How to replace the blower brushes.

[ScottD3]

Simple little how to on replacing the brushes in your heater blower.


Required parts:=-
a set of new brushes.
Heater Blower fan carbon brushes audi a4 80 avant a3 on eBay (end time 05-May-11 21:01:09 BST)

Required Tools:=-
8mm socket
10mm socket
Philips screw driver
Flat blade screw driver
Soldering iron
Solder
Solder sucker

Pilers

Step 1
Locate the glove box.

Step 2
Remove the glove box

Step 3
Remove this air bag bracket to give you room. You can see the holes where it was at the top of the image. 4 10mm bolts

Step 4
​

Remove the 4 screws that holds the fan blower in place

Step 5
Remove the fan blower

Step 6
Remove the fan blower from its plastic housing. There is 3 black rubbery bits that holds the fan in to the larger plastic housing. Use the flat blade to gently push theses and release the fan.

Step 7
Locate the two old brushes. The clip that keeps the spring in looks lie it does in the picture. Just to the left of it is the contact point with solder that you need to unsolder and remove.

Old brush Vs New brush

Step 8
Once the two brushes has been removed and the solder all cleaned up you're left with this

Step 9
Fit the new brushes, solder the cables and clip the springs back in.

Step 10
Put it all back together and enjoy a working fan.
​

 

[rossbrownlee]

Good Effort!
I bought a new fan on fleabay and fitted that.
Wish i'd searched a bit harder for brushes now....

 

[Grover2000]

An absolute superb writeup. I had a case of fan not working, checked fuse #25 30A which was OK. Then I checked the motor supply again this was fine and in conclusion together with this post I ordered the brushes from Egay £7 in order to replace them. They arrived in two days and replaced the brushes and hey presto I have a fully functional fan. Awesome.

Thank you once again for the great post.

Grover

 

[capt.midnite]

hi i have a 1998 audi a4 avant tdi , my problem is the heater fan doesnt work so im trying to remove the fan but it is different than the one in pic can any one tell me how to locate screws, please , ju

 

[ScottD3]

hi i have a 1998 audi a4 avant tdi , my problem is the heater fan doesnt work so im trying to remove the fan but it is different than the one in pic can any one tell me how to locate screws, please , ju

Same year as mine.

Can you get a pic of it please?

 

[capt.midnite]

Same year as mine.

Can you get a pic of it please?

hi scott thank you for your reply i just managed to do it there was 2 screws under the unit, so i streched the springs put it all back and it works , so will now order new brushes , thank you again for your reply wish you all the best , ju

 

[jcb]

think I have a spare on floating around if anyone is stuck (blower that is)

 

[foursprungdugtechnique]

I replaced the brushes on my fan a few years ago, the commutators were a bit worn, and it started to fail again earlier this year. Went to the scrap yard and took a fan from a 1997 A4 and fitted that. £30 and no problems since.
I would suggest checking the commutator (copper contacts on the shaft that the brushes contact) before doing the brushes, if they're dodgy they will eventually wear out.
I got a couple of years out of the £4 brushes tho, so either way it's worth a go.