Broncosi

I've seen and read several threads about this but they all seem to say something different and not pertain exactly to my issue. Anytime the A/C or heat are on, the compressor comes on and is loud enough to cause a vibration in the dash. The compressor and noise stops right when I turn the heat or A/C off and it doesn't change with speed or anything like that. It happens the same whether I am parked or driving. The rattling and growling is causing me some stress. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

Sounds to me like your ac fan motor blower bearings are shot and are vibrating when the ac is turned on. I dont think its hard to turn on, but I believe there pricey new, might want to consider a used from a junkyard or ebay.

Sometimes you may get lucky and have debri lodged in between the blades but I doubt it.

Sodium

Yeah sounds like the blower bearings have failed. You could check this by taking out your cabin filter and then running the fan with accessory power – the fan is right under the filter, so you'll be able to tell if the fan is the source of the noise

Broncosi

Thanks! I will test this when I get home tonight.

Broncosi

Of course I didn't get a chance to test this yet. Do I need to remove the filter to hear the noise or just the door to the cabin filter?

Broncosi

I opened the cabin filter door and took the filter out and put pressure on the center of the fan while it was blowing and the noise went away. Would that be an indicator of the bearings or something else? If I took this to a shop, what kind of cost am I looking at? Would I have to tear the dash apart to fix it myself?

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

I dont think its too complicated to install a blower motor, most likely your mechanic can gain access to it by taking off the glove box and that should give him access to the blower motor.

You can find them cheap at local salvage yards since not many go bad, im sure youll be able to find one with super low mileage from 06-13 GS and IS's

Broncosi

Very true. We don't have any salvage yards near here so I will likely find one online and purchase it and install myself if I could find a DIY guide. It might be simple enough to do on my own if I open it up and take a look once the glove box off.