Ticking noise from fan

[jdz00]

Hello everyone,

I I joined the club with my MME 2021 RWD at 66000 miles on it.
There is this repeated ticking sound, like something small is touching or hitting the fan every time it spins. Of course its frequency changes with the speed of the fans.

I attached a short capture. Also, a longer one can be found in YouTube below.

Is this the common noise everyone talks about? I guess the noise is coming from the center of the console, towards the windshield.
I am okay with strong fan sound but the ticking sound is making me worried.

Sponsored

 

[kens]

There is this repeated ticking sound, like something small is touching or hitting the fan every time it spins. Of course its frequency changes with the speed of the fans.

Is this the common noise everyone talks about?

That's not something normal to my '22, blower fan might be close to replacement.

I'm not sure what common noise your referencing others talking about, where have you seen it mentioned?

 

[Mach-Lee]

Take the air filter out and look down in the slot. Make sure there's not a mouse nest or anything in there.

 

[Larry Paul]

You are correct that is not a normal sound.

I think there is a very high chance that there is debris in the fan assembly or the fan motor is on its way out. If that out of balance state has occurred for a long time, this also will likely lead to needing to replace the fan motor assembly sooner than expected.

 

[A-A-Ron]

Take the air filter out and look down in the slot. Make sure there's not a mouse nest or anything in there.

I had a small piece of insulation foam fall in when they changed my air filter and it made a racket. But easy fix.

 

[jdz00]

Thank you for each response.

• I checked the cabin filter and its area. No unusual look.
• I send the videos to dealer’s mechanic.
• Will update here however it progress.

 

[jdz00]

Hi everyone,

I have now the problem solved.
The garage told me that they cleared some leaves from the blade area.
I tested for about 60 miles and didn’t hear the same noise again. I tested AC in max for LO and HI temperatures.

Tbh I forgot to ask how the leaves reached that far in the first place. Maybe it is natural, idk.
They also sprayed the AC channel with an anti-bacterial spray because once I experienced some funky smell when AC is on.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Hi everyone,

I have now the problem solved.
The garage told me that they cleared some leaves from the blade area.
I tested for about 60 miles and didn’t hear the same noise again. I tested AC in max for LO and HI temperatures.

Tbh I forgot to ask how the leaves reached that far in the first place. Maybe it is natural, idk.
They also sprayed the AC channel with an anti-bacterial spray because once I experienced some funky smell when AC is on.

Leaves could reach the fan if the cabin filter was removed with debris sitting on top of it (which would then fall down into the fan), or if the cabin filter was compromised (such as a mouse chewing a hole in it).

The cabin filter is open and exposed to the windshield cowl area when the car is parked, leaves and debris can get through the covers around the wipers if you frequently park under trees.

When replacing the cabin filter, it's good to look in the slot and make sure there's not a ton of debris sitting on top of it before you pull it out.

 

[kennelh]

When replacing the cabin filter, it's good to look in the slot and make sure there's not a ton of debris sitting on top of it before you pull it out.

I've replaced the filter twice in 50k miles, but my recollection is the filter sits pretty tightly in the slot. Is it really easy to see the top of the filter without removing?

 

[Mach-Lee]

I've replaced the filter twice in 50k miles, but my recollection is the filter sits pretty tightly in the slot. Is it really easy to see the top of the filter without removing?

I get a flashlight and pull the front lip of the filter down to peek in there. I've run into mouse nests before.

Sponsored