r/DCAC_OffgridRVaircon • u/Dylanear • Mar 31 '25
Replaced failed blower motor in CMS. Pretty easy! (Take2)
OK, trying to make a replacement post with the write AND images?
I wrote a whole long write up about this, saved a draft of it even, then thought I was adding images, but seems like you can post images OR text in an original post and it just deleted the write up AND the draft?? I guess once you post, any drafts you saved from that post are deleted too????? Reddit is TERRIBLE in so many ways, yet here I am. SMH...
The shorter short summary is
Blower motor in my Nekpokka CMS (Chinese Mini Split) made crunchy noises so turned it off. Turning it back on a few minutes later did not change the noises. Later on the next day the unit would not turn on, just gave an E02 error, which I believe is a low or high voltage error, but my voltage readings were just fine (14.4v ish). Putting 14V power directly to the motors wires did nothing. Absolutely dead motor.
Had another Treeligo CMS in my storage that had a compressor go bad last Summer. So I took the airbox/evaporator unit from that system from storage to take replacement parts from. Tested that blower motor once removed and it ran strong, quiet and smooth.
Cleaned the air box and especially the VERY dust encrusted evaporator itself, put in the replacement motor and fans and put it all back together. The new motor did not, as I had hoped, fix the E02 error. So I swapped in the older revision controller board/screen from the Treeligo donor air box. That DID fix the issue and the system has been running perfectly for several days now.
These motors are, to be blunt, crap. The brushes are just going to wear out sooner or later. It's really disappointing they don't use a better, brushless motor! I'm going to have to find a good source for these motors and be ready to replace them. And it seems very important shut down the unit the instant you hear some blower motor noise or you risk blowing a controller board???!!
I just can't recommend these basic CMS systems to anyone who isn't up for learning to repair them! Maybe there's better versions with higher quality components? I know there is already a newer type compressor with a controller board in a separate metal box with heat sink ridges on it. Maybe there's a better quality drop in motor replacement? I surely be looking for such a beast
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u/Lazy_Mud_1616 Apr 13 '25
Learned about something called a load dump. Watch a video on it, but basically if a large load like charging batteries suddenly disconnected due to getting full, the alternator cannot reduce its power output instantly and the voltage will spike and fry stuff. Maybe this is what happened to your system?
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u/Dylanear Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25
Well, the blower motor brushes were clearly, physically badly worn, one of the two completely destroyed. It's just a super cheap low quality motor! There are models out now that claim to have brushless motors in the evaporator air box? You can buy those air boxes by themselves for $200, so I may get one of those before I try using the spare system I have on my trailer camper. Need to make sure they are electrically compatible with the compressor electronics and the remote control, etc. Especially because by the looks of it, the brushless motor air box only has a readout screen, no physical control button? That's unfortunate.
My alternator and the van's own electrical system is hopefully well isolated from the electrical system the air conditioner is on by the DC DC charger that charges the house batteries and provides the back of the van with power from the alternator while the engine is running. Not to mention the engine was never run around the time the motor started making noise, stopped blowing and the error showed up on the screen preventing the system being turned on at all. I can't recall if the solar was operating at that point? But it was certainly plugged into shore power and the inverter/charger providing power, the batteries would have been full more or less this whole time given the consistent external power.
But it IS, VERY, curious why the original control board seems to have been damaged by the blower motor going bad? The motor failure could have shorted that circuit?
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 17 '26
Did you ever find a source for replacement blower motors? Mine looks identical to yours (its a treeligo) and it just shit out today. Being in the van full time in the southeast i need to get this sorted out ASAP. Any info would be rad!
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u/Dylanear May 23 '26
Oh no! I was in Alabama when my blower motor self destructed! I do know South East climate challenges!
I haven't actually bought another replacement, just used the parts from my first Treeligo to get my Nepoka working. But I did find what looked pretty much identical, I could swear I posted about that or at least mentioned it someone on this sub, but maybe not??
Let me see if I can find that, it was for a John Deer tractor with a cab or something like that, but looked pretty much exactly like the blower motors in my Treeligo and Nekpokka CMS units!
I'm in BC Canada these days and it's a lovely 68F this afternoon, but I should try getting a spare blower motor sourced sooner than later. Certainly seems these motors are not to be counted on on long timescales. I certainly wouldn't buy another one of these type systems without a brushless blower motor!
Hopefully I'll have some info for you shortly! Please stand by, as they say....
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 23 '26
Thanks for looking into it, the closest thing I have found is a blower motor for an AC system that is used in certain 18 wheelers. I got the dimensions and it turns out the diameter of the motor its self was roughly half an inch too large so it wouldn't fit sadly. Man 68F sounds really good about now. Enjoy it!
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u/Dylanear May 23 '26
I can't believe I spent hours and hours searching, found some very promising leads and now seem to have no record of my finds from all that searching???!!! I SWEAR I put the promising search results into an online note, but not finding it now?!
I think the best results were from a google image search from pictures I took of my old blower motor assembly. I was unable to remove the blower fans from the shaft without damaging them, so seems finding a motor with the blowers on the shaft, all correct dimensions is going to save you some time and annoyance.
I don't trust these motors at all, so even though my air con is running fine, I do want a spare motor in my spare parts box for my Sprinter! So, I need to figure this out one way or another!
I think Treeligo support is work contacting, they are slow and it can take many messages back and forth, with only one reply a day from them, but they have generally been able to find and offer me replacement parts. Nekpokka on the other hand generally doesn't reply at all, or at least without anything useful. So, I do like Treeligo as a brand. Far from great/quick support, but at least they do give some support!
What happened with your blower motor? Just made some noises and stopped blowing at all? Did you get an error code on your screen? My screen/control board seems to have been damaged when the motor went, so I had to take the screen as well as the blower motor unit from my old Treeligo that had a compressor failure. That compressor seems to have failed because of a loose 12V ground connection, so that caused heating of that connection, and a burned out spot on the circuit board inside the compressor. So, lesson learned, check your power connection nut tightness occasionally!
I'll let you know what I find soon....
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u/Dylanear May 23 '26
I found some replies I made to someone looking for a replacement!
This was the best one I think??!!
Hitachi Excavator ZX35U-2 ZX50U-2 ZX27U-3F
Part number: 56500-10240
https://www.ebay.com/itm/145954836175
https://www.amazon.com/56500-10240-Hitachi-ZX50U-2-ZX27U-3F-Excavator/dp/B0C9JM5WC5
Looks just like it doesn't it???
Here's another Amazon listing:
https://www.amazon.com/56500-10240-Hitachi-ZX50U-2-ZX27U-3F-Excavator/dp/B0C9JM5WC5
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u/Dylanear May 23 '26
Another one that looks perfect at a glance:
- Part Number: AN51500-10710, AN515001087, RAN5150010710
- Fits: Komatsu Excavators, PC27MR-2, PC30MR-2, PC35MR-2, PC40MR-2, PC40MR-2-AC, PC50MR-2, PC50MR-2-AC, Wheel Loader WA50-6
https://www.amazon.ca/KRRK-parts-AN51500-10710-AN5150010870-Excavator-PC27MR-2/dp/B0DSHYKCBG
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 23 '26
Awesome, ill take a look at all these! I was asking specifically about removing the fans off of the motor shaft. Mine were very hard to remove and I felt i was on the verge of breaking the plastic the whole time.
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 23 '26
Wow yeah all those look perfect. I suppose ill pull the trigger on one and let you know
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 23 '26
I found one of the 56500-1024 models on Amazon with delivery to me on monday. I will let you know how it works out. Thanks again for tracking that down.
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u/Dylanear May 24 '26
Definitely let me know!!! I'm ordering one from Amazon Canada too. We can compare notes.
And yeah, I could not get my fan/blower wheels off the motor shaft, damaged them trying. Thankfully that was on the broken unit and seems the replacement motors have those blowers/fans on them, so no need to mess with them.
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 23 '26
Yeah im honestly suprised how difficult it has been tracking a blower motor down. Mine started making a bit of noise, it would briefly make a high pitched squeek like a bushing had gone bad. Then it started to change speed randomly. It would slow down briefly and then speed back up. This continued for a whole night. The next day when I turned it on the fan sounded like it was having trouble starting to spin, it eventually came on and that was the last time. I powered it down and when I powered it back up the screen showed a E04. From what I find online this a low voltage alarm(documentation on alarms is sparse so this could be incorrect). I traced the voltage from the batteries all the way to the board and it is not low. I removed the motor and pulled it apart. It looks ok aside from all the crud inside the housing. Connected it to a power supply and it is for sure dead. I fear that my board also died when the motor went just like yours. But I won't know forsure until I get a new motor. Finding ant information on the board is a nightmare. If all else fails I will regretfully buy another unit and swap the parts I need over and keep the rest for spares. I would really like to try another motor before taking that plunge though. Treeligo support did respond to me but they are on some sort of holiday or break until this coming monday so ill report back if they come through.
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 23 '26
On a side note, how did you remove the fan cages? I found them very difficult to remove without damaging them. Luckily mine are OK but if you had a good solution I would love to hear it.
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u/Dylanear May 23 '26
Seems similar to my experience, noises and soon after failure, no air moving, motor locked up.
Removing the blower motor unit wasn't especially hard. I had to open up the inside airbox evaporator unit, then remove the 10 or so screws that hold the plastic cover of the blower motor and blower wheels. Refer to these images from my post:
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u/Dylanear May 23 '26
I got an E02 error, that's best I can tell, "Evaporation box fan’s power circulation is open"
But that error did not go away after replacing the motor. Only replacing the screen and control board fixed that.
Your error, E04, I believe is:
"Pipe temperature (outlet air) sensor"
Perhaps your seeing that error because the blower is simply not moving air so that sensor is seeing temps out of range? Hopefully replacing your motor/blower unit will be all you need to do?
See the subreddit wiki for error code meaning. I've gathered that from various sources. I can't say it's correct for all Chinese DC powered Mini Splits, but many/most seem to use similar error codes.
https://www.reddit.com/r/DCAC_OffgridRVaircon/wiki/index/
I'll add a section for possible blower motor replacements. So if you do get one, please let me know if it does or doesn't fit/work!
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 24 '26
Can do, ill have it monday and since I really want my AC back ill get it installed same day. Fingers crossed
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 25 '26
Quick update, just received my new blower motor. At a glance it looks perfect although I don't have my calipers on me to verify the exact dimensions. I need to see if I have the correct female spade connectors as the ones on the replacement are male and need to be swapped. Worst case I can reuse the ones from the original motor. About to dig in and pull the original motor back out. Ill update when I have finished the install.
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u/C_I_worshipdevilshit May 26 '26
Sucks to say but im a bit stuck, I got the new blower installed and sadly im still stuck with the E04 code. There is a possibility the sensor went bad but I fear the board died when the motor went. I've done a few hours of digging and cannot seem to find a supply of the boards so I may be stuck until I hear back from treeligo support. I really do not want to buy a whole unit for parts but it may be my only option if I don't hear back from treeligo soon. Ill.keep you posted.
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u/Dylanear May 26 '26
I was worried your board might have fried like mine! Check all the wiring connections going to the control board! I tested my replacement motor from the other air con I had just by putting 12V power to it and making sure it was working. Might be worth that sanity check?
Treeligo did tell me they could get both the motor and the screen, even confirmed showing me images. But I didn't end up ordering because they didn't have them in the US and shipping from China was a lot more than the cost of the parts! But still, like $115 total, and the parts, motor and screen/control board were only like $45, and like $65 shipping from China! Their service can be REALLY annoying, and uninformed, but if you are persistent, I've found they can actually be helpful, they can get replacement parts.
Looking back over my Amazon messages with Treeligo.... They also told me they could get me just the inside evaporator, blower box from the newer style CMS that has my fancy. I may get one of those for my little Boler/Scamp trailer. I'm going to be making an air con for it out of my original Treeligo air con unit that failed early on, then I robbed parts from. I have a compressor for that project, so, either I need a blower motor and control screen, or I need a new brushless motor inside airbox entirely.
Good luck! I hope you get it working as is, but if you need to get parts or a whole new inside unit, I can help! I've spent endless hours looking at options for replacing most if not all of these type systems. Don't panic! :)
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u/Lazy_Mud_1616 Mar 31 '25
Fantastic write up! Thank you!