I was able to remove mine in one piece. I used my frame end caps that I cut off, perfect size to fit two opposite each other and inserted underneath and snug all the way to the shaft. I was able to pry it up from both sides putting the pressure across the entire diameter of the fan (x2) and as close to the shaft as possible. This allowed me to put the most amount of lifting force with as little flexing of the fan as possible.

I would get it to move up a hair on the shaft, drop some oil on it then push it back down to lube the shaft on its way up. Did this about 20+ times moving a lil bit more each time. This part prol took a good solid 20-30 min of back and forth.

The job was pretty easy, hardest part was having the patience not to exert too much force. I could see how this would be more challenging if not impossible on a rusty truck, mine has very little.

So while was possible for me, it was a delicate procedure and I was prepared to be without a fan if I broke it. That said it was an easy choice since I was ready to drive off a cliff to make the chirping go away. Happy to report it's been silent ever since.

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I don't think I have the patience to try it. But, thanks for sharing how you went about it.


Ruff

I did this last week. No more annoying sound!

Did this today...cleaned out a bunch of pine needles.

I skipped the cleaning step and just bought a new one. Amazon.com: TYC 700061 Toyota 4 Runner Replacement Front Blower Assembly: Automotive
Kept the old one as a spare. The only difference I can tell so far (besides the quiet fan) is when I use the window washer fluid. Seems like now all the smell of the fluid comes right into the cab. Don't remember that ever being an issue before.

Same deal with me. Mine was making a noise like a bike with a baseball card in the spokes. Turns out it was a sticker that had come loose from another part of the assembly. Dropped it down, fished it out, blew it clean, and popped back in. 15 minutes and all was well.

My son's '96 was making weird noise and clicking noise. Pulled it out to find it 1/3 full of old insulation from an old farm house near hunting club. (Field mice I guess). Cleaned it out and running fine. Wish we'd done it two years ago. Forgot to take pictures. Took us about 25 mins start to finish. Pretty easy for young person to contort and get to bolts and pull side kick panel. Did not remove glove box.

The other day my AC started to make a grinding sound, which progressed to a high pitched shriek, so following the instructions in this thread I removed the blower assembly. There was a buildup of grime on the fan, but otherwise it was empty. Unfortunately this meant the problem was internal, I suspect a bearing, so I could either 1) buy a new one, 2) try to fix it, fail, and then buy a new one.

What I did was weave a piece of string around the circumference of the fan, alternating between the inner and outer radius every 2-3 blades. For each "stitch" on the inner radius, instead of pulling it tight I created a loop of slack that reached to approximately the other side. By then joining together each of these loops at their apex, it created something of a cradle underneath the upper rim of the fan.

I took the attached picture right after I successfully removed the fan. I don't have access to a sufficiently large vise to hold things in place, so I sat in a chair and held it between my feet. The housing has a lip that extends beyond the edge of the fan, so by placing my feet on this lip and pulling the strings towards myself I was pulling the fan off of its spindle. The blue rope in the top of the photo bundled together all of the lines to provide a better hand hold.

As I started pulling I adjusted the slack to make sure the force was evenly distributed around perimeter, and then I gradually increased the tension. I had to pull pretty hard to get things moving, but eventually it started to slip, first a few mm, than a cm, and then it popped right off.

With the fan off you can see inside the fan motor, and unfortunately mine had a fair amount of rust (I live near the ocean, and the salt air wreaks havoc with hvac). The rust had basically fused the motor to the black plastic housing, but at least removing the fan exposes the innards of the motor. I cleaned out the insides with compressed air and lubricated all the moving parts in sight.

After that I reassembled, reinstalled, and fired it up. The squeal is gone, although it does seem a bit louder. Considering all the rust it will probably fail again soon, but at least for today things are working again.

****While this worked for me the standard disclaimer applies: I make no guarantees and assume no liability if you try this yourself.

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I'll keep that in mind if it acts up again; the sound is piercing enough that I'll be more than happy to kick it.

Apparently people more skilled then I rebuild these electric motors. According to that page Toyota considers them sealed, and I couldn't see how to disassemble it without destroying it.

Remove 4 screws at bottom door seal
Remove Kick panel
Remove electrical connector from motor
Remove 3 8mm screw bolts A swivel is needed for the back one
Drop the motor out

Remove Debris then hose off with water hose Let Dry

Reinstall in reverse order

This is what i found in mine! Poor little guys.......

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almost barfed.

I felt them before I saw them

So how'd they taste?

I'm thinking like beef jerky but with a little crunch...eh?

I once found a litter in my Springer's Kibble drum. I just included them in his dinner. He loved them.