blowing any air in the cabin. I told her I would look at it when she got
home. In about 20 minutes she called in a panic, " There is smoke pouring
in the car from the vents and it stinks like burning rubber!!!!!!!"
I told her to pull over and I went to meet her. The blower is real easy
to access on the GXP. I saw that the housing was deformed and super hot,
so I just unplugged it and told her she could drive the car home, no problem.
Once home I removed the blower motor. It was melted badly. I have never seen
this happen to this extent. I checked my records and I had replaced that motor
in 07/2015. I purchased it from Rockauto. It was made by TYC and cost $40.
Now I normally NEVER buy the cheap parts. Currently Rockauto has 3 motors
for this application (no TYC anymore), one for $36, one for $51, and AC Delco
for $140. I can't figure out why I bought the cheap one before. I think it was because
it is so easy to change, literally takes five minutes, that I decided to roll the
dice..... BAD DECISION. The car could have caught on fire.
I shouldn't have made that mistake knowing I don't usually drive the car, as my wife left the
blower turned on even when it wouldn't spin.
Lesson Learned? NO CHEAP PARTS, even if they are easy and fast to replace.
Likely that the windings shorted out. Although, not real common, it could have happened with any motor. Be sure to check for any obstruction that could have prevented the motor from turning. Glad that it worked out okay.
