1977 Town Car Blower Motor Replacement

[traxxasislife]

Hi all,

In the never ending quest to get my ATC system working on my 77 Town Car, I've got a new issue. My blower motor is dying a loud and annoying death. Blower motors seem pretty cheap $40-50 on Rock Auto. However it seems replacing it is the hard part. According to the service manual:

I have to cut a (rather large) access hole in the inner fender well. Does anyone have any experience with replacing the blower motor? Possibly a different way or doing it? Thanks

[TonyC]

Yeesh...! Why couldn't they have made a removable panel in the apron well for that job?!

I'm not sure whether the apron can be fully removed and reinstalled without taking half the front end apart. That would be my suggestion if it were practical.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

I think it’s plastic. But there should be a diagrams outlining where to cut.

Now, if a replacement panel was available, good luck finding one, so how do you cover the hole?

[traxxasislife]

I do have access to 2 parts cars if I need to cut a patch panel or take the entire fender well from one. They really buried the blower motor deep in the fender. There are no diagrams in the service manual of where to cut that I'm aware of. I'll probably cut a big @$$ hole in the fender well (to avoid multiple cuts) and put it back with some self tappers and epoxy. Likely won't be pretty.

[traxxasislife]

Wow. I am blind. I was looking in the wrong section. This is the correct procedure:

[Lee]

Are you sure that instruction is for Lincoln? I don’t have a 77 manual set, but I do have 78, and what I read seems to imply that cutting the fender is a Ford and Mercury only thing. In any event, I’m I attaching all the pages and diagrams, in case you do find you need to cut. I wouldn’t think there would be such a significant change in 78, but I’ve been wrong before.

[Lee]

Jinx!

[1Bad55Chevy]

I am not very smart here.... why can't you unbolt the back part of the fender then unbolt the inner fender and drop it down on top of the tire. I would never cut a inner fender just to install a blower motor.

[Dan Szwarc]

I see the cover was a service part.

[TonyC]

Who'd-a thunk accessing the blower would be easier on cars 10 years older?? Getting to the blower on Frankenstein isn't the quickest of tasks, but it is much easier than that.

But, I would rather go through the headache of removing that gi-normous hood than cut into anything.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

I am not very smart here.... why can't you unbolt the back part of the fender then unbolt the inner fender and drop it down on top of the tire. I would never cut a inner fender just to install a blower motor.

One, everything is rusted together. Even when the cars were a few years old.

Two, the splash shield is one giant stamped piece around the whole inner fender. There’s nowhere for it to go, but someone can certainly gets.

Three, if there was a better way, they might have figured it out over the 9 years of this design and they never updated the manual.

Under normal usage, these blower motors are very reliable. They seldom failed in the first 5-10 years of use. The cars rusted and died before the motors did.

Today, it’s a pain.

[papawayne]

I like badchevy's idea. Whodathunk this would be such a difficult project? On my 63, I think everything is right there on the passenger side. I have heard though, that if you have a late model 80's or 90's or maybe even a 20's, Taurus, that the heater core is a car killer. It will cost more than the car is worth. I think the dash has to come out. Wayne

[Lee]

It could be worse. You could own a Cadillac.

[frasern]

Moot point, as the OP has already moved on, but I have serviced vehicles the way 55 stated, unbolting and prying the plastic liner out of the way. It works better for newer things, with flimsy liners. I once had to pull the whole fender and steel inner on a '63 Chevy, to get at the heater core.

[1Bad55Chevy]

It could be worse. You could own a Cadillac.

Worst I have done is a 2012 Camaro.... you are supposed to remove the windshield to access the bolts holding in the dash cage. I screw them out until they hit the windshield then cut them off with a cutoff wheel. For the life of me I can't figure out why they didn't use a shorter bolt!