My 2005 Pontiac Vibe started spontaneously making a strange ticking noise after a grocery run. It’s loud, and doesn’t accelerate in time with the engine, so we have ruled out fan for now. It sounds like it’s coming from almost directly behind the radio console and has the speed and timbre of a fast, old-fashioned tick tock metronome. My dad took a look at it and thought it might have to do with the air filter–a lot of awful junk fell out of it, and I have a new filter, but the ticking noise still persists. He found out that if I switch to recirculate / inside air, the ticking goes away, but as soon as I switch it off, it comes back.
Any ideas? Dad thinks it’s a door trying to close, but he’s not sure which one or where. Since it goes away with the inside air button, if it costs a fortune to fix, I might just stick with inside air from now on.
Heater/ac air blend door motor.
There may be more than one.
The blend door motor is a small plastic box about 3x3x1 that electrically opens and closes the air flow doors. Inside them is plastic gears and if a door sticks the gears strip and the ticking is its repeated attempt to function.
Yup. Heater/ac door motor. Same thing on my Vibe, and my shop (Car Talk recommended) fixed it easily and reasonably. Price depends on the tick/tock ratio, though. Because, as we all know, tock is cheap.
Gary , you have tagged onto a 8 year old thread . On the main page click on the new topics button and post your problem . Also give year , make and model of your vehicle and a clear decryption of your noise. Other wise there is no way to even guess at a solution .
