Noise coming from inside dash

[cbreze]

Was wondering if anybody knows if there's some sort of cooling fan inside the dash between the entertainment system and the AC. Ever since I bought the car in 2012 I've noticed a slight hum when it was either in accessory or ignition mode. Problem is it has gotten much worse and off and on it gets quite loud and annoying. It sounds like a moving part that needs lubrication. When the accessory is turned on you can hear the noise. I can hear it when driving because it gets loud sometimes. Had no idea what it could be so just speculating it might be a default fan that's always on when the key is turned? Not sure what it would be cooling perhaps the CD player? It's a 2012 SR5. Any ideas? Really don't want to start taking things apart searching for it. Perhaps it will die at some point and cease to function.

 

[Muskrat14]

Check your climate control fan under the glove box area.

Mine started making noise and that was the issue.

Easy to replace also.

Might be worth a look.


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[Bmnorm2]

There is in fact a small fan inside the dash head unit. Similar to a laptop or desktop case fan. There is a thread on this forum where someone eventually identified their noise issue to be this fan. Not sure what years and whether that requires the Nav head unit…

 

[cbreze]

There is in fact a small fan inside the dash head unit. Similar to a laptop or desktop case fan. There is a thread on this forum where someone eventually identified their noise issue to be this fan. Not sure what years and whether that requires the Nav head unit…

Thanks, that has to be it. I wonder what would happen if it stopped working?
Going to try and find that thread/post.

 

[Muskrat14]

There is in fact a small fan inside the dash head unit. Similar to a laptop or desktop case fan. There is a thread on this forum where someone eventually identified their noise issue to be this fan. Not sure what years and whether that requires the Nav head unit…

Huh, never knew that!


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[fkheath]

Huh, never knew that!


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Typical Toyota radio:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/JZUAAOSwMipk3~gs/s-l1600.jpg

 

[cbreze]

I couldn't find any old threads on this forum regarding this issue but after some Google searching I found other forums with quite a bit of information. Apparently several people on one forum were suffering from this fan noise issue. It looks like it's not a hard job to remove the radio and disable that fan. So I may do that in the near future. Question is though why is there a fan there in the first place, does that unit generate that much heat? Perhaps the CD player might which I never use anyway so I think that's a moot point. But I can't imagine the radio generating much heat at all. I generally just pair my phone music with Bluetooth to the radio and listen that way so don't think disabling the fan will be an issue and that looks like the easiest fix.
One thing that causes me to really scratch my head over is why does Toyota make this fan come on by default whenever the car is on. There are lots of times I do not listen to the radio at all yet the fan needs to be running? It should be set to turn on when the unit is turned on.

 

[flyrv9]

Most of the noisy fan threads, over the years, have been with the recirc fan that's behind the glove box. There is a small panel in the back of the glove box that leads to the recirc fan filter. This fan is a squirrel cage fan and is a common spot for rodent nests. They also become noisy. There are older threads on changing this fan out. Might be worth checking too.

 

[Bmnorm2]

[MENTION=89221]cbreze[/MENTION]

Here’s the video showing the computer style fan that’s in the dash.

2012 5th Gen Toyota 4Runner dash noise FIXED - YouTube

And the thread: Strange electrical motor noise coming from dash

Hope this helps!

 

[Lc200]

I couldn't find any old threads on this forum regarding this issue but after some Google searching I found other forums with quite a bit of information. Apparently several people on one forum were suffering from this fan noise issue. It looks like it's not a hard job to remove the radio and disable that fan. So I may do that in the near future. Question is though why is there a fan there in the first place, does that unit generate that much heat? Perhaps the CD player might which I never use anyway so I think that's a moot point. But I can't imagine the radio generating much heat at all. I generally just pair my phone music with Bluetooth to the radio and listen that way so don't think disabling the fan will be an issue and that looks like the easiest fix.
One thing that causes me to really scratch my head over is why does Toyota make this fan come on by default whenever the car is on. There are lots of times I do not listen to the radio at all yet the fan needs to be running? It should be set to turn on when the unit is turned on.

I have this same fan noise on my 11. It comes on the second I turn the key. It does bother me but it is not loud enough once the truck is moving. My blower motor is more noisy .

 

[cbreze]

I watched a YouTube video on how to take that stuff apart and pull the radio unit out. Didn't look too difficult so I tried it and sure enough was pretty easy. No more fan noise, fixed! So glad to have that noise out of my head every time I drove anywhere.