blower wheel shatterd due to vibration 1999 Ford Explorer LTD

[HenryTS77]

SUCCESS! blower wheel shatterd due to vibration 1999 Ford Explorer LTD

This is an update - I figured why start a new thread so I would just update this one. I went out to the truck after my original post and fired up the heat and heard the blower wheel blow apart Now the blower motor does not vibrate so apparently the old wheel was brittle and sustained some damage either upon taking the motor in or out or during the transfer from the old motor to the new one. In any case now I faced with the problem of finding a replacement. I went to the official Ford site - FordParts and they want $43 and I found a site that had the motor and wheel for around $48 but I already have a new motor. I did see a number of blower wheels for 1999 Ford products for $18 but not the Explorer - would one for the Expedition work? Any suggestions on where to look for just the blower wheel would be greatly appreciated- I have checked CarParts,PartsGeeks,################## and RockAuto.



The other problem is that the blower motor will only operate on high which is what it did before the old motor died. Every time I did searches it came up with bad resistor pack but my truck has the automatic climate control so no resistor. I finally came across the possibility of it being either the blower speed controller or the ETAC (sp?) module with the most likely suspect some say the blower speed controller but some say it is in the glove compartment and some in the engine compartment near the blower so which is it and what does it look like? Also since all the other functions of the climate control work - temp control,switching to various modes ( floor,vent,etc) is the most likely suspect the blower speed control module and if so would it be wise to get it from a pick and pull salvage yard as I read they are pricey??

 

[koda2000]

it sure sounds like a motor/fan balance problem. i'd try another motor (maybe the shaft is bent) and closely examine the fan for damage.

as far as only having high speed and wondering if the problem lies with the EATC or fan controller, it could be either, but my money's on the controller. unfortunately both parts are on the expensive side (new controller or used EATC run around the same $70'ish) so it's a crap shoot either way. following the last thread posted on a similar problem. it eventually turned out to be both parts. good luck.

i don't know where the fan controller module is located, but you can see a picture of it on the RockAuto site.

 

[HenryTS77]

Thanks for the reply. As you will note from my update of my original post apparently there was some kind of damage as the wheel has since shattered

 

[koda2000]

try Autozone. i see 3 blower motor wheels listed starting at $11.99 in my area.

 

[HenryTS77]

try Autozone. i see 3 blower motor wheels listed starting at $11.99 in my area.

I looked at all the locals including Autozone/Napa/Advance Auto and while they all carry blower wheels none are compatible with my vehicle and looking at the pictures they don't even look like the one I had in the center mounting area.

I have been looking on E-Bay and Amazon at a TYC 700019 Blower Motor Assembly w/wheel starting at $42l that is listed as compatible with my truck but one online parts site flags it as not fitting my truck while other sites say it fits . I would rather just get the wheel as I have a new motor but if I am going to pay $43 from a dealer for just a wheel I would rather pay $42 for the motor/wheel assembly.

 

[1996BLKBauer]

I went to AZ, Advanced Auto, and finally Napa, and Napa had the closest one. It has been working in mine for over a year now, without problems. I am sorry I don't have the part number. But what I had to do is put 3 washers as spacers for each of the 4 screws on the motor, because the new cage hit the back of the housing. other then that it was perfect. I also sealed it up with some foil tape, meant for dryer hose. works perfect, and blows like no other.

 

[HenryTS77]

I also found that based on the pictures that Napa had one that looked "close" to the original but at $36 I figure for an additional $6 I can get a complete motor/wheel assembly on eBay so I will be going for that option

 

[HenryTS77]

Success!

Finally got the motor/wheel blower assembly in from E-Bay and it even included a gasket for the motor - a nice bonus! I paid around $45 including shipping which was a bargain considering that the Ford Parts site wanted around $43 for the fan wheel alone! I was a bit skeptical as the seller was a Chevy dealer in Georgia but it works great. I know others have posted they could not find the motor with the blower wheel online so I thought I would post this for the archives. Woohooo-It's so nice to have heat/defogger/defroster back in my Explorer