Blower motor stuck on blower wheel

technician came to replace blower motor and capacitor then said he couldn't get the motor off the blower wheel. Said it might have fused together over years because it's real dirty.
Is there ANY way to remove this motor without damaging the blower wheel. It's going to cost another $262 because he can't get the motor out of the wheel without damaging it.
HELP, he's ordered the part for tomorrow and I hate to be beat by a peace of metal:

 

Nothing like the last minute!

Can't you grab onto excess motor shaft with vice grips and try to forcibly work the squirrel cage back and forth, after standing it vertical(shaft) and spraying penetrating oil around it?

I freed one up yesterday/removed it, by that type of method. But sometimes it takes time for the penetrant to work. Try to get the penetrant in from both directions. If that does not work, fast enough, you may have to apply heat to the hub of the squirrel cage..... (Not the shaft. Instead, the part that the set screw goes through)..... to expand the hub more than the shaft. You do not want to use metal on metal force on the end of the shaft if you can't help it. But in all honesty, the abruptness of the blow, from metal to metal, is the most effective. But try hitting shaft with block of wood with the hammer first. If you did metal to metal blows that mushroomed the shaft end some, you'd have to file it, otherwise the cage will not slide off the shaft. But your primary first objective is to get that squirrel cage to move some, for starters.

Once you break the bond, you can spray more penetrant in there and work it back and forth some more. And finally it should come off.

At $262 extra, I'd even try to do whatever it takes on the motor mount side of the blower housing to drill into the case and try to lock up the armature/shaft. Once that gets locked up, then all your force can be excerted on trying to turn that cage enough to break the bond.

And as last resort I'd take the whole blower assemby to a machine shop and ask if they could get it off and see if they coudn't do it for say $50, and you still are over $200 ahead!!!

I've done quite a bit of these impossible tasks over the years, with stuff like this and with plumbing that is rusted in place. Being defeated is not in my vocabulary.

 

Beer 4U2.
Hey, I'm a cheesehead as well.
Thanks for the help, and I too will not be defeatd by a piece of metal.
I thought $262 was waaay over the norm.
Sorry bout the last minute but you came through and I'm grateful.
Back the pack!

Sue

 

Let us know if and how you solve your dilemma.

If you are not sure on anything I said, or why, just ask.

I know blower assemblies very well, and have had many out and made all kinds of repairs and changeouts over the last 24 years. I even wound up once bending the metal blower housing(for some reason ???), and then bent it back again later, and it worked, had no ill effects in balance of the motor or anything. All I remember is that I did something unorthodox to solve a problem and to save me money, like you hope. And I did. I have lucked out over the years by getting used stuff from some guy in the business of hanging onto old parts out of mobile homes, for example. Like blower assemblies for like a dime on the dollar. Or a blower motor on Saturday at 8 pm, or whatever.

You're a Colorado cheesehead?

 

Joined the forums just to post this reply, hopefully it'll be helpful. There is a tool called the Ultimate Puller that I use. There are several others out there but for around $60 or so it's hands down the best tool I've used for this particular task. I've only been able to get it in Trade only supply houses. There are several cheaper looking ones, I'd say don't skimp and just snag that one or the Posi-Lock pulley puller but that's a bit of overkill. The Ultimate Puller is more than enough for the job.

How to use: Sand down the shaft poking out of the hub(not the end going back to the motor), OEM motors may not have much there to sand down. Spray WD40 or some other penetrating oil. Attach puller to the hub, use a ratchet/channelocks/adjustables, while holding the puller to turn the top screw downwards to push the shaft out of the hub. Keep on turning until you're either exhausted and your chest is burning or the motor shaft comes out of the hub, whichever comes first. Never hammer or otherwise strike the shaft or shaft head, since you'll be forcing that shaft out of the hub and it won't like doing that very well if it's mushroom'd. Older and more ornery the motor shaft is, the harder time you'll have.

There's also looking up some kind of fan blade specialist type shop. There is one I used in Jersey that pulled an inducer blower wheel off a 4 HP motor(I think) for I think an extra $75. If you can saw off the shaft from the motor, more than likely you can get a machine shop to press out the shaft from the hub as well.

 

This is what I use.


Posi Lock™ Puller, Inc.


Any tech worth his salt would have access to a puller.

 

That is a thought worth thinking about, that is for sure. Could you imagine going to a brake or muffler shop and the mechanic says they can't get the parts off/apart? So they go and order an entire assembly instead?