Hi John

My guess would be a dirty commutator and/or worn or dirty brushes.

Is the motor fully enclosed?  Or can you see the commutator and brushes?

There are cleaner sticks that can be used for cleaning commutators and seating brushes without disassembly (if you can reach in there) like these:

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I've never used one, but they are supposed to work.

However, if the brushes are sufficiently worn, they will need to be replaced.

Another bit of maintenance that might be needed is a drop or two of clean motor oil on the fan motor bearings.

Stovblt's post and my post also apply to the little electric motor that drives all ahooga horns. 😉

Dean

For a small automotive heater motor, the best oil to use is typically a light, non-detergent oil like a 3-in-1 oil or sewing machine oil as these are designed to penetrate the small bearings in the motor without being too thick.

Appreciate all the advice!  Does the front cover of the heater snap on/off to inspect?

@steve-d 

I agree with you Steve regarding the oil being light for penetration.  👍

But I actually prefer a good detergent oil as it also contains rust inhibitors.

I like the 0W-16 oil now being recommended for several modern Toyotas.  🙂

@john-schneider 

I can only really guess, but my guess would be... yes.

In searching the internet for pictures of your heater, it looks like there is a raised lip at the rear top of the cover as in the image below.

I'd start by gently prying or pulling there.

Thanks @stovblt. Great picture.  I had pulled up the February 2005 article and it has pics of the unit but I missed the tab.  I’ll see if I can gently pull the cover off.  Thanks again

I pulled the tab at the top and it came free.  Cleaned it up, removed blade and cleaned that up and shaft along with inside of box.  Added some 3-1 as I had that.  Seems to be spinning faster now listening and watching before and after.  Appreciate the help!