Noise when heater came on?

[rileyb76]

Guys,
This morning it was about 30degrees here. I leave my AC set to AUTO at 72 degrees. Anyways, after driving for a few minutes, when the heater kicked in it made this awful noise. I immediately turned it off after I figured out what happened. I waited 30 seconds, turned on again and got the same noise. I waited a couple of minutes and turned it back on, and it was perfect.

Does this sound like some kind of belt going bad or something?
TIA

 

[jow]

Can a dirty Cabin Air Filter's restriction cause a noise and wear on the blower’s motor? OR! Has anyone known any debris to get past the filter? Checking the filter might lead to some info. What is the age of the filter?

Good Luck!

 

[BlackWorksInc]

What was the noise? A buzz? squeal? grinding? chattering? Also where did the noise originate from? The HVAC unit inside the vehicle, in the engine bay, on the passenger side, ect ect. We need a little more information than "a noise when something was turned on" to really track down the issue.

Jow- Yes it is possibly for leaves, debris, and other things to block the HVAC system causing issues. Its also widely experienced small animals eating and/or making nests inside of the HVAC unit in certian areas.

 

[rileyb76]

What was the noise? A buzz? squeal? grinding? chattering? Also where did the noise originate from? The HVAC unit inside the vehicle, in the engine bay, on the passenger side, ect ect. We need a little more information than "a noise when something was turned on" to really track down the issue.

Jow- Yes it is possibly for leaves, debris, and other things to block the HVAC system causing issues. Its also widely experienced small animals eating and/or making nests inside of the HVAC unit in certian areas.

Right, sorry. Its hard to say really... I think it was coming from the engine bay behind the glove box area. It sounded like a loud whirring. I can't be exact though. I can try to take a movie and post to youtube if it happens again.
I was just wondering if there were some simple things to check with the hvac stuff.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Okay, that actually helps some, the intake for the HVAC is on the passenger side. I would check the cabin air filter first and foremost. Also while you have the glove box out, try and recreate the noise and maybe poke around in the passenger side to see if you can pin point it. Could be a bloackage, failing HVAC fan bearing and/or motor.

 

[rileyb76]

Okay, that actually helps some, the intake for the HVAC is on the passenger side. I would check the cabin air filter first and foremost. Also while you have the glove box out, try and recreate the noise and maybe poke around in the passenger side to see if you can pin point it. Could be a bloackage, failing HVAC fan bearing and/or motor.

Thanks for the info.
Just looked at a youtube vid and it doesn't look too difficult to replace if it is the motor. Thanks again. I'll report back here.