bluestar convection fan noise

16 years ago

I have a question for all of you Bluestar range owners out there. I love my brand new range, but recently the convection fan has become quite noisy. It rattles so much whenever I try to use it that I end up turning it off. It started making this noise shortly after my GC adjusted the level of my burners. I wonder if this might have something to do with it? Has anyone had this problem, and if so, how did you fix it? Thanks!

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Eric Keenan

9 years ago

I have had a 30" Bluestar range for for about 13 years now, and have lived with what was intermittent but now constant loud grinding noise when the convection fan is turned on. I "tightened things" a couple of years ago, but just today said enough is enough...it is coming apart and I am fixing this.

I found the source of the noise and it took about 45 minutes for me to fix it. First you need to completely remove the fan motor, and you do this through the oven. There is no need to move the range. Although it is always recommended that you disconnect the power before working on electrical components, I did not. Take it for what it is worth.

1. Remove the convection fan shield (4 sheet metal screws)

2 Remove the fan motor housing (4 machine screws)

3. Tilt out motor housing and then disconnect the wires- label the motor so you can reconnect them properly.

Once the motor/fan assembly is out, take a look at the back side of the assembly and inspect the backside fan that keeps the motor cool. Do the fan blades contact any of the three motor support brackets? Mine contacted one of the supports and it was clear that I needed to re-position the fan. Mine was easy to re-position by moving the tension/compression washer from the oven side of the assembly to the motor side. Here is how I did that.

1. Remove the convection fan (the nut is opposite threaded so righty-loosey), Remove washer and spring clip with needle nose pliers---careful---it can "sproing" away!

2. Remove the square cover (4 machine screws secured by 4 nuts on the back)

3. Remove the insulation from the square box (use a knife to probe to the bottom and pry it up)

4. Remove the three machine screws that attach the motor support arms to the square box and remove box (Mark the orientation...It needs to go back the same way)

5. Now you are down to the backside fan. Remove the spring clip that secures the top washer(again...don't let it "sproing" away). Then remove the flat washer and compression washer from the oven side of the shaft.

6. You can now remove the backside fan. It is a tight fit and some light oil, a small file, some fine abrasive sandpaper may be needed to smooth the shaft to be able to pull off the fan. Wear gloves and gentle pressure will get it off. Be creative, but I didn't need any special pullers. Rotating the shaft with the nut back on while holding onto the fan also helps to work it up the shaft.

7. With the backside fan off, take a moment to file down the contact point on the motor support bracket just a little, for good measure. I did this to the small ridges on the support arm that were being contacted, but I did not file the structural part of the arm lest I weaken it.

8. Re-position the compression/tension washer from the oven side of the fan to the motor side of the fan, just on top of the washer on the shaft, which is just on top of another spring clip (you don't need to remove those. By re-positioning the tension washer, you effectively move the backside fan ever-so-slightly toward the oven side and away from the support arms.

9. Put the fan back on the shaft in the same orientation, but this time on top of the tension washer, then place the second washer and spring clip back on. Spin the fan to make sure it doesn't contact any of the arms. Yes, it will wobble, and that is ok. The tension washer doesn't/can't keep the fan true to the shaft...but again, it won't matter as long as it isn't contacting any fixed surfaces.

10. Re-assembly is the reverse. Moving that tension washer was all the clearance I needed to have a near-whisper quiet fan....Finally after all these years!

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Comments (14)

User
16 years ago
My convection fan sounds a bit like my bathroom fan, I know it's on, but it doesn't rattle. The noise can either come from the fan motor (bad bearings/bushings) or more likely from the fan blades not balanced, or hitting the housing. Since your range is new, I would make a service call (call your distributor to get a phone# of repair firm). Let them figure it out. I suppose you can look to see if the housing covering the fan is bent, but beyond that, I'd let the service people fix it.
esq166
16 years ago
I second alexr. My fan produces an audible whirr, but nothing like a rattle. Time for a service call.
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bretonb
16 years ago
I had a Kenmore Elite range and the convection bake fan made a terrible noise while the convection roast fan was quiet. There was only one fan but the two cycles ran at different speeds. The serviceman took the outside cover off and tightened the fan. This cured the noisy fan, but after awhile it started up again. I think your problem sounds similar and a service call should be able to fix it.
philnmtl
16 years ago
My brand new Bluestar made a whirring vibrating noise when the convection fan was on. I feared that this was normal but the service guy was here to replace an igniter that didn't work on arrival (the famous "bad batch"?) and he assured me that the noise wasn't normal. A few adjustment adn it was beautifully quiet. That was Monday. One day later it started again. - the service man returns at 7:30 AM tomorrow armed with a better solution to stop the rattling. My guess is that once these first bugs are worked out it will not be a problem at all.

And I can forgive those few initial glitches when I turn on the 22k under a wok! WOW. I know that I can't stirt fry every night, but I have to for at least a little while yet.
californiacook
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the input. I'll get a service man out right away. I agree with you about the 22 btu burners. They are incredible! Cooking is a joy with this range.
evergreendan
16 years ago
Make "Chinese" food (well, some American version) for my frind who is half Chinese and whose Dad used to own a Chinese restaurant.

She had seconds, that's all I'll say.

Sorry for the hijack. My convection fan is reasonably quiet.
migafre
16 years ago
I'd suggest you have the service guy put some loctight threadlocker(there are 2 versions red or blue, red is best for your situation) on the threads of the screws/bolts of the fan so that they don't come loose again.

Hope I don't get one from the "bad batch" as I'm ordering one in a few weeks.

Hope your BS gets fixed
tdechill
16 years ago
You don't need a service call. Mine was doing the same thing. I had a serviceman come in. Explained what was happening. He looked at the range, turned one leg leveler a little bit and the rattle was gone!
tdechill
9 years ago
That's sounds involved, but good to know, just in case. Here's my feeling on the fan: I don't use my very often, maybe once every three months. When I first turn it on, it rattles, after about 15 minutes, it's quiet. (For what it's worth)
User
9 years ago
Thank you. I thought the aluminum fan blades were warping from the heat..
Eric Keenan
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
tdechill - Yeah, mine started out like that, but just got worse and then just plain got unbearable. What you are hearing is some of the metal tines of a fan hitting a fixed metal support. It resonates and is loud. It really does seem to be a construction/engineering oversight, but all things considered, I love my Bluestar. But simply moving the tension washer and a little filing for good measure appears to have solved an issue I have lived with for ages.

Oh, as per a previous comment---I never recommend Loctite on any application that does not require it...and this certainly does not require it. Red locktite means death to the next repairman that tries to fix it and blue is next to death. Yes, I have used loctite on an intake manifold replacement (car), but that is because the manufacturer says I needed to do it.
Eric Keenan
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
alexrander---The fan blades, both oven side and the motor side, are all stamped steel sheet metal and are not made of alumium. Yes, as the oven heats and metal expands, tolerances change and problems can "go away". Mine just got worse over time.
Lee Nguyen
last year
Eric Keenan, thanks for the detailed instructions and comment. I used your method and it fixed my fan!

bluestar convection fan noise

Eric Keenan

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bluestar convection fan noise

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