Moaning from blower motor on Silverado.

[mrsilv04]

Had to take the dog to the vet last week on a 93 degree day.

Of course, when we left, the truck was hot... and I had a stressed out dog. Apparently, he doesn't like going to the doctor any more than I do. So, I did what is unusual for me, and turned on the A/C for the dog's sake.

Instantly noticed a constant low moaning sound from the blower, that was quite loud on high. The noise was really loud with the A/C using the re-circulate setting.

First guess is that there is a bearing going out on the blower motor, and that I'll need to swap that out.

Any other ideas? Didn't sound like anything caught in the fan or the squirrel cage... just a constant low moan/growl, that got worse with increased fan speed.

I see that Rock Auto is big on "Four Seasons" brand motor/fan assemblies for my truck. Any comments about those?

Also, I've already swapped out the resistor on this truck with an AC Delco one that is the new design.

 

[RF Overlord]

When I got the DD in my sig 2 years ago, the blower always sounded a bit loud on the higher speed settings. One day I got ambitious and pulled it. Found a cellophane Dubble Bubble gum wrapper stuck in the squirrel cage. No way did I think it was enough to cause a problem, but the fan is nice & smooth and a lot quieter now.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
When I got the DD in my sig 2 years ago, the blower always sounded a bit loud on the higher speed settings. One day I got ambitious and pulled it. Found a cellophane Dubble Bubble gum wrapper stuck in the squirrel cage. No way did I think it was enough to cause a problem, but the fan is nice & smooth and a lot quieter now.


+ this...it has happened to me twice

 

[JTK]

My in-laws just paid the local Nissan dealer ~$250 to retrieve the rodent nesting debris from the HVAC blower of their newer Rogue. The blower was rumbling/roaring pretty good. Father-in-law insisted on taking it back since they just paid them (Lord knows what) to replace the cabin air filter on it, a week or two prior.

They live back in the woods and have had issues with mice in the past.

OT, but what a ridiculous location for the CAF in a Nissan Rogue. It's tucked up above and to the right of the accelerator pedal. Have to pull off the kick panel to the right of the go pedal on the center console. You basically have to collapse the CAF, stuff it in, and hope it expands properly in the housing.

 

[Jimmy9190]

My experience with aftermarket blower motors is they are all noisy no matter which brand you buy. I put a Factory Air blower in my Dakota a few years ago. It makes more noise than my OEM Mopar blower did but it also moves a lot more air than the OEM blower did. I get much stronger air flow from my vents, defroster and floor ducts so the noise has not been a problem.

I know nothing about a Chevy but maybe you can inspect the fan cage for debris like others suggested. You might also see if there is a seal on the case of the blower you can peel off and maybe put a few drops of 3 In 1 oil to lube the fan shaft before replacing the blower motor.

 

[901Memphis]

Try a junkyard pull if you have access, unless its a high failure part.

 

[chestand]

Typically, blower motors use brass bushings for the output (squirrel cage) side of the motor. The sound you're hearing is likely a dry bushing. You can try pulling it and lubing it, but depending on how hard it is to get out, I might just replace it and be done with it. The squirrel cage is probably held on with a snap ring of some kind. Not a hard repair. Good luck.

 

[InhalingBullets]

Last Summer the blower motor in my Tundra started making a bit of growling noise as well as a squeak on power down. I pulled it and all I found was the fins of the blower wheel were caked in dust. I cleaned it up and carefully squirted a little lube on the bearings and stuck her back in. Since then it has been quiet. I say give it a try! It may ultimately only delay the inevitable but knowing what Vet's cost these days you might could use to save a buck or two. Good luck!

 

[FocusTi]

The blower motor in my '12 Fusion was making a squeaking / ticking noise on low speeds (apparently common for that car). I ordered a brand new one for $45, but disassembled the original just to see the cause. The bottom bearing was caked in black dust, which is the cause I found to be most common in internet searches. I cleaned it all up, sprayed the bearing with a small blast of graphite lube and re-assembled. Quiet as a mouse. It's nice to have a backup now.

 

[Merkava_4]

Start looking for a factory service manual on eBay. The publisher for GM vehicles will be Helm Inc.