Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

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Mr._Graybeard
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Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by Mr._Graybeard »

I've been messing with my HVAC system and managed to crack one of the hamster cages on the original blower. It seemed to be drawing a lot of amps, so I need to replace it. But I've been stunned by the price a new unit with fan cages demands. Even the used ones are $100 or more, with no guarantee that they don't have the same problem my original had.

While examining the numbers on the original, I came upon 90.413.01.167 stamped in one of the cages. I ran a Google and found a Mercedes fan for the R107 roadsters. Then I found this on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Blower-Motor-w ... 0167.m2940

I think I'll order one up, see if I can get the seller to agree to take it back if it doesn't fit. But it sure looks right to me.
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anchored
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by anchored »

Let us know. that would be quite the break through.

I had been meaning to grab one off a merc in a parts yard but the last one I saw was burn in the engine bay.
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by GRNSHRK »

Graybeard, don't have a reply for you, but I'm going to move your post to the "Mechanical" forum, hopefully you will get more traction there [-o<
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by LarryM »

It's good to be hopeful but make sure it's not kind of Chinese-made copy. You'll want something that will last; changing these is a lotta work...something you really don't want to do more than once.
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Mr._Graybeard
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by Mr._Graybeard »

I'm assuming it's a Chinese copy, but replacing the heater motor in an E24 is a 30-minute job, so I'm not worried. The big issue is whether the squirrel cages properly fit the ducts. They don't look exactly like the OE cages ...
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by anchored »

Yeah the half pipe covers do not leave much room for error.
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Mr._Graybeard
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by Mr._Graybeard »

anchored wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:33 am Let us know. that would be quite the break through.

I had been meaning to grab one off a merc in a parts yard but the last one I saw was burn in the engine bay.
There is a second number on the cage that I BELIEVE matches up with the early W124 Benz chassis from the 1980s, 91.234.18.01.7. So if you see one of those in a yard you might check it out.
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by Mr._Graybeard »

I have an update.

The blower motor unit w/cages for the Mercedes R107 roadsters is the same unit as the component for the E24 and, I assume, the E12, E28 and E21 which also use BMW part No. 64111354618 to my understanding. The MB unit isn't quite a drop in, as the blower for the Mercedes has the squirrel cages mounted about 1/2 inch inboard of where the cages on the BMW part are located. So you have to adjust the fans outboard on the motor shaft to get the MB unit to fit in the BMW. Since the part I bought is new, that was about 10 minutes' work.

There appear to be two aftermarket blower fans available for the MB: one unit is widely sold on eBay for about $65 and a more expensive part is sold by Uro for about $85. The cheapie has spokes at the midpoint of each fan providing structure for the shaft mount while the Uro has a solid disk like the OE fan. I sprung for the Uro, the first time I have bought a Uro part for its superior quality! I have noticed Uro has been trying to redeem itself after making trash parts for years (a factory rep posted on a Bimmerforums board awhile back and got hooted off the stage). We'll see how the motor holds up in my application.
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by anchored »

Our Hero!

Great news. Can't wait to hear how long it lasts.

I managed to grab a decent blower from the yard so I am set right now but I am definitely saving this for the future.
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by Gabriel »

In case anyone is interested I've found some additional options, at least for those located in Europe - The 90s Ford Escort/Orion/Scorpio has the same blower motor with the same Bosch part nr (I can't confirm whether the cages are the same). Also, the Czech Skoda Felicja uses a motor which fits if the plastic "lip" next to the blower motor mount is filed down. The cages on this one are identical to ours, and the whole assembly costs pennies.
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by TimU »

Thanks for the info and update!

Does anyone know the trick to removing the squirrel cages from the motor shaft?

A genuine Bosch bare motor is about US$100 versus the the identical part with cages attached (#64111354618) is about US$450.
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Ralph in Socal Online
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by Ralph in Socal »

Hot water. Not sure what temp so search here and mye28 for the answer. Good luck

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TimU
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Re: Aftermarket blower motor w/cages?

Post by TimU »

TimU wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 1:42 am Does anyone know the trick to removing the squirrel cages from the motor shaft?
Success!
I just used vice grips to clamp the shaft, then twist and pull (hard!).
There is no mechanical or physical locking method, they are held on by friction only.

As Ralph noted above, dunking the cages in hot water for a few minutes helps expand the plastic, making them easier to remove.

The E28 forum also has a great write-up:
https://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=135997
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