A/C Condenser Blower Testing?
 

When I bought my 87 911, I was told that the air conditioner was not working (surprise!). I have found that the A/C condenser fan in the front trunk was disconnected. I imagine that either the motor or bearings are shot.

Can this be tested simply by putting 12v to one terminal and ground to the other? I assume that polarity is not important for testing as it should spin in either direction. Correct?

Finally, I saw a mention of upgrading to a footwell blower fan, as it is of similar size but turns more RPM. Is this the case?

Thank you.

You can test the fan that way. The brown wire is the ground or negative. Finding the replacement motor is the difficult and expensive part.

Your A/C will still work without the fan, but not as designed. If the A/C is just not working the front blower fan is jut one of you problems.

Someone gave me a used A/C blower and I decided to bench test it with a battery charger. After ten minutes, it caught fire.

That's pretty much what I was hoping to avoid.

It's pretty easy to pull if you want to bench test it instead of in the car. 4 or 6 phillips screws in the trunk.

The AC condenser fan is a common cause of fires in the 911. If the motor starts to squeal, best to disconnect and replace or service it pronto!

I have one for sale, it has never caught fire.

Finding a replacement motor is not difficult or expensive. Repl cost is $59 and the change out is a snap. You do want to add an in line fuse to protect the circuit from overheating/fire failure as these motors are prone to if the A/C is not functioning properly and the circuit is energized continuously

Not to hijack the thread but on a related note...( think I asked this before and did not get an answer) but is there a confirmed source for the evaporator fan? I seem to recall that both motors are physically similar. I know the "hurricane" replacement is not designed for the Carrera's from '87-'89.
TIA

Thank you for the info. I've seen the replacement motor from Pelican:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/smart/more_info.cgi?pn=0-130-063-043&catalog_description=Motor%20for%20Front%20A%2F C%20Condenser%20Blower%20Assembly%20911-624-906-00%2C%20911%20(1986-89)%2C%20911%20Turbo%20(1986-89)%2C%20Each

Is it difficult to remove the original fan (blades) from the motor shaft?

I don't recall having any trouble replacing mine and can't remember for sure but think there was an allen set screw against the motor shaft.

Be careful removing the fan. It is delicate and will separate from the collar if too much force is applied. If you bend the fan it will be out of balance. Yes, there is an allen screw (or two?)