Need Help! Very Loud Whining Noise Whenever Climate Control Fan is Turned On!

[OSUV]

I have a 98 Sport 4X4 that is making a very loud whining noise which sounds like it is coming from the engine compartment whenever I turn my heater/AC fan on. The noise intensifies as I give the vehicle more gas. The noise only goes away if I turn the heater/AC fan off. The sound is like that of a power steering belt noise.

Also, my climate control only has high fan available; no low or medium, etc. Just high and off. I replaced the climate control panel with another one but I still only have high and off. I can't figure any of this out. Please help!

 

[Heavymentill]

Sounds like your blower motor has blown your blower motor resistor. You more than likely need to replace both. The whining noise is typical of rusted bearings on your blower motor. Check to see if the air conditioning drain hole on the firewall is plugged. I've seen this problem (plugged AC drain) on other vehicles never seen it personally on an explorer. But definitely sound like your blower motor is bad which caused the resistor to blow in which you have only high and off.

 

[FX4TRACMAN]

My Wife's 2000 Explorer did the same thing and what it ended up being was the serpentine belt was loosing its grip but it mainly made noise when the Heat/AC was on. This was due to the extra load on the AC Compressor that the AC or Heat (because AC Compressor plays part with the Defrost) and put on bigger load than usual and the more you gave it gas the more it sounded like nails on a chalk board.

 

[OSUV]

Well, the noise is definitely not coming from the blower motor so I took FX4TRACMAN's advice and bought a new gator serpentine belt. I'll install it tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Turdle]

The blower resistor is about 4 o'clock on the blower housing. Look for a bundle of wires plugged in there--remove the 2 screws attaching it. The wires are plugged into the resisitor.

 

[Ranger379]

ya same thing here, high or off, blower motor resistor, i have been living with mine never realized how convenient low and medium are haha. not sure what the whine is from, but i would agree that it may be bearings, but high/off problem is blower motor resistor. i read that the blower motor has 3 setting (low med. and the other, 1 - 3 speeds) blower motor skips the resister for high, thats y u have high but nothing else

 

[OSUV]

Thank you all for the input. I changed out the serpentine belt and the whining sound is now completely gone. Ironically, the belt that I removed looked to be in pretty good shape. No cracks or frays. I'm going to keep the old one in the cargo area for an emergency spare in case mine ever breaks while I'm on the road. The new gator serpentine belt that I used is like nothing I have seen before. It looks like it has tire treads instead of the normal grooved serpentine belt. It is supposed to handle heat better and produce less noise than the standard. I'm sold on it.

I still have the off/high heater problem. And yes Ranger379, those medium settings in between are definitely missed. Does anyone know if the resistor can be replaced seperately or do I need to buy a whole new blower motor?

 

[Ranger379]

The new gator serpentine belt that I used is like nothing I have seen before.

Does anyone know if the resistor can be replaced seperately or do I need to buy a whole new blower motor?

1. how much do those run? whered ya get it? a couple new ones are on the list of things to do in spring.

2. u can buy the blower motor resistor, its a sperate unit, i think they are 10 bucks, around there anyway. have to take the blower motor out to get to the resistor. i only did a little bit of research over the summer so this is all from memory, get a Hatynes manual if u dont have one i know its in there. never looked much into it b/c it was summer and didnt need it cause A/C dont get cold lol ill pry look into that too in srping time. blower motor is on pass side is all i know

 

[OSUV]

The Gator serpentine belt runs $29 + tax (about double the price of a junk "vauecraft" belt. You can buy it at Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts Stores. It's worth the extra money. You can tell just buy looking at it that it is more durable than the standard belt.

I am planning to change out the resistor tomorrow morning. I found the procedure in my Haynes manual.

Thanks again for the input.

 

[Ranger379]

ye let me know how it goes and not any tricks or tips lol ill be replaceing mine soon, good luck

 

[OSUV]

I replaced the resistor tonight and halelujah, I have all the speeds of the blower fan. Man was it a pain in the ass to replace though. The biggest problem I ran into was getting the resistor to break away from the plug. It was so badly rusted that it would not separate from the plug. I had to literally break up the resistor with a screwdriver and then had to use pliers to wiggle and pull one of the male terminals on the resistor which had rusted itself to the plug. But It's done and I'm very happy.

Now I just need to figure out what the small thump noise is that I hear and feel when I start to take off and again when I slow down to nearly a stop. That will be the topic of my next post.

I love this forum. I probably saved myself more than $100 in diagnostic and repair fees through the advice of my new Explorer family in this forum.

Many thanks to everyone who provided me with excellent advice and Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

 

[OSUV]

By the way, you cannot find the blower motor resistor at an auto parts store. I tried Autozone, Advance and NAPA. It is a dealer only item at the tune of $19.99+ tax.

 

[Ranger379]

I love this forum. I probably saved myself more than $100 in diagnostic and repair fees through the advice of my new Explorer family in this forum.

ya i know, saved me way more than that, plus all the labor charges that i will save by doing things my self, this is truley a great place!

 

[woody81480]

different noise

for about twomonths now, not sure why i havent taken it in, i have had a loud noise, like a whirring, as in a huge fan is blowing my air throught the system. when i have in third and fourth speed, it is noticeable and really loud. Sounds like it is like a huge fan/blower,almost like a whole house a/c unit.?? not sure how to describe it, but it is loud. It is not high pitched like your guys' problems. Any idea what it might be?

 

[timleedude]

Is that when you're running Air through the vents? Sounds like your blower motor is going bad.. Nothing else would make that type of noise.. Open the hood.. Run the fan, and check on the passenger side firewall under the hood... Listen to the Blower motor and see if it's coming from there.
To minimize other noises, you can leave the engine off (the key only in the accessories position) and run the Air.. Check for the noise..
Blower motor is fairly cheap.. $40-50 or so.

-Tim

 

[woody81480]

thanks, ill check it out.