thanks for this. I just got my 2001 MDX used and was baffled by the noise the AC makes. Mine is just really loud (no squeaking or whatnot, just LOUD). I'll have to see if this fixes it.
 
#5 ·
I have the same "squeaking" issue described above but mine appears to be coming from the rear a/c not the front. It only gets bothersome during braking. I have turned off the rear a/c and it has stopped all together. Is there also a rear blower motor? (I believe there is but couldnt find it using the search function). If so does anyone have a tsb or manual scan showing how to disassemble?

Thanks,

Mark
 
#6 ·
Yes, there is a rear blower motor. It is located in the center console, beneath the gearshift. You pull off the kick panels (the ones that are half plastic / half carpeted) to get to it. Do a search on "grrr" and you'll find a good, long post on problems with the rear a/c. In this post there are photos and step-by-step instructions on how to repair the transistor. But it also has pictures of the rear blower motor and the often dirty screen that covers it.

You can also link to it from the FAQ that Midnight has published and I link to in my sig.

FYI, if you need to remove/replace the rear blower motor, it actually comes out from the passenger side. Getting to it, removing it, and cleaning the screen are all very easy DIY projects.
 
#7 ·
Sinecure said:
Yes, there is a rear blower motor. It is located in the center console, beneath the gearshift. You pull off the kick panels (the ones that are half plastic / half carpeted) to get to it. Do a search on "grrr" and you'll find a good, long post on problems with the rear a/c. In this post there are photos and step-by-step instructions on how to repair the transistor. But it also has pictures of the rear blower motor and the often dirty screen that covers it.

You can also link to it from the FAQ that Midnight has published and I link to in my sig.

FYI, if you need to remove/replace the rear blower motor, it actually comes out from the passenger side. Getting to it, removing it, and cleaning the screen are all very easy DIY projects.
yeah I have been on that transistor thread for a while.. been there done that... didnt remember the blower being detailed though... heard alot of complaints about the front but very few about the rear so thats kind of what I was looking for... have already replaced the transistor and cleaned the screen but didnt see the blower accessible... thought you might have to pull the entire center console to get to it...

Will look at MidNights post and see if thats what I am looking for... thanks for the help....
 
#8 ·
one4gatr said:


yeah I have been on that transistor thread for a while.. been there done that... didnt remember the blower being detailed though... heard alot of complaints about the front but very few about the rear so thats kind of what I was looking for... have already replaced the transistor and cleaned the screen but didnt see the blower accessible... thought you might have to pull the entire center console to get to it...

Will look at MidNights post and see if thats what I am looking for... thanks for the help....
Its pretty easy to replace. Just pop the panel off the passenger side and take some screws out.
 
#9 ·
Just cleaned mine out today. I had one leaf on the inside of the blower. It would make a buzzing noise at fan speed 4. While I was at it, I also changed the cabin air filter. There were a bunch of leaves inside the filter compartment that I vacuumed out.

If you plan to clean out the blower, check the cabin filter. And vice versa.
 
#11 ·
How To Clean Blower Fan

The problem is getting to the rear bolt of the three bolts that hold the blower in place. To reach the rear bolt I had to take the kick panel out and use a 5/16" socket with a swivel. You have to be a contortionist to be able to work in that small space. My squirrel fan was filled completely with insulation; I can only guess a mouse was building a nest in it during the winter. After removing the insulation prior to re-installation I activated the A/C and the blower motor worked fine. To re-install the blower you have to pay attention as it is "keyed" and fits only one way. It took me an hour and a half from start to finish; I could probably do it in less than an hour if the mouse comes back.

VWM from Washington MO
 
#14 ·
I had to take my 03 MDX for airbag recall.
They noted noisy blower motor and recommended cleanup of blower motor $60.

I found this thread PDF was great and hint by vm2574 (about paying attention to keyed screw. the one with plastic covering that faces the drivers side was valuable, other 2 screws have no plastic guide).
I took it out no problem (though rear screw - OR screw facing front of the car) was pain.
Putting it back was harder as I didn't pay attention to vm2574 hint.

Finally i figuered it out and all 3 screws went in.
It really is hard trying to squeeze into small place (it would be lot easier on a garage lift).

My hint: Take out the 2 Phillips screws that hold the cap on blower motor.
That will give you view of rear screw on the blower motor.

Pulling out carpet does help, removing kick panel and fuse panel cover is a must.

I also cleaned the top as instructed in the PDF.
Realized that my wiper does NOT have rubber gaskets listed in PDF so I ordered 2 at local Acura dealer ($1.88 each).

No more blower noise, it runs smooth at all speeds.

Robert
 
#15 ·
Just wanted to thank the folks for posting the guide here - I just finished putting the blower back into my 2005 MDX Touring. The noise that started last night turned out to be a parking lot ticket from 2013.
Once I got that PITA screw in the back(front of car) out, which was slightly corroded just to make it extra fun, it was a breeze.

My hint would be to remove the rear screw first, as part of the difficulty in getting it out was that it had the weight of the motor resting on it.

Regardless, problem fixed, and a big thanks to the folks who posted the solution!
 
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