Harleyguy

So I ran to WallyWorld yesterday to get a few things. It was around 9am but it was already 90 degrees out. Everything was fine. A/C was putting out nice cool air at the appropriate volume. When I turned the car off the blower motor didn't sound right. ( I have the solar sunroof that powers the blower while the car is parked). Was in the store about 40 minutes. When I got back in the car and started it, no blower motor! Nada, zip, nothing! I tried adjusting all the different settings and got absolutely no results. All the research I have seen says that if the blower motor quits completely, all at once as opposed to gradually, it's the motor. It is easily accessible so today I pulled the motor out and tried a trick I read here on the forum. I used compressed air to blow out the armature and the area around the brushes on the motor. The result was an huge black dust cloud. The brushes were really worn down and not much left. Commutator ring didn't look too bad but without running a continuity check, who knows? Anyway, I worked the air around till no more dust was coming out. I put it all back together and when I started the car to pull it outside the a/c took off immediatly and working like it's supposed to. I should mention that I ordered a replacement yesterday, figuring that since it is so hot this time of year I didn't want to waste time getting a new one since it will take a couple of days to ship. When it gets here in a couple of days, I will swap out the old one and it should last several years. I'll try to post some pictures on here when I do the swap.

johnkk

Nice fix. I still have original fan at 260k on my 01. I've pulled it apart and lubed it a couple of times when it starts squeaking at low speed. Last time the brushes were worn, so expecting to put in a new one in the near future.

Harleyguy

One thing I've found is that prices are all over the map. Don't know what Audi wants but after market genuine Audi/VW is around $250. Cheapest I've seen was around $90. Wouldn't call it a fix. More like temporary to get buy till the new one gets here Monday. It's a fairly easy job, maybe 30 minutes, since I still have the glove box out.

Harleyguy

Tools: #20 and #25 Torx, 8mm socket, the rest are common.


Upper glove box screws




Under dash screws




Enough slack in footwell light lead to allow it to reach the floor



Large wire bundle is zip tied to either side of the blower motor. Snip them and remove. There are three screws that hold the assembly in. #3 is under the wires . With all three screws removed there should be enough slack in the wires to allow the blower to slide right out



New motor complete with balanced fan cage installed. Install reverse of removal. Test it before reinstalling the glove box!!!!!!

HamrenDan

I would also say that the wiring loom on my a6 going into the rectifier was burnt. I did a crappy job of connecting the wires which would have fixed it. After a while I remembered to look at the rectifier again which lead me to try and re connect the wire which made my blower work again.

meternerd

That's all I paid for a replacement blower assembly from Auto Parts Warehouse last week. On sale...reg $139.00. Took just a few days for delivery. I disassembled my original and lubed it because of the squeak, but now have a spare, so no worries. Original had brush dust everywhere inside, so won't last too much longer. Takes about 15 minutes to change it. No need to disconnect anything but the motor itself. Just let the glove box lay on the floor. 2 screws beneath glove box and three in top of open glove box. Then the motor mounting screws as shown in the above pics. If you want to lube the old motor, just search You Tube for Audi a6 blower motor repair. After you get the motor apart, soak each bearing housing with oil for a few minutes to re-saturate the felt rings. Should last until the brushes wear completely out. My car has 169K miles and old motor was still usable.

REPA191503 $ 57.47