Better Blower Motor

Ok guys, I did a quick search and came up with nothing.
I am looking for a different blower motor that blows the air a little harder. It is ok for those sitting in the front seat, but I feel like it could blow harder.
I live in AZ and I have never really had a problem with any of my cars blowing cold air, just not blowing hard enough.

I have read online that one guy found a larder blower motor for his 1970 chevelle and had to cut his motor housing in half and add nearly 3 inches of depth to it to accomidate a new blower motor. It was actually a really cool build, but I am new to the Longroof world and know nothing about our vehicles yet.

Any help will be appreciated.

BTW, I wrote a long introduction 3 days ago but it never went through. I will have to try again once I figure out how to post photos.

Are you using a factory blower or a replacement? I've found the originals to be the best for these cars by a long shot, the replacements and even delco brand replacements don't push enough air. They have less fins on them. Anytime I see a B/D body at the yard I yank the blower to see if it's original just to have a spare.

95BRMW
I picked her up on Friday and drove it 95 miles home with no AC in 107 weather, muggy as all get out.
The guy I picked it up from converted it to the new R134a freon and put a brand spanking new compressor on the night before i picked it up. It ran cold and then all of the sudden bam! it stopped blowing cold. His mechanic that he assured me was the best in the world, had put on the compressor and did not adjust the gap correctly, or it even was bad from the get go, who knows.

Soooooo, long story short.....have not looked at the car closely yet, so I have no idea what is in it yet.

On a side note. I had a trusted mechanic take a look at the car for me and he found that the "ticking" noise I had was not an exhuast leak but in fact a cracked fly wheel. Glad it held together going 80 down the highway!

HIs mechanic might not have cleaned the AC system properly, and you got all the gunk in it stuck in your new compressor. I do not think there is a "gap" to be adjusted anywhere in the AC system. The compressor bolts on with no adjustments. If his AC failed, and he just had a compressor installed, that would be the reason it self-destructed.

A cracked flywheel is not a good thing, you are fortunate that it did not let go. They are a PITA to replace even in the best of circumstances.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

I do not think there is a "gap" to be adjusted anywhere in the AC system.

Fred,-

He's probably talking about the clutch gap. It needs to be set wide enough so it doesn't rub when released, yet close enough that the electro-magnet can pull it in against the spring pressure. That is, if the gap is too wide, the compressor can't kick in. It can be measured with feeler gauges, but as a rough guide, a business card folded in half should just slide in when the clutch is released.

If there is power to the compressor cycling switch (ie: low pressure switch on the accumulator) but the compressor fails to engage if those two contacts are momentarily shorted together, there's a good chance the gap is too wide. A classic symptom of slightly excessive gap is when the AC will kick in with the car facing uphill, but not if the car is facing downhill. Tapping on the face of the compressor with the engine running is potentially very dangerous, but another way to tell.

The gap should be properly set at the factory, if the compressor came complete with the clutch. The clutch is a friction fit and the gap is adjusted with a special tool designed to draw or press the clutch on the shaft to adjust the gap. All that said, unless the clutch is a loose fit on the new compressor, the gap should not have changed overnight. Clutch wear will increase the gap, but that sucker is on there tight.

Bobloblaw,-

Start with the basics. Look at the face of the compressor with the engine running. Is the centre turning, or just the outside pulley? If so, the compressor is running, so is the accumulator getting cold? That would indicate the problem is in the temperature control part of the system.

If not, the compressor is not running and the problem is in the refrigeration part of the system. Hook up an AC gauge manifold and check to see that you have at least 40 psi of pressure in the system (a LOT more @ 107°F!). If so, short the switch on the accumulator to see if the compressor kicks in. Hook up a scan tool and make sure the high pressure limit switch has not activated, and that the system is calling for AC.

I am just as suspicious as Fred of an unknown "mechanic"'s abilities. He may be a conscientious, knowledgeable professional with the proper equipment to do the job right. Or not. It is not enough to change the compressor and check the gap. Sufficient oil must be installed (and must be compatible with the new R134a in a retrofit) A new compressor must be turned over at least 10 turns by hand before starting the engine. The accumulator and orifice tube must be changed. The system must be flushed or an inline suction filter installed. The condenser is a parallel flow design and cannot be reliably flushed -- if a suction filter is not installed, the condenser must be replaced. If flushed, a pressurized canned flush is not adequate, special equipment is required to do it right, each component must be flushed separately and all flush must be completely removed from the system. The system must be evacuated and hold a vacuum for at least 1/2 an hour. In the case of a retrofit, the compressor cycling switch must be changed or adjusted to suit the new refrigerant. These are all warranty requirements of the compressor manufacturers, but this level of service is not cheap. How much is the vendor likely to spend on fixing the AC of an old used car that is leaving tomorrow?

Some signs you can use to evaluate the work that was done. Look at the accumulator, does it appear new? Is there a sticker (usually on the accumulator) indicating the system has been retrofitted to R-134a, the amount of refrigerant and the amount and type of lubricant, as required by law? Is there a sticker indicating a suction line filter has been installed, or alternatively, does the condenser look new? These would all be signs (but not proof) that the job was done right. The absence of any are proof that the job was, ummm, hasty.

As far as I know,all GM vehicles were built with the R134 systems by late 1993.Never heard of a 1995 still running a R12 system.

Flasheroo wrote:

As far as I know,all GM vehicles were built with the R134 systems by late 1993.Never heard of a 1995 still running a R12 system.

Both of the 93's we had were R-12. I think 94 was the first model year with 134.

I just had to adjust the clutch gap on my '96. Common issue when they get older. I was having to tap the compressor clutch to get the a/c to work, and when it cycled off it would not come back on without another tap.

Made the gap a bit smaller when I did the electric engine fan conversion, and the a/c's worked since!

-Mike

Flasheroo wrote:

As far as I know,all GM vehicles were built with the R134 systems by late 1993.Never heard of a 1995 still running a R12 system.

According to his post in the "got another OCC" thread, Bobloblaw just bought a 92 Caprice.

However, this raises a good point: anytime someone asks for help or advice, they should mention the year and model (unless it's in your signature) because there can be important differences. [Hint, hint]

Cadet57 wrote:

Both of the 93's we had were R-12. I think 94 was the first model year with 134.

you are correct sir!

My apologies sirs....have not checked mail in a while.

I did not mention the year, thought I had. It is a 92 Caprice Wagon 5.0.

My mechanic did an excellent job fixing the "shady mechanics" faults. We scrapped the AC compressor altogether. It was only 5 days in on a 2 year warranty! Most likely the lines were not cleaned while switching over to the new R134a.

I have not really driven the thing much since I have purchased it, and am still trying to figure out what other little things may need my attention. I am a father of 4 soon to be 5, and work a very strange schedule.....so my time is really limited to 1 day a week. I will get to it eventually.

I will try to keep up on my posts, and watch my email a little more closely from now on. I have been members of other forums and know how valuable they can become. I am sure I will be on here searching for more info.....and parts.

Thanks again for all the help.

An update on the blower motor and my search for a better model.

Well it turns out that i might have something loose in the back of the controls somewhere. My dad was with me and he moved the selection nob to "MAX" and it blew twice as hard as it did before. Over the weekend I tried to move the selector arm again and it was jammed. A little persuasion and I was set again.

I dont know what exactly happened, but I am afraid to touch the dang thing now. I am going to leave it alone until I replace the stereo several months from now. Want to take the dash apart as little as possible.

"Max" sets the air intake to recirculate instead of drawing in outside air. The sound tends to change. Is it possible that this is what you perceive as blowing harder? If not, perhaps it is an indication that your Vent intake (passenger side, under the wiper arm) is partly plugged, restricting the air intake.