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Anybody successfully lubricate the pack blower motor?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by pasadena_commut, Jul 8, 2023.

  1. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Anybody have a good way of lubricating the HV battery pack blower motor?

    How about removing the cage from the shaft, without destroying the unit, and being able to put the cage back on? (In order to access the point where the front shaft comes out of the motor.)

    A while back when I cleaned the pack blower I noticed that it didn't spin all that well. At that time I took it apart (5 screws off, remove the top half of the case, motor screws off didn't help as the cage kept the motor from coming off the other half of the case because the shaft passes through a small hole in the case, with the cage on one side, and the motor on the other.) Found no access to the front of the shaft (the cage is molded or pressed onto it) and some access to the back (back of shaft visible under the label.) Not great. Ideally on a little electric motor like this I would pull it apart, lubricate the felt next to the bearings, and reassemble.

    Months ago I bought a spare blower at the junk yard off a 2005 (ours is a 2007). It spun even less well than the one in our car, but I figured it would be OK for experimenting a bit and it was cheap. Took it apart today. It seems to be pretty much identical, except in one important way - graphite dust was dropping out of it. (99% sure that is what this black dust is, it is fine, and smears on tile surfaces, where it doesn't easily wash off without 409 or some other cleaner. Exactly like graphite dust.) Turn it cage down, tap, cage up, tap, and graphite dust would appear in the area around the cage. (None in the cage.) Cleaned it off. Repeated several times and less and less dust was coming out. I think somebody might have tried to lubricate this one by spraying graphite up under the cage. Seems like a suicidal choice since graphite conducts and the fan is upstream from the battery! I also considered the possibility that the motor wasn't brushless and the dust might be from the brushes breaking down, but I don't see how that dust could get past the bearing/shaft.
     
    #1 pasadena_commut, Jul 8, 2023
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I'm holding a white fan in my hand right now I think this is from a Gen 3 to get a gen to I have to run a few hundred yards down the road but when I look down where a nut would normally be on a real fan assembly there is a push tab it looks like you push down and lift the impeller right off the shaft I can take a picture but I don't know how to post it All of my pictures have to be resized messed with played with in Photoshop and I don't do that I can accept the largest pictures I want and so can everybody else and the list be done but there is a piece you push with a small electric screwdriver You can't miss it actually if you just look in the side of the fan with the cage on or off mine is a I don't know PR 101 54 607. Stamped on the white case just above that number I look in the center of that hole this is on the impeller side and there's a little tab I can almost push with my fingernail and if I had my long needle nose pliers I could pull that impeller right off if the case is split won't come through the hole and then the impeller's off and all you'd be holding is the motor with the shaft and the back half of the white assembly so there's that
     
    #2 Tombukt2, Jul 8, 2023
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    The fan number is PP-TD15607 like I say this is a Gen 3 that mounts on the pack but the two is very similar I would think identical If you shoot me an email I'll send you the two pics I just fired off I'm getting ready to throw this fan back in the shed I've never changed one mine only spends a half a turn when I spin it and it stops no matter what I do to it but once the power supply to it it lets it rip like tater chip. I don't think this is a balanced assembly like a back ate bearings and rollerblade wheels and bicycle wheels and crank hubs and all that and it doesn't seem to be like that at all even new out of the box these kind of car parts aren't made like that if you will.
     
    #3 Tombukt2, Jul 8, 2023
  4. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    @edthefox5 has, and I've tried as well, by removing the sticker and placing a few drops of machine oil on the exposed shaft.

    Vaguely remember seeing a circlip on the shaft, but didn't have the right tool handy for removal. These threads may be informative:

    HV Battery Blower Maintenance | PriusChat

    Cleaned hv blower and battery. Battery temp now hotter | PriusChat

    Battery Fan Cleaning | PriusChat
     
    #4 SFO, Jul 8, 2023
    edthefox5 likes this.
  5. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I'm not sure there's a special tool I think you just push down and lift up on the impeller when the upper portion of the housing is removed I don't think there's a special tool there's not even a circlip it looks like this little piece of plastic a plastic circular groove on the metal shaft clips to this piece of plastic impeller when you push it down and it's lined up then if you push down on the little bendy piece of plastic You should be able to lift up the impeller and be looking at a silver shaft and holding a white plastic impeller which is probably gray colored from dust That's what I have here right now in my hand.
     
    #5 Tombukt2, Jul 8, 2023
  6. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    Typically these types of motors use "oilite" bushings. These are porous bronze bushings that are saturated in some type of lubricating oil. Problem is that if these get too dirty or "dried up", the pores of the bearing surfaces get clogged up or smeared.

    I have tried to clean & relube these from time to time and can't say that I've ever had any lasting success. The motor works for a little bit then gets draggy again.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #6 mr_guy_mann, Jul 8, 2023
  7. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    There's a good picture of the top of a Gen 2 fan at 2:15 in this video



    The top of the shaft comes out of a fat cylindrical piece which looks like it was originally two separate pieces but then they are pressed , glued, or melted together. There is no flat edge visible on the shaft and no obvious retaining clip. Once assembled that fat piece seems to be perfectly symmetric, I don't see any obvious tab or hole. I suppose the top of the shaft might actually be some sort of cap retaining clip or rivet which somehow mates with the actual shaft to hold the cage on. That top pieces feels pretty solid to me though.
     
    #7 pasadena_commut, Jul 9, 2023
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