you're welcome. So we're talkin electric fans. You're right, it should spin freely. Trace the wires from the fan motor to find the electric disconnect plug. The fan shroud (the whole fan assembly ) is typically attached with 4 bolts, 1 in each corner. After removing the assembly, you'll find 2 or 4 nuts/bolts holding the motor in place. You'll most probably have to remove the fan blade from the motor shaft, but before doing so, mark its position on the shaft, so you know how far it's supposed to slide on. It's normally attached with a speed nut ( a cheap, crummy, one use nut). But if you carefully twist and wiggle it off with needle nose pliers , you can reuse it