Cirrus heater motor... help pls.

[flagmanruss]

Price of Diesel killing me... been using the 98 Cirrus to save some green. The heater motor just started vibrating on the higher speeds. I'm afraid mice got in there. (I've had to all screen all the air cleaners & the cowel drains in my p/u). I couldn't find the cowel drains on the Cirrus. Dodge 2500 is behind the hood hinges.Does anybody know how to get to the heater motor? Check the vent lines?Thanks,Russ

[flagmanruss]

Hello fellow mouse haters!Once again the !@#$%&* mice have done me dirty... really nasty dirty... A couple of weeks ago the heater in my car started vibrating when the fan was turned on... worse the faster it turned. I know we live in the sticks & do battle regularly with mice in the house, barn, attic, vehicles... I've screened all the engine air intakes & all the other openings I could find. (Note expanded aluminum gutter guard seems to work well & is a bit malleable, but 1/4" "hardware cloth can sometimes be used.)Lately Sheila been complaining of the mouse smell. Today the vibration got real bad even on low... the guy pumping gas in front of me looked genuinely concerned when I turned it on! Fortunately it was warm enough today so I could work in the driveway without a heavy coat. (NOT room for me & coat in the knee space.)I was concerned that this might entail removing the whole !@#$%&* dashboard as it does on some. This car is a 98 Chrysler Cirrus (inherited from my Mom)... I started exploring under the passengers side and found a panel / ductwork that was only held up with plastic connectors. One on ther right, the other on the firewall, interlocks with the console. I used the armstrong removal meathod & discovered behind it was the heater motor on the right. A few trips in & out of my basement work shop & I'd found the right wrench 5/16" (1/4 drive socket) to remove it 3 drive screws from underneath is all. The bird cage fan was clogged with mouse nest and sure enough (dead) mousy was spinnin round in there like a ride at the fair. I delicately removed the corpse & debris... (YUCK) I blindly felt around into the ductwork and (only!) found more mouse debris. I couldn't get a vacuum in there so I just had to work by hand. I got out as much as I could. It was a awkward job to hold th fan up (with my weak hand) & turn in the mounting screws with my good one. But I got it done. I'm looking through the cowling in front of the windshield... I can see a bit of the open... appears to have a screen but I'm sure it's plastic & the critters got in some how. I can't get the cowling off with out removing the wiper arms. I'm gonna have to look into this so I can cure this problem. I cured my truck by screening the openings on the cowling but on the car, the hood hinges extend into the cowling area.I could still use some info... Anyone know how to remove the wipers? What sort of retainer do they use? I'm seeing a couple of screws holding the cowl down on each end, and probably held by the gasket groove to the firewall. Russ

[Mopar1973Man]

Ok Russ... I got a few to things to help out...1. The cowling at the base of the windshield is part of it. Remember that the water must drain out at a lower point so your going to have to pull the cowling cover up and look inside for a lower hole for drainage.2. As for the clean up you could duct tape a smaller hose ot the end of the vacuum to at least try and pull some more material out.3. As for the wipers ther are on a splined shaft typically. But most of them have some sort of locking device on it. Like a tab you have to lift or pry away from the wiper arm.I hope this helps you... Merry Christmas to you and your family! :thumbsup

[flagmanruss]

Hi Michael & everyone.I knew that the wiper shafts were splined but can't figure out the locking mechanism... I'm sure there is one. I don't see any clamps or screws so it's underneath. I'll have to study it some more.Yes, the cowling gets drainage from the windshield... On the truck, the drains are behind the hood hinges. I used a stainless pot scrubber (steel wool) to plug those & evict the mice from the CTD... since there is just the cowl inlet and heater inlet. The steel wool still allows drainage while blocking critters.On the Cirrus, however, the screening will have to go in the cowling space as the hood hinges pierce the cowling space. I can't be sure if the mice are coming in the drains or around the hinges. I think the wipers (and the screws & plastic flange) are all that's keeping me from lifting the top piece to the cowling.I've had to remove all the underhood insulation from all the vehicles as it was fabulous mouse habitat... before I did so they chewed through the washer hoses. Thnaks,Russ

[Mopar1973Man]

Ok Russ...

I went out to my Dodge motorhome and pop the wiper arm off in about 10-15 seconds... But here is the typical locking mechism...

Locked position...

Unlocked position...

You must lift the wiper arm off the glass and slide the tabbed lock outwards them just lightly tug and there off! :thumbsup

[flagmanruss]

Thanks Mike,I'll go check it out.Russ

[flagmanruss]

OK, the wiper arems are off... I found a nut through the arm once I flipped up the wiper cover... wow, that's a cover! I didn't figure any problem getting the cowl cover off but it's still resisting. There must be some hidded retainers somewhere... I'm going slow, don't wanna bust anything! Russ

[Mopar1973Man]

It might snap on... But I would lghtly pry up on the cowling and look under and try to get a look at the fastners... Snaps, expanding screw (plastic), etc... :confused: