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Dash air fan motor replacement
My dash air was starting to squeal and make a thumping sound after a about a half hour of use.
The problem is the fan is mounted down in the front of the coach and to reach it I had to remove the air conditioning decorative panel that is between the upper dash panel and the step well decorative panel. This gives you an access of 8 inches approximately wide by 5 inches to access the fan 12 inches below the opening. There are numerous AC hoses in addition to heater hose and also the aqua hot hoses for the furnace use for front coach.
This was a real difficult challenge as several hose clamp had a screw that extended about two inches toward the front where the the fan need to go into the fan housing. Finally managed to get enough pressure to push it back to allow fan to go back into housing.
I hope the noise is contained to this motor which was impossible to turn by hand and on dissembling was completely rusted and filled with corrosive material
There is another fan motor on the left side which i have no idea how to access as it is below and behind the floor and trying to find an access so I can replace the motor as I am this deep into the process.
Any suggestions are welcome
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6 Replies
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gmjdw,
Not sure if you have the same setup as my 1999 w/OTR but it sounds similar. To access the driver side fan motor you will have to remove a substantial portion of the dash and go through the floor if you want to go at it from the inside. Joe Camper, after going through this process, suggested that it might be much easier to remove the center exterior skin and get to it from the outside. After looking at both possibilities I decided to go the exterior route. This requires drilling out all rivets holding that panel in place in addition to removal of all trim. Be advised that Prevost used double sided tape to secure the exterior panels in addition to the rivets. I fashioned a 4′ long piece of 1/8″ x 2″ flat bar into a tape cutter by sharpening one end and pushed it between the skin and the frame to cut the tape. It was much easier after using a heat gun to warm the stainless. Be aware that it is possible to put a permanent kink into the skin if you rush this process. Being the first time (and the last) I worked real slow. Once I was able to remove that panel I was able to stand up and work on the fan motor. I still had to cut a small metal bracket out of the way in order to get to the hose clamp that was holding the fresh air intake hose (4 inch) blocking the motor and mounting bolts. Once all was opened up I cleaned and touched up everything knowing that I was not going back in! Removing the tape still attached to the frame and backside of the skin was simply a lot of elbow grease using a putty knife and heat gun. Replacing the skin I used 3M double sided trim tape (online and at some auto stores) and rivets that I ordered from Prevost. These are SS and will require more than a one-handed rivet tool to install. I used a pneumatic rivet tool. Work slowly and from the middle outwards. It helps to insert a dozen or so rivets ahead of where you are riveting to keep the panel aligned. I also put a dab of Sikaflex on each rivet to help waterproof the connection.
I apologize for the tomb but this was an involved process even if it was not particularly technical in nature.
Doug
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Wow Doug! Taking the stainless skin off the coach puts you in a pretty rare DIY group.
I think that Prevost probably uses a 3M tape similar to what the higher end trailer manufacturers use for their screwless sided trailers. Some guys call that “forever tape”. My Bravo dealer’s tech screwed up a modification job on our trailer and had to replace a panel on the ramp door on his nickel. I took a chair along and watched.
The tech worked slowly and deliberately with a heat gun and what looked like a hard plastic “putty knife”. He said in the middle of the project, “I prefer doing this on a hot sunny day. Park the trailer in the sun for a few hours, this goes much easier.”
The device below is very handy to have if you use large blind rivets.
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Doug, your da man!
Here is what I would use to pull 3/16″ stainless rivets. Harbor Freight air riveter – $40 I used one when I rebuilt a trailer ramp door and I needed to pull about 200 3/16″ stainless blind rivets. If I would have pulled them by hand I would still be sporting forearms like Popeye. -
Don,
My rivet tool looks similar to the one you pictured but is a Sunex that I have had for a long time. The larger manual tools work fine but there are over 100 rivets to install. A note on drilling them out: use cutting/tapping oil and drill them slowly. Buy plenty of drill bits so you can always have a sharp one. Stainless will work harden if your drill is not cutting.
Doug
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This is what it looked like after removal and before cleanup…sorry guys I’m still too dumb to be able to post pics right side up. Maybe later
Doug
1999 XLV X-6872, liberty #440 -
If you’re using blind rivets or might someday use blind rivets (or even bucked rivets) get a set of Clecos and Cleco pliers. If you’re not involved in aviation or race cars with any amount of sheet metal, you probably have no clue what Cleco’s are. If you use them once, you’ll realize they are worth their weight in gold.
Available from Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies (another GREAT Wisconsin company), Speedway Motors, or Aircraft Spruce.
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