Blower motor squeek / chirp on low *FIX*

Yes sir original right off the line. Didn't start acting up until early '11
Took apart everything but probably should have lubbed up the rubbers like you did above.
Looks like the new one is 1 piece for the top part... I used a whole can of electronics cleaner and regular valve line grease + PBS lubricant can to lube up the rods.
Ac starts in oneshot now and does not make that much noise.... Yet...

 

Waited since mid-January for the parts to come in and finally had the TSB completed. The chirp is gone and I can rest easy again.

Though it sounds like this problem will occur again.

 

If it any comfort, Toyota isn't the only make with this problem. I've been driving a 2011 Ford Fusion rental car in Maui he past week, damn car blower motor makes the same chirping noise on low speed.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lHmy2QKN2A?hl=en
very annoying...

 

My Fan was doing fine for four days and today I tried to turn on the AC and the fan wouldn't go on...Had to manually kick start it...(open glove box, open filter door, reach blades & spin wheel ) this is really pissing me off man.

 

oh man, this sucks! I HATE the freaking chirping. IT IS DRIVING ME INSANE! I went through this entire thread hoping that there was some permanent fix!

 

I cleaned the post of mine where it seats into the housing with a dry rag then added a light coat of white lithium grease. No issues sense!

 

Will the aftermarket blower fit 2010 models?

 

Did my replaced motor today. Here's a few of observations on my fix. I noticed that there was quite a bit of dirty lubricant on the inside of the housing next to the bearing. It's like it spun off of the motor shaft. I hosed it down good with electronic cleaner until it look shiny. I then took a cotton swab and soaked it with electronic cleaner. I rubbed it around the bearings and was amazed on the amount of dirty lubricant that still came off. I kept repeating the swab process until it came out spotless.

I next got a magnifying glass and with stong light on the other end I notices that the brass bearing had small porous spots on the surface. I have read about plain bearings which this is and many times the outside bearing surface is porous to hold the lubricant. This got me thinking that I would use white lithium grease instead of the dark synthetic grease. White lithium has properties that penetrate into the porous metal. It's also good for fast turning applications. I decided to use that.

I also lightly polished the armature and brushes with 0000 steel wool and hosed the off with compressed air. I used air to make sure everything was bone dry behind the spring loaded compressing washers next the the brass bearings. I put the white lithium grease on both the shaft and inside of the bearing and spread it around evenly with a clean swab. I put an extra amount on the inside face of the bearing so that as it heats and cools it might draw grease into the brass pores. I put everything back together and tested the motor before attaching the squirrel cage fan. No squeak or chirp right now but time will tell.

I figure that if the white lithium grease doesn't work then I'll do the whole thing over again with something else. Maybe we should list the type of lubricant used in this process so we can all get an idea of what's the most successful.

Thanks ballon78 for doing this and showing that the motor can be taken apart and put back together without any trouble. It really was a "piece of cake".

 

Well here it is 5 days later and the chirp is back. I torn it apart again and I'm convinced that the chirp has nothing to do with lubricant on the motor bushings. There was plenty of grease on the bearings. This time I put just a touch of dielectric grease on the SIDES of the brushes thinking that if the communicator is slightly out of round the brushes move back and forth.

Without the squirrel cage installed I plugged it back in. People that have played with the 2 screws on the rear housing are correct. It does affect motor speed. I messed with them until the pitch of the motor was at it's highest which means that it was running faster and less resistance in the bearings.

I put everything back together and the chirp is gone again. I don't know for how long though. Total time on this latest fix was 20 minutes.

 

You mean the TYC blower available on Amazon? Yes it fits 2010 models.

 

Alright I've had it and figured that I would either fix the problem or ruin the blower motor trying.

I have been doing a ton of reading about electric motors. I am now convinced that it's not the bearings, adjustment screws, lubrication of springs or brushes. I think its the commutator. Cheap motors have lousing connections and very high end motors have excellent and precise commutators and brushes. If I look at my motor, the commutator is scratched and pitted. This is a sign of poor contact and could very easily create vibrations (squeaks). High end motors used in plant operations get their commutators turned and polished as part of motor maintenance.

I'm convinced that EVERY fix that everyone has tried moves the brushes in a different position and therefore stops the squeaking either permanently or temporarily. Taking the motor apart and back together does this. Adjusting the 2 screws on the housing distorts the brush/commutator position ever so slightly on a microscopic scale. Even heat or cold moves the position and size of the commutator. IMO, that's why the TSB states that the motor squeak at low ambient temperatures. When the metal contracts due to cool temps the brushes move ever so slightly into a position that causes reduced or distorted contact and therefore a vibration (squeak/chirp). Am I over-thinking this? Maybe.

I have been polishing my limestone counter top in my bathroom with some 1000 grit sand paper. It polishes very well. I read that professionals are tuning up large electric motor commutators with 600 grit. I decided to polish the commutator and brushes of the blower motor with even finer 1000 grit and see if that helps with the squeak.

It's either ruin it or fix it. I'm sick of the squeak. If you decide to try this radical new approach remember that you are on your own and I'm not responsible for your screw-ups. Here's what I did:

1) Took the motor apart for the 4th time.

2) Wrapped the long end of the motor shaft in electrical tape to avoid damage.

3) Bored a hole in a wooden board and filled it full of lubricant.



4) Put the motor shaft in my cordless drill chuck.



5) Folded a small piece of 1000 grip sand paper into a 1/2 inch strip.

6) Put the other end of the motor shaft in the lubricated hole and spun the motor with the drill. I only went about 2 rotations per second. Nothing fast. I then placed the sand paper on the commutator and held it there until you could see some copper colored material start coming off on the sand paper. I polished the commutator very well and got rid of any scratches. (Sorry I got the wrong angle in the sun). Notice how shiny the commutator is now.





7) It's important to make sure the soft carbon brushes have the same contour as the commutator. I measured the commutator and found a that a sprinkler pipe connector was pretty close. I wrapped the connector with 1000 grit sand paper and put it between the brush holder. I moved it back forth about 10 times. The brushes are very soft so I didn't go wild.







8) I hosed every bit of grease from the brushes, bearings, springs, rubber holders, etc. with electronic cleaner and compressed air and used white lithium grease to lubricate bushings only. I made extra sure there was no particles between each of the copper cells on the commutator.

9) I put the whole thing back together and was a little surprised I didn't ruin anything.

There is no squeak and I even think it runs quieter than before.

I don't know if this will last but it's been 2 days. Next approach is taking it back to the dealer for another replacement or buying the Amazon one. We'll see.

UPDATE 6/24/11: One week later and it's still quiet. That better's than any other attempted fix so far. Keeping my fingers crossed.

UPDATE 7/4/11: A new and different sound more like a scratching happens for the first few minutes and then goes away. I took it apart and noticed that the white lithium grease had all but disappeared somewhere (???). I cleaned just the bearings again and now I'm trying Mobil 1 synthetic grease. Quiet again. I'm just going to do one thing at a time from now on.

UPDATE 7/18: All is still quiet still (knock on wood). I would even say it's more quiet than just after doing the commutator job. Maybe the brushes are wearing into their new "shape".

UPDATE 8/17: Okay, I give up. The chirp is back. I apologize if I steered anyone in the wrong direction. I am going on a trip from Utah to California this weekend and decided to tear it apart and grease it up again. That fixed it for awhile. I hope that last until I get home and then I'm going back to the dealer to ask for another one. I was thinking that maybe I should drill 2 holes opposite from each other to balance the fan out. I could then add a drop of oil on both the top and bottom bearing every few months. I'm getting a new one first though.

Good luck everyone. I hope you have better luck than I.

UPDATE 10/9/11: After taking it apart and loading it heavy with Mobil 1 grease back on 8/17 it hasn't made a peep. I've gone on a couple of long air conditioned trips driving a constant 13 hours and it's still quiet. This time I remembered not cranking down the 2 screws on the metal housing very tight. Just slightly snug and then a drop of locktite. Maybe the commutator is finally seating into the brushes. I also ran a nylon (not brass) gun barrel brush in the bearings. Now that I finally mentioned it I'm sure it will start to squeak again. ;-)

UPDATE 12/9/11: It's been 4 months and after the lube job in August it is still quiet. The temp outside is getting near single digits and it's still not making a sound. Maybe I just put it back in the right position. If it goes tilt I hope it does this month because I'm up to 33,000 miles and coming up on the warranty expiration.

UPDATE 8/20/12: Well it's been quite a while and my last attempt has held up. I've had no chirping. My current mileage is 43,000. It's been a hot summer and the A/C is one every time I'm in the truck. I just got back from a 7 hour trip to Lake Powell in 100+ degree heat. The A/C was on low with zero chirping. I hope this helps.

 

Ken,

Excellent research, analysis and descriptions. Hopefully you will not need to go the Amazon route. JohnB

 

Great write up. Sounds like you spent $1000 worth of research and labor on a $10 motor. Too bad Toyota isn't as diligent as U R.

 

Mine started at 12K, removed fan and added 3 in 1 oil to bottom bearing. Spun plastic fan to get oil into bushing and reinstalled. 10K later and still no chirp

 

Thanks for the photos and writeup knayrb. I had the exact same experience as you, reference post #440 back a page or two.
I greased the bushings very well but the squeaking started again in a few days.

In my case, while experimenting, I happened to put pressure on the 2 rubber plugs that locate the brush holder assembly in the housing while the motor was running and found the noise went away, meaning there was a high frequency vibration being transmitted/amplified by the brush holder assembly. This was the real "a-ha" moment for me, and after I greased the springs/clips behind the brushes I have had no more issues so far.

Based on this, like you observed, I am also thinking that the root cause of the motor high frequency chirping/squeaking may have to do with vibrations from the brushes/commutator interface, not dry bushings. As you stated, any disassembly of the motor to grease the bushings will cause a very slightly different interface between the brushes and the commutator, as was also noted by those who had found varying the torque on the 3 screws on the motor end cap also caused the chirp to change or dissappear (temporarily?) as the brush alignment to the commutator changes ever so slightly.

Re-facing the commutator with fine grit sandpaper should make things close to as good as they were new, but adding a dab of grease to the brush springs/clips to dampen vibrations and prevent amplification of the sound also seems to be working for now for me. Best fix would be to true the commutator on a lathe, like I do with my RC car motors, but I don't have a motor lathe that big.

 

Dndj,

I did read your thread above and actually did the lubrication of the springs and sides of the brushes but the noise came back after just a few days. Thanks for the suggestion. When I did the commutator polishing I cleaned off every trace of grease from everything and debated adding a little grease to the springs like you did. The reason I didn't do it is because I am kind of "taking one for the team" and trying to really isolate the real cause of the squeak to help others. If I did many modifications/fixes I would not know which one had the most affect.

Some motors "misbehave" more than others. I seem to have a real strong lemon right now. Others seem to just oil it, take it apart, or turn a screw or 2 and never have another issue. I'm not so lucky. If I do manage to fix it permanently then hopefully my fix will help other people with less possessed motors.

If mine fails again I might use a half pound of Tannerite. That will fix it for sure.

 

The dealer took it in for 2 nights, (got a free rental) They replaced the installation kit and the blower motor. It is quiet now. Keeping my fingers crossed. The big reason why they did what they did is because they had another customer with the same problem and it was my 6th time complaining about it. Maybe TW members should get together and hit one dealership in their area. It can't hurt.

 

can this "chirp" happen while the blower motor is off?

 

I highly doubt it. It's a cyclical sound that increases in frequency as the motor speed increases. I think you have squirrels or mice.