Whine when AC is on?

CollinJ

New member
So I’m sure I’ll sound like a crazy person....

I’ve got a 2018 with around 31k on it, zero issues and this I don’t believe is an issue.

I noticed just yesterday when I turn my AC on (temp doesn’t matter and neither does where it’s being sent) I can hear a whine sound, I can hear it over the air blowing so it’s decently loud I’d say and does change in speed when you change the blower speed. I’ve tried to get a video but my 3 year old wanted to go inside ha.

It almost sounds like an electrical whine if that paints a better picture? I doubt it’s the blower motor as sometimes the sound isn’t present at all. It’s not a “normal” sound for the AC and I’ve not heard it before.

I did replace the cabin filter maybe 2 weeks ago and have confirmed it’s in the correct direction, removed it and reinstalled it as well.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
 
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So I’m sure I’ll sound like a crazy person....

I’ve got a 2018 with around 31k on it, zero issues and this I don’t believe is an issue.

I noticed just yesterday when I turn my AC on (temp doesn’t matter and neither does where it’s being sent) I can hear a whine sound, I can hear it over the air blowing so it’s decently loud I’d say and does change in speed when you change the blower speed. I’ve tried to get a video but my 3 year old wanted to go inside ha.

It almost sounds like an electrical whine if that paints a better picture? I doubt it’s the blower motor as sometimes the sound isn’t present at all. It’s not a “normal” sound for the AC and I’ve not heard it before.

I did replace the cabin filter maybe 2 weeks ago and have confirmed it’s in the correct direction, removed it and reinstalled it as well.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Mine does when on high sometimes.
 
actually... this reminds me of how many members say K&N style cotton filters cause a whining sound w/ their engine filter. Maybe its the same w/ a cabin filter. Could simply be the type of filter youre running. Put back the old filter if you still have it and see if it still whines?
 
actually... this reminds me of how many members say K&N style cotton filters cause a whining sound w/ their engine filter. Maybe its the same w/ a cabin filter. Could simply be the type of filter youre running. Put back the old filter if you still have it and see if it still whines?

That’s a good point, I believe it’s the same filter but I’m not 100% on that.

I’ll try removing the filter when I hear the sound again to see if it is in fact the cause. It’s weird, it’s only sometimes. This morning I put it on, no sound at all.
 
You should pull the blower motor out if you haven't already done so.

Mine made a noise that got worse at higher fan speeds. When I pulled it down, turns out there were a few leaves and debris causing the noise.

Only takes five minutes to access it.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
 
Since you just replaced your cabin filter it is probably the filter rubbing on the blades. I have had that issue as well. Filter not seated just right or bunched up in the hole.
 
Nice thread cause I had the same thing. Mine was not loud but consistent. It seemed to die out when I turned off the re-circulation button and had the compressor chilling the outside air as it pulled the air into the vehicle. But once I put my re-circulation button back on the whine came back. So I took the cabin filter out and I noticed a dry leaf stuck inside of the blow-through. I felt around and found a few other small leaves stuck in there. So maybe you may want to pull the air filter out and look around in where the air filter goes. Maybe theres something stuck in there and either the air blowing by it or the fan is rubbing on something which could cause a whine, such as a dry leaf or a small stick or something.
 
I used to work at Toyota as a service advisor and most “whining while ac is on” issues ended up being debris inside the blower motor. In a rare case it would be the bearing inside the motor. Odds are it’s just dirty. Take it out and clean it. Maybe put a new filter as well if you haven’t done so.

Good luck!
 
I used to work at Toyota as a service advisor and most “whining while ac is on” issues ended up being debris inside the blower motor. In a rare case it would be the bearing inside the motor. Odds are it’s just dirty. Take it out and clean it. Maybe put a new filter as well if you haven’t done so.

Good luck!

Thanks, that’s the plan for me his weekend, I’ll drop the motor and take a look. I’ve now not heard it in a while soooo maybe whatever it was cleared itself too. Still going to drop it though.
 

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