Follow what John told you. Clockwise is what you want. I see between 2-6 of these every week. John, if the engine has not run much, do not count the fan motor as bad. Spin the impeller by hand to change where the brushes sit on the commutator. Hit the motor with 9 volts for a very short time in each direction. Many motors have been replaced that did not need to be.
John. on the holes I have seen loose motors and you can do a short repair by hitting the screws through the holes. I agree it is stupid. I always do what you do and pull the impeller to see what is going on.
