The dash fan is rattling when the vent is turned on in my '03 Maxima.

How hard is it to get to this fan to tighten it? Is this something that will require dash removal?

Thanks.

 

It's easy to get to. Remove the glovebox and a couple screws. There is no way to "tighten" it. You probably need a new one. They're around $180 from the dealer or pick one up here for around $50. http://car-part.com/

 

there is a TSB for this...(if this is the same thing)

http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB99-071b.pdf

Its more of a bearing issue if the cover doesnt fix it... does it stop if the if the vent is closed? mine makes noise (rattling) in the lower fan settings (1 or 2)..maybe the TSB can point you in the right direction..

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....97#post5497697

 

If it happened in the winter, it may be a mouse problem (seriously). Mine did the same thing - sudden onset. Parked outside; I live in NY. The fan sounded as though it had loose mounting screws or a terribly worn bearing. Clue to the mystery and fix is "sudden onset". Took it to my local mechanic after looking under the hood for the blower motor (can't see it). Told the guy the problem, and his immediate response was, "Mice crawled into a warm space and built a nest." Can't tell you too much about the fix except that he promised it back in half a day, but took another day. He didn't say anything except, "It was quite an adventure."

 

I doubt it is a cover problem. More than likely its shot. You can use one out of a 4th gen also.. you can get those for cheaper. I just had to replace mine a couple weeks ago.

 

Yeah, it takes about 5 min to take the glovebox out. I had to fix the grounding resistor in mine; the whole process of testing and fixing took maybe 1.5 hours.