Blower motor chirping
 

Sounds like I have frickin' birds in it. Doesn't do it all the time, usually the colder it is the more I hear it. I guess a bearing in the motor is going out.

How is the access to it? When I had to get a new one for my Accord, it was a major pain to get out of the car at the pick-n-pull yard. Ended up ripping up the dash and never put it in my car since I couldn't figure out how to remove mine without doing the same thing I did to the donor car. Besides, if it stopped working all I had to do was hit the underside of the dash on the passenger side and it would work again. :gotme:

I sure hope it is easier to change in the Maxima.

It's not too hard to get to in our cars. You just have to take out the glovebox to get to it. My blower motor has been acting up a lot, like yours, but only in the cold weather. And ironically enough, it only chirps when I make a right turn! (I wonder what causes this?) I think the only way to fix it is to replace it. I've heard a 4th gen blower motor fits, and is immensely cheaper than a new one for a 5th gen. Check your local junkyard for a 4th gen blower motor, it's worth a shot.

Cool, thanks. :)

lol why do all the maximas experience the same things at the same time? hmmm it leads me to believe the blower motor isn't bad. There is a TSB on it for 00-01 cars
http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB99-071b.pdf

The chirps actually go away if i turn the fan speed low.... Im just gonna deal with it this way for the time being....

Does a TSB mean I can get this fixed for free at my Nissan dealer?

Or is that only for recalls? Or is a TSB a recall? lol.

My 99 has the same issue.

Mine's the opposite. The chirps stop when i turn the fan speed up. Then once the car warms up, it doesn't do it at any fan speed. I'm just too lazy to get a new one.

TSB = technical service bulletin for said problem(s)
It's basically Nissan's acknowledgment that the problem is present and widespread. They however, dont consider this a "safety" issue and hence, dont issue any recalls. If the car is under warranty, the TSBs can be done for free (i think)...
A shady way to do business in my opinion. How can the consumer know they aren't using subpar parts which go out after the warranty is over?

I have the same noise. Here I just thought it was the Hot Tamales that went down my vent. My nephew opened a bag and sent them flying around my car right down the defrost vents. It was a very Tommy Boy moment without Chris Farley and the humor.

Since above 60 the blower motor is quiet and hopefully spring will be here soon, unless the fan starts chirping all the time, I'll wait until fall to fix it.

Mine just started this today, but since today was my car's first exposure to snow, let alone temps this cold, I'll ignore it. Back home in Phoenix it doesn't get this cold so that's probably why I've never heard it before.

It was in relation to turning though, really odd.

Mine only likes to chirp when I turn the wheel right. I guess we both have the same problem. Until now, I hadn't heard of anyone else having this issue the same way I have.

^^^
i have the same problem. It chirps when i turn or brake...

4th gen was a hell of a lot cheaper. I replaced mine almost 2 years ago with a 4th gen have not had any issues since. But the prices haved dropped drastically since then.

I purchased a TYC # 700044 HVAC blower off eBay (compares to Nissan OEM # 27220-7J201)

Go on eBay and search "maxima blower motor" There are a ton out there right now between $45-$70.

:laugh: Tommy Boy was the first thing I thought of when I started reading that.. just don't go putting any supposedly dead deer in the back seat!

As for the chirping when making turns as some have mentioned, I'm guessing the bearings are getting worn, and maybe the fan is just loose enough to rub on the housing when making a turn.. or from more pressure on the bearings due to gyroscopic precession

No worries about dead deer in the back seat. Here in Indiana if we hit them we just leave them...well depending on the damage (to the deer) maybe some people pick them up to eat.

Oh that sounds good: melted chocolate inside the dash, that really ups the resale value.
I think you'll be okay here, they have a thin candy shell. 'Surprised you didn't know that.
I think your brain has a thick candy shell.
Your... Your brain has the shell on it.
Are you talking?
Shut up, Richard.

Usually the noise is bearing noise. Mine was doing that, but eventually the blower resister took a dump. The parts are fairly cheap, and it's a pretty easy job to do.

S

Yeah mine did an occasional chirp, then got worse, and worse, until I broke down and replaced it. It never completely went out though.

Same problem here ('01 Max). When up north in winter, chirping, when in the warm southwest, no chirping. Speeding it up or slowing to lowest fan-speed sometimes helped. Went on for years, but now, fan failed to run, came back briefly with the smell of burnt bakalite insulation (maybe burning resistor mentioned by maximase86 above).

So, question is, can the resistor be replaced independently of the fan, or are they combined in the fan-unit?

I had this problem too. I took out the blower motor and put some three in one oil on the top bearing and the carefully though the hole in the bottom for the bottom bearing. I done this about three months ago. no fan noises as of yet. Cheaper than a new motor.

Forgot about this thread. Sound went away after it warmed up and never came back! :rofl:

Don't worry it will. And when it does it won't ever stop no matter the speed or temp. It's guaranteed to do it when you need the AC.

Been almost two years. :gotme:

Probably lasts longer down there since it's a lot warmer than here.

We've been above the freezing mark maybe 5-6 hours total this week so far. Our highs have been as low as our normal low for this time of the year. :(

haha, but it was 5 degrees here this morning. ;)

Exactly why I don't live there. :p

I absolutely despise cold weather, pretty much anything under 70 I consider unacceptable. That's where when detailing and road biking I start to feel the affects of cooler air.

Ive been chirpin since Chicago started seeing cold weather last year!

Any links or writeups to installs?

If not any tips on replacing it?

just recently mine started doing d same, like most of you with the come of winter weather...i figured there was something loose, took it off and everything looked sturdy and fine, turned it on while uninstalled worked perfectly fine at all speed with no noises at all...installed it back once screws were in place turned it on and there was d noise again, moved it a bit and it stoped but dont doubt it will come back, might try putting some oil too maybe that will solve d problem

First thing to do is pull your cabin filter out and check for obstructions...dirt, leaves, etc.

Clean that up, and if the squeak doesn't go away, be prepared. It will eventually start making more noise.

Mine started out as a light buzz at speed 1 (in 2006? I think...)

By the time the fall of 2008 rolled around, the dying motor caused the resistor to burn out, and also managed to start grinding on speed 4. Like a horrendous, can't even talk over the noise grinding. And if I left it running, the motor would get so hot, it'd actually start burning.

Follow-up to my post above (#18)
('01 Max SE)

Tried Riley Auto parts - blower-motor only price = 75.00, but we couldn't get the squirrel-cage fan nut to unfreeze, so forgot that. Fine dust had finally, after 9+ years, gotten the best of the motor core and windings.

Called Nissan dealer for a quote on blower motor assembly incl. fan cage - price of part = $223.00 (installation cost not requested)

Purchased blower-motor (including fan cage) from 1A Auto on-line - their part number 1AHCX00083 - price of part = $64.95 w/free ground shipping. Had part w/in 4 working days.
http://www.1aauto.com/1A/BlowerMotor...83/355523/2001

Blower motor came with fan attached and new plastic duct pipe.

Fairly easy install - drop glove-box by removing 4 phillips screws along top of box and one in each lower corner. Unsnap g-b light from top of box, detach vent pipe and electrical connector, remove 3 phillips screws holding fan in place, remove fan - reverse order (with care in the lower right corner to get the "hook" on right) to re-install.

Note: the 1A Auto replacement has a slightly larger motor housing than the original and, thus, the sound-proofing housing (see Nissan Service Bulletin HA99-004b, NTB99-071b dtd April 4, 2001) will not fit over the new motor.

That said, upon initial installation, it seems to work perfectly at all four speeds with volume equal to original (i. e., apparently, my resistors were not scorched in the blower failure). The only noise is the normal air flow noise at higher speeds and, possibly, a barely perceptible added noise on the highest speed with "recycle" on that may be the motor or just my ears playing tricks. And, of course, note that this is a "warm weather" test (72 deg F) and we will see what freezing it does in about another month or two.

If it continues to work well, it will be about $200 saved over dealer replacement and, at that price, I could do it every few years and still come out ahead.

I bought a used 4th gen blower for 25 shipped :)

Did you clean out or replace the cabin filters? They're right there, I just beat mine out really good. They were moderately dirty.

Nope, I changed them last year and they are probably in good shape.

Had the same issue a year ago. Ordered the motor online and changed the resistor as well. No more issues. A very quick and easy fix. Instructions are available online.

Bout to give it a try
 

I'm going to give it a try to take it apart and clean it since I've had the noise a couple months. Comes and goes. I havent worked on the glove box before I've read to be concerned about the airbag. Any thoughts on that?

Mine was doing it a lot so I just replaced it. Honestly it's a very simple job to do, it only took me about a 1/2 hour and I had no real issues. I bought a generic ebay vendor fan for much cheaper than stock and they looked almost the same. Even if it goes bad in only a couple of years it's worth it since the job is so easy.

Thanks! Just what I needed!

Glad it helped. Let us know how it works out.

Blower motor chirping???

The accident killed the blower motor. Problem solved, I guess. :lol: