Replacing Heater Fan

Fellow Toro Nuts
I finally replaced the heater fan motor on my 66 Toro (No air conditioning). Okay, so this is probably nowhere as difficult as replacing CV joints, but it was somewhat frustrating, so I thought I share the to do list I learned:

The heater fan motor is under the right front fender and is held on to the heater assembly with five bolts. Two of the bolts you can see -- the other three must be removed by "feel." And you must remove all of them with your left hand. Here's my to do list:

1. Disarm the battery. While trying to remove the heater fan motor, you don't want to accidently have a tool short out the positive wire that goes to the relay on the right front fender.

2. Disconnect the rubber hose going from the heater fan motor to the heater assembly. This rubber hose helps blow air into the motor to keep it cool. However, the new heater motor I got does not have a rubber hose.

3. Disconnect the heater fan motor from the wiring loom. There is a special connection that will only go on way.

4. Remove the five bolts with a 1/4" socket from your 1/4" socket set. Remove the difficult ones first. Then when the heater motor is loose, its not that big a deal if the easy ones bind a little bit when you remove them.

5. Pull out the heater motor assembly. You will have to remove the squirrel cage fan to provide sufficient clearance for removing the heater motor. Use a 5/16" socket from your 1/4" socket set. Once you remove the 5/16" nut, the fan will come right off. Hold on to the heater motor so that it doesn't fall way down by the frame of the car.

The worse part was trying to remove the 3 of the 5 1/4" bolts that one cannot see. A real nuisance. But now with the frustration gone, and less than $25, the heater works with no squeals. I hope the rebuilt one will last for another 30 years!

NOTE: MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE AIR-CONDITIONING, SO IT MAY BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT OR MORE COMPLICATED FOR CARS WITH AIR-CONDITIONING.
Submitted by: Paul Bartlett

12/29/96