MR2 2002 Blower Motor Vibration

MR2 2002 Blower Motor Vibration
The blower motor on our 2002 Toyota MR2 is vibrating a lot when it is at the maximum speed.

I was told by a repair shop today that the sound it makes is like something got sucked in there, but they don't think that is the case. They think instead that the motor bearings are probably going bad.

They wanted to replace the blower motor for about $150. I declined it for now.

I am wondering what the source of the problem is.
Could a 3 year car have this problem?
In case it is the blower motor, is it simple to replace it (I have fair amount of repair experience on personal cars)?

Your comments will be appreciated.

Myhobby

  myhobby

i would open it up and see if anything is there.. but i think its could be the balance weights fell of the squirrel cage. u should be able to buy a new cage if that is the problem.

  thongsai

Thanks. I will try to get to it tomorrow.

By the way, I could not find the area where air gets sucked in for recirculation. May be the air intake is blocked too.

  myhobby

Dear Tongsai,
Thanks again for leading me to the right direction. Today, I removed the glove compartment and was able to reach the entrance to the blower. With some difficulty I was able to pu my hand through the air intake and reached inside of the squirrel cage. I found there 8-10 acorns and removed them. Now there is no vibration. I found this a rewarding experience. Thanks again.

  myhobby

how did it even get in there lol... u might want to check the main intake screen for ur air system.. the little screen under the winshield wipers.

  thongsai

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  myhobby

Thongsai,
Thanks again for the reply. I inspected the front area today. I found what I call "acorn tips" (the shell on top of an acorn) at each corner (right and left of the car under the wipers) where there is a 1/2" or 1/3'' rise in the covering plastic material in an area 1" wide. It seems like it is build deliberately like that.( I don't see why.)

Acorns must have got in through there (acorn tips - shells- were there).
Main inlet in the middle and two air inlet areas on each side of it are all in good shape, that is none of them will let any acorn get in.

For now I have put in some electrical tape to cover the entrance. May be I should fill it with a sealent but there is no water seeping in or anything. I'll probably let it go like that.

  myhobby

no do not block it.. that is the airflow for the "fresh" air setting.. u will get little or no airflow if the inlets are blocked up.. still by design water and little debris should go in and fall straight down.. but u had bad luck and the motor sucked it up.

  thongsai

I believe I could not describe the openings well to you. I frankly don't see how they could be air inlets. That is, there are already those three other inlets that I described before: The one in the middle, of size about 2"x8", with a mesh (filter?) infront of it, and the other two, grill like looking , one on each side, and each of size 2"x4. I wish I could attach a picture.

  myhobby