Everyone loves their hot hot heat and ice cold A/c but what is that high pitched squeal/chirp coming from the glove box? Or even worse yet, why isn’t there any airflow from the vents? Hopefully, it’s not a animal that has found its way in.. A very likely answer to the squealing or chirping noise from the glove box is a blower motor bearing on it’s way out.

First off this is a good time to check your cabin air filter, an extremely restricted filter can cause damage to the blower motor and cause a decrease in air flow. If you have an blower motor that is inoperative you can try tapping on it to get it going again.

You should quickly check your fuses to make sure you are getting power to the blower motor, without power we won’t have any blower operation. With those check completed let’s see just what it takes to get that blower motor swapped out.

For those curious of just changing out their cabin filter follow this link. If you would like to clean out your ducts follow this link.

A extremely restricted filter can cause blower problems. Keep a fresh filter in there!

Time frame

This is a very straightforward and simple remove and replace. You will need to store away 15-30 mins with the proper tools, possibly less.

Tools

What tools are necessary to make this job doable? Most will have phillips head screws, so a phillips head screwdriver will get the job done. A few of the newer models will have torx bits/ bolt heads.

To complete this job I used my Milwaukee electric ratchet to speed it up.

A philips or torx screwdriver set will be your friend here determined by what hardware Subaru used within your car.

Lastly a good flashlight or lamp will help heaps to see what you are doing under the dash.

Torchstar light. I have used it for the last 5 years. Still going strong.

Parts

Not much here but the proper blower motor for your application. Here are a few part numbers and versions for a few Subarus.

Forester 03-08 W/o Auto climate control TYC brand

04-07 STi Blower motor assembly (comes complete unlike the install below)

03-08 Forester w/ auto climate control 72223SA020

Installation

We will start by opening our passenger side door and sliding the seat back for a bit more working room. Locate your glove box because underneath lies the part to be replaced.

You can remove your glove box if you like, it isn’t necessary but can help you add a bit more light on your work area. Also newer Subaru models may have a small piece of plastic that covers the underside of the blower. This is generally held on by a few small clips and easily removed.

Next up we will position our work light in a good area to find your screws/bolts and electrical connectors. You can unplug the electrical connector that powers the blower motor. Now is a good time to note whether you have philips screws, torx, or bolts that hold your blower in. Find the proper tool and remove the three bolts.

Connector removed and there is one of the 3 bolts to hold it in.

On this Impreza model we are working on you will find there is a recirculate vent in front of one of the bolts. Remove the one screw, then lower the air ducting and you can access the final bolt.

With those bolts removed the blower will basically start to remove itself via gravity. Give it an extra hand and out it comes.

With the old unit out of the way you can now easily pop the new unit into it’s new home and finger tighten a bolt or two to hold it in place. You can now run all the bolts down and replace your recirculate vent if necessary on your model. With the electrical connector snapped into place your are ready to test the unit for operation.

Congratulations! You have now have a quieter fan or a fully working unit. Always remember to change out your cabin filter before it becomes a failure point to the blower fan, i.e. so clogged it damages the fan by not having enough air passing by it.