my fan went out

i have a 1990 240DL

if i leave the vent on i still get heat,
but even if i could turn it to 11, i get no response
no air blows
and the car stays uncomfortably cold.

how much is a replacement?
or is there something else going on?

(before, when i ran the fan it was making a grindy squeeling noise most of the time)

 

Bad news. There's basically three solutions: (1) the chain saw method, (2) the yard sale method, and (3) the Volvo dealer. The Volvo dealer has about 4.2 man-hours listed for replacing the blower motor. That's $462 in San Diego, for labor. The parts are about $200. So figure $700-$800 to have the dealer do it. A little cheaper from an independent. But I wouldn't allow a non-Volvo tech to do it.

Here's Art Benstein's page on the yard sale method.

http://cleanflametrap.com/

Good luck. Take your time. Remove the driver's seat. Label all the nuts, bolts, and wires.

 

In reading this an idea popped into my head...
Since you say you still have heat, all you are lacking is something to push the air around:

What about rigging up a small electric fan (or a few) at certain beneficial points inside the heating ducting to serve as air pushers for the time being? Computer fans come to mind, they might be able to fit in the small places.

Just an idea for a non-$800 repair...