how can i fix the fan on my belling electric cooker?

If the motor itself has burned out then there is nothing for it but to buy a spare... which seems to come out at something like £70+, but if it's still got life in it, it might just need a thorough clean.

My 4 year old Countrychef Dual-fuel oven fan was tending not to spin up on switch-on, after a while the heat from the element would build up and the fan might then choose to stutter into life. I could urge it into action by poking a skewer through the perforated shroud and giving it a tweak to kick-start it. Time to get serious.

My problem proved to be nothing more than an accumulation of greasy goo on the fan that cools the electric motor. Once cooled this stuff was glueing the motor fan to the 'spider' casting that mounts it to the oven back. This fan rotates between the 3 legs of an aluminium frame that mounts the motor to the back of the cooker, so no amount of cleaning from inside the oven would have any beneficial effect.

1. Switch off the power
2. Remove the screws retaining the shroud that covers the fan inside the oven itself, remove the shroud.
3. With a 10mm spanner or socket remove the domed nut that retains the oven fan. NB: it has a LEFT HAND THREAD
4. Wiggle the fan off of the shaft
5. Drag the cooker out and remove the rear panel behind the fan oven
6. Label the two wires that run power to the fan motor so that you can replace them as you find them. There is also an earth wire. PHOTOGRAPH the arrangement before you start stripping it down.
7. Disconnect the wires
8. remove 3 self-tapping screws that retain the 3-legged 'spider' that mounts the fan to the oven

Now there are two ways forward:
a) just scrape off all the goo you can reach, check that everything spins freely and re-install or
b) strip the motor unit down completely and use Oven Cleaner (Caustic Soda based) to pickle the goo-encrusted bits. There are lots of ways of potentially screwing-up if you do a full motor strip-down. I ended up with the rotation going backwards and had to partially re-do the job!

i) LABEL EVERYTHING, use marker pen, spots of tippex, anything that works for you
ii) PHOTOGRAPH it when marked up
iii) WATCH OUT as you dismantle for lots of little washers and plastic spacers either end of the rotor shaft. Lay them out in order.
iv) Drift the shaft out of the rotor, lay out all the bits and PHOTOGRAPH
v) Clean and reassemble.
vi) If the motor goes backwards partially dismantle, turn the stator thro' 180 degrees and reassemble.

GOOD LUCK ... I just saved myself a pile of cash, you can too!

HEALTH & SAFETY:
Cautic soda attacks aluminium and 'eats' your skin. The 'spider' casting won't suffer too much for a brief exposure and the fan itself being coated steel is pretty safe. If using caustic soda read the user guide on the pack, wear old kit, goggles and rubber gloves. Any eye splashes should be rinsed with flowing cold water for several minutes. Vinegar will help neutralise skin splashes ... just be careful and don't delay washing if you get splashed.

Mike Rochester
March 2009