Sub zero temperatures compelled me to finish the jerry-rigging of a fan for the Jaguar. The one in the picture is a compilation of the old driver’s side blower housing, a donated General Motors blower motor, and a NAPA rheostat. Here’s what I did to make it work.
- 1. Remove the old Jaguar blower motor.
- Cut a larger hole in the blower housing to fit the GM blower’s squirrel cage (fan).
- Drill holes in plastic housing to attach the new blower motor.
- Attach bolts and nuts only to the plastic housing — thus creating studs on which the new blower motor will mount.
- Add several washers on top of studs to raise new blower motor enough to draw air in.
- Mount blower motor and secure with washers and nuts.
- Attach rheostat firmly to one of studs
- Wire assembly to battery via long wires routed through door frame.
The rheostat has an off switch which enables me to have the fan wired to the battery without draining it. I am hoping that this contraption will enable me to blow the warm air from the portable propane heater toward the windshield. While this may seem like a redneck idea for fixing a broken fan blower, this project has given me the confidence to rebuild the two blower motor assemblies at a fraction of the cost. By simply replacing the non-working blower motor with a cheaper GM unit, I could be in business for less than $100 for both sides.
P.S. Note that there is much more to rebuilding the blower assembly in a Jaguar as there are sensors, wiring, and modules that may need to be fixed.
If you could make it a “drop-in” without any cutting required. Then you could sell these to other Jag owners. It sounds like “Andy Enterprises” has just been born…
Cheers!
I imagine that the market size for 1990 Jaguar blower fans is pretty small. But seeing that rebuilt units cost $550, it makes sense to try.
Redneck or Resourceful? Heater workaround you might like:
http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/09/10363589-zany-swiss-man-installs-wood-burning-stove-in-car
(also on youtube and others)