Check out this sound and let me know what you think. The sound comes from under dash area, there is a clicky, slappy, bangy sound that sounds just like a cord was dangling in front of a fan and bouncing off it randomly as the cord comes in contact with the fan blade. Here’ s the thing, i don’t believe my heater fan has anything to do with it. It doesn’t matter if the heater fan is on HIGH or LOW, or NOT ON AT ALL. It doesn’t matter if my car is idling or on freeway, going 30 mph, or at a stop light. The sound happens at completely random times and sometimes for just a couple seconds and sometimes for minutes at a time. and the cadence of the sound is always the same. it never gets faster or slower. sometimes it doesn’t do it for weeks. Please let me know your thoughts!
The only substitute for guesswork is work. What kind of work? Mallet work. If you have a friend who won’t go nuts under the car, have him tap on the exhaust pipes, frame and wherever a pound of rust will not fall off. When that fails, remove the bell from the key ring. Tap gently on the steering column because something could be loose in there. Remove right inner fender and remove the heater fan, the squirrel cage may be loose or debris is in there. You could have a broken exhaust clamp. Sounds like the alternator is worn out.
I forgot about the engine fan hitting a loose bolt. It happened once on my car.
rpms make no difference. its really hard to get it to happen when im under the hood. every time it happens when im actually in a good spot to pull over, it stops, of course, before i get there hood up. i’m going to keep trying. really sound like its coming from under dash panel. but car sounds travel funny. thank u for replying! any help is welcome.
all good advice. i don’t have any rust really. i really wish i had a lift! so why do u say alternator? just curious. i almost wonder if its somehow water boiling out from a small leak in heater core area, somehow and its popping steam. but if that was the case id think that id smell radiator fluid… thank you! any input is welcome!
i would love to get in squirrel box. it really hard to get into it. but i just dont see how it could be fan related or vent related because of its randomness including the fact that it does it with fan on or off which no change of intensity.
About the alternator. My loose bolt wasn’t being hit by the fan blade. It was my bolt that held the alternator on, the long one and it had really loosened and the alternator fan blade was hittting it. When hit, the bolt would move away because it was out completely, then it would shake outward and get hit again, clang. A worn out alternator usually squeals but doesn’t clang.
Ready for this. It’s a good thing you included the picture because it looks like the windshield wiper motor or linkage is the issue. The wipers are not parked correctly. You may have a piece of broken linkage, a worn out linkage bushing or just be out of adjustment.
Here is my guess. I think it is a problem with the blend door that lets the outside air in. I think there is a vacuum actuator that is connected and has come loose, and the door is flopping around intermittently. below is a picture of the actuator.
I posted a link of what happens in a new vehicle when there is a problem with the blend door actuator. this is just to let you hear the sound it makes. it sounds a lot like your sound. In a newer vehicle the gears in the motor get warn out and causes the sound. In your vehicle I think the vacuum actuator became disconnected or something and makes the door flap under certain conditions.
now we’re talking!!! i’m almost positive this is it especially because i fixed my heater by replacing a disintegrated vacuum hose! i’ll check and get back to u. you are awesome
that’s interesting because i’ve always been meaning to deal with that, but how would that explain the sound happening when its parked or going very slow?
yes it happens in all situations i can think of. even with wipers on. it tends to do it less when im not moving. but it will do it. like it’ll be making sound, i’ll pull over and jump out and open hood and by the time im out there, either its stopped or i cant hear over engine sound. that being said it will also do it sometimes when im just sitting there. but its most often when driving.
yeah you can’t really even push them down into place. i didn’t realize there was a “park” setting. i think i’ll go mess with that now. i’ve brought so many things back to life in this car! it’s crazy. when i got it nothing worked.
well ill tell yah what i owe u a beer regardless. i just checked my wiper motor and found a totally desintegrated vacuum hose next to it. i hadnt thought to look there. i dont think wiper blades are cause of sound but something in the car probably just got fixed. lol. thank u!
