02 Pathfinder: Rattle from AC/Heater

[Jack Dawkins]

I've got a rattle/ticking sound coming from my AC/heater area. It's there at idle, but worse when I step on the accelerator.

Last year I had a bad blower motor resistor and replaced that. I figured the noise was related to something stuck in the fan, or something wrong with the blower motor, so I opened the compartment (no foreign objects) and replaced the blower motor. It wasn't the blower motor (I guess I now have a "back up").

Any thoughts (other than turning up the radio)?

[disallow]

I've got a rattle/ticking sound coming from my AC/heater area. It's there at idle, but worse when I step on the accelerator.

Last year I had a bad blower motor resistor and replaced that. I figured the noise was related to something stuck in the fan, or something wrong with the blower motor, so I opened the compartment (no foreign objects) and replaced the blower motor. It wasn't the blower motor (I guess I now have a "back up").

Any thoughts (other than turning up the radio)?

Possibly some junk or dry leaves have made their way through the fresh air intake. Drop the blower and clean it out.

[ghostrider990]

Ditto.
These things are infamous for sucking-in all kinds of debris, ESPECIALLY pine tree needles if you park near one.

I try to make it a point to clean mine at least once per year, and douche/soak my in-cabin filters while I'm at it.

An ounce of prevention....

gr

[Jack Dawkins]

Thanks for your suggestions. I pulled/replaced the entire blower motor/fan in the first go-around (the compartment was clear of debris). Also, the noise doesn't get any faster/slower with a change in the fan speed, which seems to indicate that there isn't anything stuck in, or coming into contact with, the spinning fan.