How to Replace NuTone Bathroom Fan Motor

Turn off the bathroom's circuit breaker.

Grip the sides of the NuTone bathroom fan's louver and pull down until the louver's metal springs open. Squeeze the metal springs and pull down on the louver. This releases the louver from the fan's housing. Set the louver aside.

Remove the finger-tight wing nut holding a NuTone fan/light combination unit's reflector shield to the fan housing, if equipped. Fan-only units do not use a reflector shield. Lower the reflector shield and pull the light's plug from its receptacle. The receptacle mounts to a NuTone fan's housing. Set the shield aside.

Pull the fan's plug from its receptacle, found on the NuTone fan's housing. Fan-only units contain one receptacle and fan/light units have two receptacles.

Remove the fan blower assembly from the Nutone fan housing. If the housing uses a screw to hold the blower assembly in place, remove the screw with a Phillips screwdriver and lower the blower assembly. If the fan assembly uses a locking tab to hold the blower assembly in place, lift up on the assembly and slip a straight-blade screwdriver into the slot on the side of the assembly. Twist the screwdriver's handle and pull down on the blower assembly.

Choose the new motor's assembly plate that matches the original motor's assembly plate. NuTone replacement motors come from the factory with two differently sized assembly plates.

Set the new motor's wheel on a solid surface with the fan motor facing up.

Align the slot on the correct assembly plate with the fan motor's mounting bracket and set the assembly plate onto the fan motor. The fan motor's two threaded studs slide through the two holes near the center of the assembly plate. The specification label on the assembly plate should face up.

Spin the NuTone fan motor's locking nuts onto the threaded studs. Tighten the locking nuts against the assembly plate with the manufacturer-supplied wrench.

Route the fan motor's wire through the hole in the assembly plate.

Position the new fan motor assembly under the fan housing with the motor's wheel facing up. Rotate the assembly plate until the side with two tabs meets with the side of the housing with two slots. Press the fan motor assembly into the fan housing. Either snap the assembly plate's single locking tab -- the tab that the straight-blade screwdriver turned during disassembly -- into place or insert the locking screw into its hole and tighten the screw with the Phillips screwdriver.

Insert the fan motor's electrical plug into the NuTone fan's receptacle.

Insert the light's plug into the remaining receptacle, if equipped. Hold the reflector shield against the fan assembly and finger-tighten the wing nut. Do not over-tighten the wing nut.

Squeeze the louver's metal springs and slide the ends of the springs into the slots on the side of the NuTone fan's housing. Release the springs. Push the louver against the ceiling.