HEATER MOTOR STRIPDOWN / RENEWAL

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The heater motor on my 1997 Mk2 Robin had a terminal seizure .

I have never had a motor seize in all the 40 odd years I have had Reliants so the following was a learning curve for me as well .

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The following is a quick rundown of how I swapped the heater motor from an

old style heater system onto my 1997 new style heater system .

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HOW TO CHECK FOR POWER TO MOTOR

To check the motor before you remove the box you have to check that you are getting power down to the motor .

Trace the 3 wires from the heater box and disconnect at the bullet terminals .

Get a circuit tester or make a bulb tester as per the following link ;

https://sites.google.com/site/fifersrelianthintsandtips/ignition-timing-lamp-inspection-lamp

Test your circuit tester or bulb tester before you start by connecting one end to the battery positive { + }and the other end to the Battery negative { - }

Using your circuit tester or bulb tester with 2 wires ;

Connect one end to the battery positive ;

Connect the other end to the black earth wire .

The bulb should light if the earth wire is OK .

Next step

Connect one end to the battery negative ;

Connect the other end to any 1 of the other 2 wires

Switch the heater switch on to the first position and see if the bulb lights ; If not then switch it to the second position .

If it lights then power IS getting down to the motor

REPEAT on the other wire .

If Neither of them light then check that power is getting to the heater switch using the bulb method

If power is getting down to the motor then you will need to remove the heater cover to check the motor .

REMOVAL

After checking that power was getting down to the heater unit { Which it was } my first job was to separate the 2 live wires and the single earth wire from the heater unit and remove the 4 screws holding the heater assembly to the body as per

and

Next job was to drill out the 3 rivets holding the motor in place .

{ Unfortunately the pics I took of the original heater assembly on mine did not turn out so the pic is from an earlier square type heater assembly but the principle is still the same at this point }

At this point I observed that the motor in my newer square type heater assembly was mounted upside down with the fan ON TOP but the earlier heater assemblies had the motor with the fan rotating below the motor as per the following pics

and

Next job was to split the motor { again a job I have not needed to do , so again a first for me }

I started by removing the 2 nuts with an 8mm spanner

then I had to separate the top case from the bottom case on the motor which I did by gripping the top and bottom and gently wiggling apart . { I had to use a tiny screwdriver to open a gap first and start it off }

Just before you split it fully , turn the unit upside down and then you can remove the top part

When they are apart they look like this

This is how the top part looks if it comes out in one piece ; Notice the 2 spring loaded carbon brushes in the middle

Make sure the shims on top of the motor are not lost { Please excuse the poor quality photo }

When it is split you will be able to remove the triangular HEATER MOTOR MOUNTING BRACKET .

The following pic is from a 1997 ROBIN HEATER MOTOR MOUNTING BRACKET showing the 2 speed setup from a 1997 ROBIN .

Luckily I had a few good working motors from earlier rectangular style heaters with the motor on top so I robbed one .

ASSEMBLY OF THE DONOR MOTOR .

Fit the bottom part of the motor into the triangular plate . Note the slot in the motor housing and the peg on the plate .

Next fit the brush assembly. This entails pulling the Spring loaded carbon brushes apart to fit over motor .

Showing Carbon Brush assembly Fitted { Again , Please excuse the poor quality photo }

Fit the springs next

At this point I realized that I would have to fit a washer the same thickness as the mounting plate to take up clearance on the top of the motor .

I fitted the washer first and then the small shim{s}on top

Refit the top half

I then refitted the motor in position using stainless steel bolts , nuts & washers instead of rivets

WORKS PERFECTLY

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Disclaimer:/ SMALL PRINT !!!!!

I take no responsibility for loss , damage or injury of any kind caused by

use of tips or advice from this web site or any other sites from

the links I have given !!! Such details and links are put there to provide

a possible guide or solution to a problem but it is the responsibility of

the user to ensure that any details and links given are safe and practical .

Do not try and copy anything you see on the links if you do not feel competent

enough to decide if the advice given is good , bad or otherwise

then please seek expert opinion.

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