maxgoddess

I bought my 97 Max 1 1/2 years ago, and lately I've noticed some very strange noises. Does anybody have any ideas?

1. After I turn off the car, especially after the long commute home, there is this cyclical hum coming from somewhere in the rear of the car. Almost like something is turning itself off and on, repeatedly. I haven't found anything that turns it off, but after the car is 'cold', the noise is gone.

2. There is a squeak in the ac/heat fan that drives me INSANE. The previous owner said the same thing happened to him, he had the dealer replace it, and apparantly it was good for a while - but the problem has returned. Have there been any recalls or service notes on this that anyone knows of? I'm out of warranty, and my fear is that they'll have to pull the dash to fix it. From my experience, that could get very expensive.

3. There is a creak somewhere around the right-hand side of the dash when I turn the car. At first I thought it was the dashboard itself, but I've wiggled it around and can't reproduce. Could this really be somewhere around the front axle or suspension?

I loooooove my Maxima, but the ghosties are making me crazy. Please help!

Daniel B. Martin

Idea #1) A cracked A/C housing.
The blower motor is mounted to a plastic duct or housing. There may be a small crack in that housing which squeaks under certain conditions. Test for this possibilty by running the blower and when the squeak is heard, use your hand or foot to press gently on the blower motor. If the sound immediately vanishes that is a sign of a crack. The remedy is to find the crack and goop it up real well with a sealer of some kind. Products such as silicon rubber RTV or Welder or Shoe Goo would do the job.

Idea #2) The blower motor needs lubrication.
Remove the blower motor so you can bench test it. Use a pair of fused test leads to supply 12 volts directly from the battery. If the blower motor shrieks, it probably has dry bearings. Being a thrifty sort, I would always try to rehabilitate the old motor rather than install a replacement. Blower motors typically don't have ball bearings; the armature shaft spins in sintered bronze bearings. You may be able to lubricate them and give that blower motor a new lease on life. Use a light lubricant such as 3-in-1 electric motor oil.

Eric L.

1) Can't help you on the humming noise...if it's coming from the trunk area, I can think of two things...power antenna or maybe the fuel pump. My guess would be the power antenna isn't retracting properly and the motor tries to pull and pull until it gets cold enough for whatever it was that expanded in the heat to contract again.

2) The squeaking blower motor is a classic 4th gen Maxima problem. I had that problem and the dealer replaced it under the 3yr/36k warranty. If you are out of warranty, then you are out of luck. The blower unit costs $190 from Nissan. Try Dan Martin's suggestions and see if they help.


3) I had a creaking noise whenever I made right turns too. At first I thought it was the suspension. Had it checked out...nothing wrong. Then I thought it as a dash rattle, but the strange thing is that it only happened on turns. It wasn't a chatter, like a CV joint, and it had me completely stumped. I recently got into an accident where I bent a rim...repair shop told me I had a bent "intermediate exhaust pipe". They repaired it, and the squeaking noise is now gone. So that may be the same problem you have...get it checked out...


Hope that helps.

NOR_97GXE

I have noticed the same humming noise after shutting down the car after a long drive. I have found that if you open the gas cap and let the prssure escape it goes away. I'm not really sure what is going on? I guess it is just equalizing the pressure. Good luck with other problems as I seem to have similar ones

V8SNIPER

The noise from the blower motor under the dash is the brushes on the motor itself. Nissan makes a noise dampner, which is basically a cover that goes over the blower motor itslef. That is a lot cheaper than buying another blower motor and can be installed in maybe..30 seconds. UNplug the motor and place the cover over the blower motor. The cover has double sided tape already on it.
Humming noise from the rear could be the antenna mast broken inside the motor.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Humming noize iz from antenna........

Wayne

I get the same Humming noise, It's not cumming for the antenna.It sound like some kind of sensor turn on and off.It lasts about 10 min and goes away. Have not to this day found out what it is.

humaras

From the post here, I am curious about the first item about the "humming noise after the long commute."
Well, from my own personal experiences with my Maxima and previous car (93 V6 Camry)-- I have observed a "clicking" or "ticking" noise from the car. I think that is due to the heat from the exhaust and the noise usually disappears after the car has cooled.

I am not sure if that is the same noise that you are referring to--and I am pretty sure that noise is fairly common in most Japanese cars after they have been driven awhile. That same noise was in my Camry and a few Lexuss (plural = LexI??) where when driven for a some time there is a clicking noise from the exhaust system.

any thoughts on this?

SMX

I get the click noies also, but I know what that is. This is not the same as the Humming

humaras

SMX--
since you getting the clicking noise in your car--do you know what that noise is? and how long have you had that noise for?

do you get it after driving the car for a period of time and when it is hot?

sx7r

iTrader: (15)

to figure out if the humming noise is from the fuel pump, turn your key to ON without starting the car. the fuel pump will turn on for a few seconds to bring up the fuel pressure so you can start the car. listen and see if it's the same humming noise.

Cumalot

iTrader: (8)

I am having a similiar problem in my car now. The squeak, it almost sounded like something was loose, right? That what mine sounded like. I thought it the squeak came from either my head unit or something in my engine bay was loose. Checked both, it wasn't the head unit, and all the nuts/bolts seem to be tightened in the engine bay. I still get the annoying squeaks. I hope it's not the blower because my warranty has passed.

goldmax

The humming noise is normal...mine does it all the time. Sounds like something groaning off and on. My guess is that it is fuel pump related. My next door neighbor also have the same noise. The dealer said it wasn't a problem.

Daniel B. Martin

You don't have to guess. You can find out. Fuse #32 (15 amps) serves the fuel pump. When you hear that sound, pull the fuse. The sound should cease immediately. If it doesn't, it's not coming from the fuel pump.

humaras

the clicking noise that some people are having after driving the car for some time, is that normal and is a result of the metal getting hot? It just sounds like metal is clicking after a long drive--and I have heard it in other cars (guess that is why I assume it is normal).

Can you shed some thoughts on this, please?

Daniel B. Martin

You are right. It's normal to hear a variety of cool-down sounds from the exhaust system. They are isolated sounds like "click", "tick", and "ting". They are not continuous sounds like a hum.

NOR_97GXE

I have the same humming sound after a drive. It seems to be related to the pressure in the fuel system. After the gas cap is removed and the pressure is released the sound goes away. Does anyone know if there is some sort of pressure equalization valve or sometheing similar? I have an uncle whom believes this sound is related to emissions components(evap or carbon canister or something) Not sure dosen't seem to be any real problem... unless someone knows better.

humaras

thanks Dan B-- for clarifying that for me.

Appreciate it!! =)