Midea U-Shaped Air Conditioner Teardown & Repair: Blower Clean, Fan noise fix, Motor replacement
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2023
- I have been really happy with my Midea U-Shaped Air Conditioner until the thing started making a really annoying hum any time the fan was going. Customer service told me to get bent when I tried to take advantage of the warranty, so I tried to live with the noise until I couldn’t stand it anymore and finally took action.
Please engage with the video/account so that other Midea owners looking to do their own repairs can find this easier.
** I have just been informed that many Danby U-shaped ACs are rebadged versions of this unit **
If you have any notes, ideas, or better methods please comment below!
Link to the replacement motor I used: amzn.to/3rgVeoo 
Хобби
For tight spaces, they make screwdrivers that are under 3 inches long at any hardware store.
Phillips head/driver tips come in at least three weird hole sizes.
For those tight spaces, if you use a magnetic driver, and the screw is aluminum or plastic, take a tiny piece of tape, wrap it around the screw and the driver, so it holds the driver tighter than the screw. When you screw it in, the tape will stick to the driver. I discovered that idea while working in tight, deep computer spaces.
That damn noise! It sounds like Cicadas! ~~ THANK YOU!! ❤
All excellent tips, thank you.
Cicada's Exactly!
Thanks for the video. I broke my blower fan by putting a thermometer to far into the opening. I was able to buy a new one for 19.99 and with this video had it up and running within an hour. One tip I have is that I did not have to remove the entire plastic housing around the fan blade. I took all the screws out and was able to open in enough from the top to remove old fan and install replacement. This saved a lot of trouble of having to get the bottom of the housing lined up and probably knocked 15 minutes off the job.
Great DIY video, with 19k views it seems you helped a lot of people with what is most likely a common failure on those units. Congrats!
A tip I would like to share with everyone regarding the lubrication of parts encased in plastic - Only use pure silicone grease when lubricating plastic parts, or plastic parts with metal shafts. Pure silicone grease is completely inert to the majority of plastics and rubber, that is it will not erode or harden them. Petroleum based grease will cause damage to plastic over time, and the damage will be irreparable. Lithium and white lithium grease is petroleum based as well.
You can find pure silicone grease in many places. The plumbing aisle of any hardware store will have food grade silicone grease for faucet O-ring grease. A 1/2 ounce tube will cost maybe 5 dollars and last a long time for homeowner use. Use it grease plastic gears, that shaft of the fan where it enters the plastic bushing, and you can even put a small amount on every electrical connector in that AC unit to make sure water dirt and moisture will never contaminate those connections, making them easier to remove in the future. You can use food grade silicone grease on hose connections for garden hoses, washers and what not ensuring they will come apart easily years from now.
Also, while you have everything open, a good quality can of coil cleaner can be bought for less than 10 dollars. While working on an AC unit take the time to hit the inside and outside coils with coil cleaner and a light rinse, the coil cleaner will remove fine dirt that starts to reduce the unit efficiency, and has corrosion inhibitors that will prevent/treat all the different metals and solder of a coil assembly against oxidation.
I just finished the motor replacement and this video was very helpful. Especially with the link to the correct motor on Amazon and the hidden screw that comes in from the back side of the blower housing. I'd would have never found that screw without your help.
The fan shaft setscrew was a bear but my drill-driver got it out with the light impact.
Thank you so much for your video! After much research I bought one of these used, and after hearing the noise when turned on I know why they sold it(supposedly moving to central air apt). Your video was fantastic, and such a huge help while I replaced the motor yesterday. You saved me a lot of worry and money as I am a do it myself person. Also a thumbs up for videoing this at the same time as the repair. Very talented. 😊
Love to hear a story like this! Glad to help!
The troubleshooting table in back of the installation manual says to expect a bit of noise at startup, very quiet after. But sounds like that used unit might've been way noisier than that.
Awesome achievement! I'm exhausted (also watched it at 2x speed). Thanks!
Not a bad idea, honestly
I haven't even bought the unit yet but thank you for this. Good to know that it's repairable by a layman like myself.
Thank you for this video. Considering you had to record by yourself while working - you did an awesome job AND you showed everything I was hoping to see AND gave many useful tips. A+ DIY
Thank you!
Thank you so much! Just finished the motor replacement and I'm so relieved to have my quiet a/c back!
It makes SUCH a difference! Glad you pulled it off!
That was an excellent video breakdown brother. Exactly what I needed to tackle this to clean the fan blade. Thank You.
Very well done--I love when a gutsy hack succeeds! I have one of these installed waiting for summer temps. I got an asurion 3-year plan but if they ever tell me to "get bent" I now feel comfortable I can get to the squirrel cage for mold abatement or motor replacement in a pinch. I know I'll break some clips and strip a screw or two but you've helpfully shown here it's doesn't seem to be an issue.
Yeah, seems they knew people would take it apart and made it so it'd still work perfectly if a tab is broken or screw missing. Mine hasn't lost a step.
Thanks much for sharing,, thats a heck of an effort to open and put back together but its worth it. You are correct today repair of these unit is costly
Yeah, getting somebody actually qualified to do it costs almost as much as getting a new unit. Fortunately I was able to find this part and managed not to mess it up, which I'm still pretty surprised by!
Thank you very much. Watching from the Philippines. I got the same problem with the blower noise.
This unit seems very popular in the Phillippines - lot of videos from there about this.
thanks, very helpful and clear instructions
Thank you
Very well done. Thankyou for taking the time to make this video!
It took a while, but I'm glad it can help people.
HUGE thank you for this breakdown. I didn’t have a motor issue but I did need to do a really deep clean. When I finally got to the fan, it was covered in mold 🤢 But your vid helped so much, especially your tips on the tabs and wires. Really appreciate it!
Glad to help!
I'm thankful that I purchased by mistake the standard Midea air conditioner now.
Honestly it's not that hard and when it's working great the unit is unbelievably quiet.
Thank you very much. Super helpful!!!
Thank you so much for this vid! planning to try this one to!
Good luck!
I used your video to clean my unit and the instructions are very clear. Thank you.
Glad to hear it, thank you.
You are a legend, this video is more helpful than anything Midea shared with me. I was quoted $300 for someone to clean it and able to do it on my own thanks to you! Really appreciate that you took time to share all of that with us.
that being said, my hands are bleeding and I am left with two screws hahaha. I am not looking forward to doing this again next year.
@@julienbenatar howlong did ittake?
I felt this was a better way to deal with my frustrating than posting a negative Amazon review (especially since overall I do like the unit)
@@julienbenatar Having had to do this a number of times (to explore, to get part number, try other fixes, etc) I promise this gets easier and easier every time (partially because the stiff parts aren't so stiff any more) that said, I will randomly find myself having an extra screw.
seeing lots of people complain about these things after only a few years... and those plastic clips man.. those wont last 4 servicings before they are all busted up and the things rattling.... great build quality
This unit is such a pain in the ass to take apart. And like most mini split systems, they accumulate way more mold and debris than a standard unit. I blame the squirrel cage blower and how close it is to the coils, picking up moisture. I know most people will frown upon this but I’ve cleaned the blower and coils without taking the unit apart fully, and using a hand steam cleaner. Just need to be careful with the blower and the motor but it works when it’s mid summer and 95 degrees and you don’t want to take the unit apart completely.
Thanks for this video though!
Getting the casing off, and some of the latches are the hardest part (esp when putting it back together) and the cable connections if you're not familiar with how they work. That said it is doable! I wouldn't have thought about using the steam cleaner to get in there, but it's an interesting idea! I haven't had any mold problems (fingers crossed) so hopefully it will never come to that!
The hand steam cleaner is a great idea. My unit is only a month old, but I'll try that when needed. Is there a particular one you own? I've never had one.
@@nickrobinsonisthedev I have this ac unit, do I need to clean the blower... My problem is my ac unit has some kind of funky musty type of smell and my room is clean ( it only does it when its on eco mode and it switches to verrry low speed ). When I looked it up every site says its mold/mildew, and that can't be because I live in bone dry ass phoenix arizona where the summers stay at like 110 for about 6 months.
/ I just sprayed the front and back with cleaning spray, waited till it was dry and turned it on and don't smell nothing.
/ aww f*** left it on for about hour and now I'm smelling it again. Its gotta be the condenser or something. 🤬🤬
@xdarthpool6463 Try shining a flashlight on the blower fan and see if you can see anything. I had the same kind of smell, and sure enough, there was mildew growing on the blower fan. I live on the coast in Florida, so humidity is rarely below 80% and I sorta expected some issues. Seems to be fine if I manually turn it on and off and prevent it running the fan for hours.
My unit started making this noise about 2 months after purchase, and the blower just quit today. Will be trying this soon!
At 2 months their warranty should've covered it, but I, personally, did not find their customer service people useful. There's a link to the motor in the description of this video. Mine is still going strong and QUIET!!!
Hi,... Nice job, thanks for doing that. I just bought mine and love it too. I know I will have to get into it sooner or later... Hopefully later... One comment, was waiting to hear the new motor just after old noise motor , sort of a side by side comparison.... Overall fantastic job.... Thank you sir!!!
Ugh. I should have done that. Didn't think of it at the time. I was really just hoping for the thing to be a put it together and see that it works sort of thing. It's pretty dang quiet, I'll tell you that.
You saved me! thank you so much for this, I have my AC back in perfect working order again!
Perfect! Stay cool!
Thank you for the video very helpful. A few things to point I didnt have to rip the side protector nor break the top tabs. Pro tip use some toothpics to stick on all the tabs after pushing them, starting with the top ones. Then you just pull the whole backpannel off in one go.
Wouldn't that make the front barely stick on - or am I not understanding?
Awesome job on the video man! After 3 years mine is making the exact same noise. Now I know where to get the motor. I did clean the blower last year by taking off the front flap and reaching inside, but you can't reach all of it. It was pretty coated with crap because I live in a dusty area. I think this is what causes the motor to start whistling due to the blower getting out of balance. In the app you can manually set the fan speed and I found that around 40% helps it to be less noisy.
Also a ratcheting screw driver will help get to the tight places like in the back. A putty knife and some plastic wedges will help with the separation at the tabs. Cheers!
Hmm. My area isn't super dusty, but who knows. I have no idea what happened to the motor, I figured just wear and tear.
Thank you! I looked at recent Amazon reviews and they are all bad. Returned and broken units are the norm. I have a 20 year old Kenmore window unit that works as well as the day I bought it. It’s as loud as it is reliable. I’m looking at the GE saddle unit too.
You could have unplugged or crushed the beeper while you were in there like I’ve had to do to both of my window units since the dog hates beeping! 😂
Interesting. Besides this issue I have not had a problem with it and like I mentioned in the video, the noise factor was EXTREMELY important. I'm sure the Kenmore is great, but a newer unit (by anybody) will probably pay for itself in electricity costs in no time at all. As for the beeping - you can turn it off in the app.
I helped my girlfriend install her Midea-U today, but a minute after the unit was turned on, error code 07 appeared on the display. Midea does not list error messages online or in the instruction manual, but Amazon explains the problem that many people have had. A piece of black vibration dampening material is wrapped around the 2 copper pipes next to the condenser coil fan (the section of the unit outside the window). If the material extends too far, it will prevent the condenser coil fan blade from turning, causing an error code 07 . In order to make the unit functional and prevent the error code 07, remove the top cover from the outside portion of the unit (3 screws on top, 2 screws on each side and 3 screws in the front. To remove the 3 front screws, a stubby screwdriver is necessary). On the left side, by the compressor are 2 copper pipes with the black material between the pipes. Trim or push the black material away from the fan blade so it spins freely, then install the cover and screws. It is easiest to test the unit before installing it in the window to be sure it functions properly so you can make the repair if needed. The fan on the inside part of the unit did not have a problem and worked normally.
I hope google indexes this so that people who need to know can find it!
Dude im going to try this I have the same problem
For cleaning the blowers, there's an easier way without removing the blades. Just get yourself a large nylon straw cleaner and some pressurized water bottle. Remove the blower louvers (large one is attached at the sides and small ones pop right off), then use a flat head to remove the metal grate (note remove the bottom attachments first and then slide up. The top middle grate is really hard to remove). Once you have access to the fan blades, spritz with soapy water (maybe some Oxygen bleach) and then mechanically remove mold with the straw cleaners. Once done, rinse off with more water and let air dry with the front open. Be sure to catch the water that comes out the from the bottom.
Interesting. I will give that a try if I need to!
I m going to try this method. My blower is gross
Good video
Thank you for the complete break down. Just what I needed . Thank you again.
Glad to help
Thank you! great video!
Thank you
I just did a cleanup with the Midea Duo portable AC (I haven't done it yet on my U shape yet... but will soon). It's more involving on that unit compared to the u-shape model when i look at the vids online. It took about 5 hours I'd say, maybe longer. Just my opinion for anyone reading this but if you're going to go through all the hassle of tearing this down I think you really should go blade by blade on the squirrel cage cleanup. I ran mine for just 2 summers and it was really gross. There's no way, NO WAY, that simple water with no pressure is going to clean that up. It's really embedded on the blades. The undersides as well will likely be filthy. Compressed air does nothing as well. It really needs agitation and something physical hitting it and brushing it off.
Excellent tip
nice work man!
Thanks
hello Nick - so helpful - quick question; i have dust caked on the coils (front unit) what is the best way to clean it?
Try a canned air with the straw on it.
The rubber piece on the end of the squirrel cage fan is not a stopper, it is a bearing that supports the fan shaft. When the lubricant in the bearing is depleted, it will start to make noise and the shaft may stop spinning. You can add oil to some bearings or just install a new one.
Fortunately I added some lubricant in my first (failed) attempt to fix the noise!
Does this thing drain outside ??? How does that work out , just ordered a 12000 btu model and hoping water doesn’t puddle on the window seal
Yup. Drips in the back
Excellent video. Have you attempted to disassemble the outside chunk? I believe that is the condenser, it's gotta get filthy with all the pollen and dirt we have.
How often do you clean the squirrel cage fan?
Fortunately I haven't had the need to. Although I imagine since it stays out during the rain you could run a hose over it
Fire extinguisher... lol. What confidence.
Can never be too careful!
You can straighten the bent aluminum fins by using a fin comb. They are available online. The combs are color coded to match the number of fins per inch, so be sure the comb you use matches the fins on your unit.
Is it going to be worth the effort?
Hey do you know where I could get the control board for it MAW12V1QWT? It was damaged and I've been trying to source the part
Sadly I don't. I was really lucky to get the motor. Maybe try ebay?
Not crazy about that unit, both my neighbor and I bought a 12k unit. I don't think it blows enough air for the btu rating. Mine started to make a whining noise more detectable at low speed. I was luckier than you, they asked me to send a sound file and the engineers who listened said it was abnormal and they let me get a refund. I had wanted to keep it and I contacted them saying is there anything I can do to fix this thing? I had it in so securly. I have to say, I have installed many many ACs and this was by far the harderst. What a pain. First they told me to take it back to Home Depot, HD said what? Even though I had authorization from Midea. So Midea refunded and I am donating the unit. Replacing it with an LG dual inverter which is not a U shape. The U shape supposedly lets you use the window but no one is going to use that feature, you have to put insulation around it to keep critters and drafts out.
Home Depot sucks, I had the same issue years ago but with a noisy LG window ac, I called LG and they agreed to refund me and told me to return it to Home Depot, when I get there carrying that heavy AC they were refusing to take it back, saying I have to deal with LG directly, had to talk to a manager and waste an hour as they argued with LG on the phone, finally they agreed to take it back and refund me...
Last night I had arrived at the decision NOT to buy a unit like this.. I just knew it would be a cluster to get apart and clean the blower and the evaporator coils. Mold is not something you want to be breathing. Now I will save this video for later because A/C season is almost over around here..
I know you said that you didn't know about the outside portion, but when it gets cool outside you might want to explore (and video for us) that to see how much dirt / dust / pollen is packed into the condenser, I do not know if you can see into the back part well enough to really know what it looks like..
Thanks for taking the time to do the video.
Personally I have never had a mold problem. Not in the slightest. The blower in this video is pretty much the same as the first time I pulled it out about a week ago (I cleaned it then, but it was wasn't really dirty, pretty much the same as seen here). Overall the unit is pretty good, works efficiently, and most of all is QUIET when the motor isn't malfunctioning.
I took the ladder out and shot a video of what the outside portion looks like, for how much I can see in: ruclips.net/video/wqItlrPwbEQ/видео.html
Did you ever find a reset button? I’d like to try to factory reset the unit back to factory settings. I find it’s not working as good as it did when I first bought it. All the coils and fins are clean. I keep a wattage meter on the plug to see how many watts it uses. When it was new it would go up to about 1,200 watts but now it stays around 320 watts and sometimes 430 ish watts. If I could trick it and make it run full blast it would be awesome. But being it’s a smart Energy efficient unit it kinda sucks. I can keep it at 60 on cool on fan on high and still 320 watts. No Eco on and boost on.
There's a temperature sensor near the USB wifi thing. If it thinks inside temperature is cool it will throttle down. But obviously front of unit is cold!.
@@Crunchifyable2 I seen that one I put the unit on boost and 60 on cool. I put the sensor in hot water 117 degrees and it still didn't kick up. still ran @ 320 watts.
No, found nothing of the sort. I don't know that it holds onto any information like that. You could try taking the thermometer out of the unit and place it somewhere else, like outside maybe.
My problem was the fan was really dirty. Now that I cleaned it it’s running back about 1100 watts.
My downstairs one i got 3 years ago does this, I have 2 more upstairs that are perfectly quiet. It is also one thats been ran more then the rest though...
Everything is going to run down the more you use it - everything is designed to be disposable, just depends on the time frame.
U Used The 13W or 20W Motor ???
Got The 12K BTU Version Of This AC, So Far So Good.
Thanks For The Awesome Video.
I used the one I linked... I found it by searching some of the codes on the old one.
6:06 i know DIY repair voids warranty. Does just opening that void warranty?
Mine is making a noise and then it trips the breaker 😭 I can’t find any trouble shooting videos . Thank you for this video
Yikes. I've not had mine trip the breaker. Make sure the fan is going in the front AND the back, and look to see how dirty everything is.
0:45 Thanks for the warn, i will not drill. instead i'll make sure it dips more to the outside.
Is this the same motor for the 8k - 12k model?
Yes it is
Thank you for this video! After enduring months of noise, I finally repaired my AC this weekend using it as a guide.
There was some other video that I had bookmarked a while back which suggested using a washer to remediate the motor noise issue but it was pulled by the poster. Also, I couldn't remove the squirrel cage fan from the motor without fear of damage so I replaced it as well. Maybe some Liquid Wrench would help with that.
I tried that method at first - wasn't the source of my issue and it ended up putting pressure on the rubber stopper at the end of the squirrel cage. Ended up wearing it down a bit for me and giving the smell of burnt rubber.
does this ac pull outside air inside? or does it recirculate inside air?
I think it pulls outside air since there's a big unit on the outside.
Funny, Amazon has subscription option on this motor. Recommended every month.
Amazing. Hope nobody needs it that much!
You might want to invest in auto trim tools
Not quite sure what those are. I'm just a normal dude, not super handy.
Also..... Please put link to motor purchase in notes.... I think this is allowed by utube. Thanks...
It is already there!
Tip, you don't need to remove the screw from inside the blue blower fan, just loosen it a bit
That is a great tip, I wish I had thought of that!
I think I'm just gonna get a Mr cool mini-split.
I need to replace the blower fan, 12100102000658 Cross Flow Fan,
IS it possible to get the old fan out and install the new one while it's still mounted, ie sitting in place in the window ?
Is there enough clearance ?
If it's the fan in the inside section yes
@@nickrobinsonisthedev it's the blue "blower cage" part I have to replace
I stuck a thermometer probe into it while it was running, not thinking, broke some fins, its out of balance now and really😕 annoying
@@hab0barbosa Yes. I've seen that on sale somewhere but unfortunately can't remember where. You won't have to take the unit out of the window to replace it. Getting to it is the hardest part.
@@nickrobinsonisthedev great - thanks very much - I have the part, it took a while to get back in stock, last fall....
about the stripping screws, and needing to tape, I would maybe try, gaffers tape, it's very sturdy,
Mine doesn't want to turn on.
That could be anything.
Customer service told me to get bent when I tried to take advantage of the warranty,
Yeah, I didn't get any traction with them either. Shame it's such a great unit, but the company is lousy. Fortunately it's easier to repair than I thought.
This looks easy compared to replacing the condenser motor. Have to take the front off to get to the plug for the motor.
Yeah, the back I don't know anything about... yet
@@nickrobinsonisthedev It's a nightmare, the plug comes on the new motor, goes down thru a metal channel to the same spot the blower motor hooks up, there's no way to pull that wire out with the plug on it and a new one back in, not enough slack in the wire to pull the motor out without pulling the wire out. I'm looking for pin pullers so I can disconnect the plug off the wire.
@@rodburkes8950 Oof. Praying mine holds.
So your inside fan motor wasn’t working
My outside fan motor isn’t working
Are both a direct replacement
Thank you
EC 07 code on my unit
Compressor makes a noise but outside fan never turns on
Is there anyone that can help??
@@user-hh2xv5zk5i Sadly I don't know any more than is in the video.
Good job but wash the front plastic cover lol😊
You'll be happy to know that I have since.
yo man @nickrobinsonisthedev thanks for this video so much im about to tear mine down. luckily i have no motor issues. not so lucky i didnt tip the unit back far enough now the blue blower is BLACK with mold... couldnt figure out how to get inside to the blower fan. at 34:50 i saw what seemed like a few mold spots left that although are now probably dead from the cleaners, will give some meat for new gross stuff to cling to. im going to try and avoid the electronics whilst submerging my fan blades in a bucket with a bleach solution and go the nuclear option on those little suckers. ill let you know if it goes catastrophically wrong :) p.s. you know of any SAFE... emphasis on SAFEEEEEE mold inhibitors to treat these surfaces with? thats gonna be my next rabbit hole to dive down before i inevitably have to clean it again next year.
Yeah, I gave it a decent cleaning off-camera, think it might have just been dirt. I wish I knew of a safe mold inhibitor - if you find one, please report back!
Did it with out a single Clio broken lol
I'm still in disbelief.
@nickrobinsonisthedev apologies, back ground when I saw his video and the mentio of those clips being broken I grabbed my phone repair kit and though those clips bout to pop.
I took my plastic clip popper placed it in the crack between the two that are held together created tension on the clip but not a lot, then I took my second plastic clip popper and pushed down on the clip from above till it popped out of socket.
I work with micro eletronics as a hobby and find plenty of puzzles like this fun don't get me wrong if it's that much of a challenge I'll make a video in a month when I do it again
@@christopherscarborough5138 please do!
Overall fantastic job...you need a tripod lol
Thanks. I have one for the phone but it kinda sucks. Needed to move around a lot anyhow.
It’s a leaf a roach or something dragging on the squill cage fan. 😂 compressed air works the best.
Ha. I wish it were that easy.
WAY TOO HARD TO TEAR DOWN, AND EVERYONE WILL NEED TO B/C IT COLLECTS SO MUCH GRIME ON THE BLOWER WHEEL AND STARTS SMELLING LIKE MOLD/MILDEW AND IT IS NASTY. WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THIS UNIT FOR THAT REASON.
My experience has not been quite the same. Never smelled anything like that.
you seem kinda cute
I have phorid flies living and breeding in my unit, and I'm about to LOSE MY MIND. I've had the front of it wrapped in a trash bag for a week hoping to break the life cycle, but we're hitting mid-90s these days, and it's rough in this room.
Starting to think the only solution will be to try to disassemble and sanitize what I can, but I don't think I can do all of this. 🥲 Thank you for showing me how if I attempt to try, though.
Easier than it looks, I promise.