Yes, it is the bearing. The offending bearing can sometimes be lubricated
by drilling a hole in the firewall in the exact location of the bearing.
Google mullendore port to find the articles.

This is only a temporary fix. To replace the motor you must pull the dash.
No big deal, really, though much has been said about it. You can easily
find complete instructions for doing it.

Jim

On Tue, Feb 28, 2017 at 2:04 PM Kk Al <kkalnsf@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello All,
> The front heater motor is making a metallic screeching sound more
> frequently and on all but max speed now.
> I assume the bearing is kaput.  Does this mean the motor needs to be
> replaced and can in be done without removing the dashboard?
>