I have a 99 SE with the climate control option. Whenever the fan is running on speed one, it sounds noisy - kind of like a family of crickets chirping. It is less noticible at higher settings, but at speeds one and two the fan motor is louder than the air sound.

Has anyone else noticed this before? Is this fixable?

Regards,

Jim

 

I had that exact same problem. Except I have the manual climate control. I took it to the dealer, and they replaced the blower motor under warranty. Oh, make sure you can reproduce the problem at the dealership. First time I went, turned on the fan, and no sound. Man I felt stupid. Went back the next day and showed it to them again and this time it was loud as hell, so they said ok, we'll fix it.

This is covered by the 3/36000 warranty only.

 

hey I have the same problem too... it's fromt he passanger side. Just really annoying ticking clicking kind of sound.

Hm... another popular problem?

-Shing

 

I have a noisy fan motor too... the motor is on the passenger's side...

 

Hrmm.. then I am going to nissan...

hehe another mark in the "Problems Column"

 

my bumper to bumper just expired like 5 days ago...

It hasn't gotten worse over the last 10K though... just a little annoying... wish I could oil it...

 

Eric - 3/36? My 99/SE has only a 2/24 (I think so....). Is there a 3/36 that I don't know about?

Jim

 

All Maximas have a 3/36000 bumper to bumper, and 5/60000 powertrain warranty.

Did you dealer try to swindle you with a 2/24000 warranty???

 

I have a 99SE with the chirpy fan motor, also. I have manual controls. If you do a search at the nhtsa.gov website, there appears to be a TSB about this issue:

"Some customers may indicate that a light ticking or humming noise can be heard coming from the blower motor of an applied vehicle when the motor is run at low fan speeds"

Service Bulletin Number: NTB99017A

I don't know what the text of it says, but it sounds like our problem... Probably says "replace fan motor to get rid of cricket sounds"

 

Look in the black plastic "wallet" that came with the car. It contains three softcover books. One is titled 1999 Nissan Warranty Information and Maintenance Log Booklet. The inside front cover summarizes the various warranties which apply to the car. Basic Coverage is 36 months / 36,000 miles. Powertrain coverage is 60 months / 60,000 miles. There are other warranties as well.

 

A "ticking clicking" sound may be caused by the blower cage contacting a small piece of debris (a fragment of leaf or paper). This is something like the child's card-in-the-bicycle-spokes sound. You may drop the blower motor and clean out the air duct with your hand or a shop vacuum.

A chirping or squealing sound may be caused by dry bearings in the blower motor. These motors usually have sintered bronze "Oilite" bushings rather than ball bearings. No provision is made to lubricate them, but you may use ingenuity to find a way. Use a light oil such as 3-in-1 electric motor oil.


Instructions for dropping the blower motor...

Move the passenger seat all the way back. Tip the seat back all the way
back. Lie on your back, on the seat, with your head on the floor, under
the dashboard. This is an uncomfortable working position but you have to
endure it for only a few minutes. This is not a job for a person who has a
bad back.

The blower motor sits just above the passenger's feet. No covers to
remove; it is in plain view. Disconnect the electrical connector. Remove
three mounting screws. Don't let it fall on your face!

 

Instructions for dropping the blower motor...

Move the passenger seat all the way back. Tip the seat back all the way
back. Lie on your back, on the seat, with your head on the floor, under
the dashboard. This is an uncomfortable working position but you have to
endure it for only a few minutes. This is not a job for a person who has a
bad back.

The blower motor sits just above the passenger's feet. No covers to
remove; it is in plain view. Disconnect the electrical connector. Remove
three mounting screws. Don't let it fall on your face!
[/I][/QUOTE]

Daniel,

Mine just won't drop that way. Check out these pics:

<img src="http://jdholman.home.mindspring.com/images/fanmotor.JPG">

The bushing & spindle are in the red box and the bottom mounting bracket for the glove compartment is in the red box. The bracket location keeps the motor from dropping more than an inch.

<img src="http://jdholman.home.mindspring.com/images/fanblade.JPG">

I checked the blades, in the blue box, but nothing was touching them to cause the noise.

I did use a q-tip soaked in 3-in-1 oil to try to lube the spindle tip, but I don't know how good I did.

Any suggestions?

Jim

 

Those are great photographs!

I apologize for oversimplifying the removal of the blower motor. The factory service manual does not tell how the motor is removed. I researched the question by looking under my Maxima dashboard before posting those instructions. However, I did not actually remove the blower motor, and did not see the bracket clearance limitation.

You did the best possible thing with 3-in-1 on a Q-tip. That probably got some oil on the lower motor bearing. Perhaps you can use a bent Q-tip or other improvised tool to deliver a drop of oil to the upper motor bearing. To do this you would have to insinuate the Q-tip into the space between the blower cage and the motor. This won't be easy, and might not even be possible.

I like WD-40 and use it for lots of purposes, but do not recommend it here. WD-40 is a good penetrant and good cleaner, but it is not a good lubricant.

I've never seen 3-in-1 oil in a spray can. If that could be found, it would be helpful here.

Incidentally, WD-40 was a one-product company for years. They have broadened their product line, and they now manufacture and market 3-in-1 oil (among other things).

 

Can you see what fastens the blower cage to the motor shaft? If it is a setscrew which you can now see and reach, it might be possible to seperate those components in situ and then be able to remove them from the duct individually.