How to Replace a Swamp Cooler Motor

If you have a evaporative cooler, then you may find that eventually you will have to replace your swamp cooler motor. Most types of swamp cooler are not very complicated, with the motor being used to power a small fan. These motors are not large, and neither are they particularly difficult to take out of the back of the swamp cooler. If your cooler has broken down, and you have located the problem as the power, then you should be easily able to change your swamp cooler motor by yourself. With a few simple tools, you should be easily able to remove the old motor, and install a new one in its place.

Step 1 - Take Out the Old Motor

The first step is to take off the old swamp cooler motor, and install a new one. Open up the back of your swamp cooler by unscrewing the case. You should be able to reach inside the swamp cooler, and locate the motor. This may have another case holding it in place, and you will need to remove this if it is so. Take the connecting wires off of the old motor. There are several bolts which are holding the motor onto the belt. Use your wrench to unscrew these, and then pull off the belt. Look at it, and see whether it also needs to be replaced. If it does, then you can do this easily enough once you have fitted the new one. Take off the bolts holding the motor in place, and place these to one side. These bolts hold the motor to a pair of brackets, which move.

Step 2 - Fit in the New Motor

Take your new motor out of the pack, and place it inside the swamp cooler, in the position of the previous one. You should then slide the bolts through the motor, and secure them underneath the brackets. Take the bolt which holds the pulley in place, and put this back into position. You will need to check that the pulley is in the correct alignment for your fan, so that the pulley will move correctly when in use. Tighten the bolt so that this pulley is held in the right place.

Step 3 - Refit the Belt

You should then take your old belt, or a new one if you like, and slide it over the pulley on the motor, and the connected blower pulley. The motor may need to be moved along the tracks before you can do this. Increase the tension on the belt until everything inside is completely taut, and then screw the bolts back into place.

Step 4 - Wire Up the Motor

Read the instructions for installing wires in your new motor, although this will usually just mean placing them back in the same position as previously. You should then run your swamp cooler motor through a cycle, to ensure that all the parts are connected correctly. Close the casing of your cooler when finished.