Chimaera fan heater - removal and refit to cure noise
Discussion
You guys weren't kidding when you said the fan heater was a pig to get out of the passenger wing area!
After three evenings lying upside down with various tools and prybars I finally managed to lever it out of the wing. Yes - I should have removed the passenger seat but I knew that it would uncover another host of fibreglass relate bodges from previous owners. One disaster at a time please!
This journey started after I fixed the connections to my fan heater switch. I found that my fan was making a horrible squeak at all speeds. After a couple of months it started to get worse and it finally started to stall. Time to sort it!
I read the various posts about this devil of a job and finally gathered enough courage to get out the drill and tackle it. First of all, I cleared out all the wiring and the fuse box to the far end of the passenger well. Luckily the previous owner had moved the battery to the boot (a bit of a bodge job that needs sorting later) so that space was clear. The heater pipes I just pushed out of the way as needed.
Once the area was as clear, I drilled out the rivets and then cut and removed as much of the original sealant as possible. The front, back and bottom sides were easy to cut through and remove but there was so much sealant at the top and this was where I found it took the most time and patience with. Next I put on a stout pair of gripper gloves and tried to pull the side panel towards the centre of the car. It didn't budge of course. Eventually, I found that I had to really cut and remove as much of that sealant at the top of the panel before it would move. No cutting of the panel is required and it will eventually come out complete. The fibreglass is very, very tough stuff. The final eureka moment came when I used a piece of 20mmx40mm wood across the top of the panel joint to lever it free. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the piece of wood in place but I'm sure you get the impression of what is required when you come to do the job. As other people have mentioned, you can remove and refit the fan with the heater pipes in place. A little maneouvering is required but it is definitely possible.
Apologies for the blurry pictures and the uploader seems to have rotated them!
At last it was free! I re-lubricated the bearings with some thick bicycle chain oil I had and the fan quietened down immediately. No disassembly was required, I just made sure the lube travelled into the end bearings as much as possible. I might have given it the odd spray of WD too.
Anyway, I connected the fan back up and tried it at all speeds over a couple of days unfitted to make sure all was well before the final refit.
Refitting was quite straightforward as compared to removal, just a bit tricky to get around the heater pipes. Once fitted, I used self tappers instead of rivets just in case for next time... and then resealed using white silicone. Not the neatest I know but the original wasn't either.
Final test and still really quiet. Job done! Now to tidy up the cabling, fusebox, ECU...
After three evenings lying upside down with various tools and prybars I finally managed to lever it out of the wing. Yes - I should have removed the passenger seat but I knew that it would uncover another host of fibreglass relate bodges from previous owners. One disaster at a time please!
This journey started after I fixed the connections to my fan heater switch. I found that my fan was making a horrible squeak at all speeds. After a couple of months it started to get worse and it finally started to stall. Time to sort it!
I read the various posts about this devil of a job and finally gathered enough courage to get out the drill and tackle it. First of all, I cleared out all the wiring and the fuse box to the far end of the passenger well. Luckily the previous owner had moved the battery to the boot (a bit of a bodge job that needs sorting later) so that space was clear. The heater pipes I just pushed out of the way as needed.
Once the area was as clear, I drilled out the rivets and then cut and removed as much of the original sealant as possible. The front, back and bottom sides were easy to cut through and remove but there was so much sealant at the top and this was where I found it took the most time and patience with. Next I put on a stout pair of gripper gloves and tried to pull the side panel towards the centre of the car. It didn't budge of course. Eventually, I found that I had to really cut and remove as much of that sealant at the top of the panel before it would move. No cutting of the panel is required and it will eventually come out complete. The fibreglass is very, very tough stuff. The final eureka moment came when I used a piece of 20mmx40mm wood across the top of the panel joint to lever it free. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the piece of wood in place but I'm sure you get the impression of what is required when you come to do the job. As other people have mentioned, you can remove and refit the fan with the heater pipes in place. A little maneouvering is required but it is definitely possible.
Apologies for the blurry pictures and the uploader seems to have rotated them!
At last it was free! I re-lubricated the bearings with some thick bicycle chain oil I had and the fan quietened down immediately. No disassembly was required, I just made sure the lube travelled into the end bearings as much as possible. I might have given it the odd spray of WD too.
Anyway, I connected the fan back up and tried it at all speeds over a couple of days unfitted to make sure all was well before the final refit.
Refitting was quite straightforward as compared to removal, just a bit tricky to get around the heater pipes. Once fitted, I used self tappers instead of rivets just in case for next time... and then resealed using white silicone. Not the neatest I know but the original wasn't either.
Final test and still really quiet. Job done! Now to tidy up the cabling, fusebox, ECU...
I don't think it is possible to get any ducting to that area unless you start hacking away at the fibreglass towards the right hand side of that recess. Here is a pic of the air entry point for the fan heater and the space between the back of the recess and the outer skin was only enough for me to get a thin vacuum cleaner nozzle in to pick up the drilled out rivets and debris.
Sorry I don't any better pictures to demonstrate was space you'd have to work with for your suggestion.
I understand what you mean about the hot air. I always leave the temperature setting on cold and it still clears the condensation in seconds on low.
Sorry I don't any better pictures to demonstrate was space you'd have to work with for your suggestion.
I understand what you mean about the hot air. I always leave the temperature setting on cold and it still clears the condensation in seconds on low.
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