[silkiechicken]

So my first "real" problem!

I am at nearly 35k miles and maybe about 5k miles ago the blower fan started to squeak like a bearing was going out on the lowest fan setting. It has been intermittent and has gotten progressively worse in the last month to where the three lowest fan settings now squeak. Figured I should make use of that bumper to bumper warranty, so I took her in today, as I'll go over 36k in the next month or so.

Well, at the dealer, the nice tech guy who greeted me at the pull up garage thing said oh, it's probably just debris or rodent damage, but that they would look. I asked if I could watch... and the tech and service desk guy both said they could't let me into the garage... but they did say they could let me stand just outside the shop and they would park near the door so I could watch! So I was escorted through their garage to the back door where I could see. The tech took out the still clean (recently replaced) filter and then took out the blower motor/fan. He showed me the part and I asked what the solution might be. Tech said, they could put in some lube on the fan.... which we know is only a temp fix... so I followed up with, where I should be adding lube in the future in case it squeaks again? He paused and said he would consult a more senior tech. 5 minutes later he says they are ordering a replacement! So if all goes well... tomorrow I should have a non squeaky fan! :grin: Hopefully for longer than 30k miles....

 

[DOB]

Lube the fan.......LOL. What page of the manual is that on??

 

[silkiechicken]

Job done and squeak gone!!

The service adviser yesterday and today both asked where I take the truck for service. I told them I did my own and then they didn't even bother trying to sell me their monthly service plan they were telling others about. It starts at only 19.95 a month! Might be great for some, but not yet for me.

I did see on their screen, prior to them filling out the warranty for billing, their parts price was ~$144.

 

[biggziff]

Not an uncommon complaint with these. Mine makes noise...I'm tired of bringing it back to the dealership so I'm living with it for now.

 

[silkiechicken]

Not an uncommon complaint with these. Mine makes noise...I'm tired of bringing it back to the dealership so I'm living with it for now.

It still makes noise, not totally silent like the 20+ year old Lexus I had prior... but the noise this one started to make was literally the sound of a bearing going out. A whirling squeal that would modulate with how fast the fan was spinning. It is once again the original whirling fan noise of normal-to-today's-standard fan. I was starting to go crazy and I put up with lots of screechy bird sounds on a regular basis if that is worth anything on the scale of annoying sounds. LOL.

Only other time I have had to go back was for a clunking which I wanted to verify was brake pad shifty shifting. What else did you have to take yours back to the dealer for?

Here's a picture of my squeaky co-pilot who randomly screams and crushes her food spraying it throughout the cabin. I'm sure her feathers and dust are what makes up the majority of the crud in the cabin air filter.

 

[biggziff]

It still makes noise, not totally silent like the 20+ year old Lexus I had prior... but the noise this one started to make was literally the sound of a bearing going out. A whirling squeal that would modulate with how fast the fan was spinning. It is once again the original whirling fan noise of normal-to-today's-standard fan. I was starting to go crazy and I put up with lots of screechy bird sounds on a regular basis if that is worth anything on the scale of annoying sounds. LOL.

Only other time I have had to go back was for a clunking which I wanted to verify was brake pad shifty shifting. What else did you have to take yours back to the dealer for?

Here's a picture of my squeaky co-pilot who randomly screams and crushes her food spraying it throughout the cabin. I'm sure her feathers and dust are what makes up the majority of the crud in the cabin air filter.

Mine has been back for:

Leaking rear doors (took months to get resolved)
Door panels not aligned well
Pop in the radio
Light in the bed stopped working
Peeling clearcoat on the wheels
Driver seat motor replaced due to it making noise
Wind noise whistle on passenger rear door..still doing that
Water getting into the fuel filler neck
I have a different clunk in the driver's front wheel when I reverse and apply the brakes. It's getting worse so I'll have to take it back for that too. 21K miles 18 months of ownership.


I think there were some other, minor things, but can't remember now.

 

[silkiechicken]

@biggziff

Dang, that is quite the list. Hopefully your front wheel issue can be resolved. I'm now less than 800 miles away from 36k so hope I don't start experiencing all the issues you have already had!

 

[Alexderaven]

How much of the dash needs to be remove to swap out the fan? Wonder if this is something one can DIY.

 

[Still_Ridgen]

How much of the dash needs to be remove to swap out the fan? Wonder if this is something one can DIY.

I haven't had to change mine, but I doubt any if it's just the blower and cage. It is usually just attached with a few screws from the bottom. Maybe for removing the entire airbox you would. Although, knowing Honda, it wouldn't surprise me if you had to pull the entire interior out.:act064:

 

[bluecatsup]

OP you got a video? I think I have the same problem. Been living with it for a year and finally took it to the dealer and its hard to replicate because it can be very faint. the sound is high pitched and the mechanic and manager (older folks) couldnt hear it. so they gave me my keys back and it was a waste of a day. video is on facebook (link below), make sure its on HD and headphones if you wanted to really hear. when i turn off the fan, thats when you really hear the sound slow down to a stop. basically from my point of view, it sounds like a small piece of paper or leaf hitting fan blades. sound goes away when i manually put the fan on high

https://www.facebook.com/iPacio/videos/10106316885393112/

 

[dojob]

My blower motor / fan needed replaced. Ordered through friend at local body shop.

New revised / superceded part number is 79307-TZ5-A61 for all 2017+ ridgelines.

Do not use 79310-TZ5-A42

 

[silkiechicken]

How much of the dash needs to be remove to swap out the fan? Wonder if this is something one can DIY.

Totally DIY able. Just drop down the glove box, take out the air filter, unscrew a screw or two and unplug/pop out the blower unit!

I haven't had to change mine, but I doubt any if it's just the blower and cage. It is usually just attached with a few screws from the bottom. Maybe for removing the entire airbox you would. Although, knowing Honda, it wouldn't surprise me if you had to pull the entire interior out.:act064:

Ditto! It was like a 10 minute job. I watched from just outside the garage line. If you want complicated... try working on an older Lexus. To change my rear speakers, literally the first step was to remove driver and passenger seat belt bolts.... you'd think I was stripping out the car when we did that.

OP you got a video? I think I have the same problem. Been living with it for a year and finally took it to the dealer and its hard to replicate because it can be very faint. the sound is high pitched and the mechanic and manager (older folks) couldnt hear it. so they gave me my keys back and it was a waste of a day. video is on facebook (link below), make sure its on HD and headphones if you wanted to really hear. when i turn off the fan, thats when you really hear the sound slow down to a stop. basically from my point of view, it sounds like a small piece of paper or leaf hitting fan blades. sound goes away when i manually put the fan on high

https://www.facebook.com/iPacio/videos/10106316885393112/

I don't have a video. (And your video is uploaded to fb so if you want it visible to others besides your friends, I recommend Youtube.) However, mine started at lowest fan speeds only, and over about 6 months progressed to being audible at higher fan speeds (up to about 3 notches). I made sure I could re-produce it before rolling into the shop (and before my 36k warranty was up). I literally drove around till I could hear it, turned my sound all the way down, and rolled into the service bay windows down first thing in the morning and asked if the tech could hear it. I also asked if the service advisor could hear it, before shutting off the vehicle or even getting out.

My blower motor / fan needed replaced. Ordered through friend at local body shop.

New revised / superceded part number is 79307-TZ5-A61 for all 2017+ ridgelines.

Do not use 79310-TZ5-A42

Thanks for the thread resurrection so I could answer questions!

 

[dojob]

How much of the dash needs to be remove to swap out the fan? Wonder if this is something one can DIY.

Totally DIY able. Just drop down the glove box, take out the air filter, unscrew a screw or two and unplug/pop out the blower unit!

This is incorrect. No need to touch glove box or filter. Everything is accessed under the glove box

To change blower motor. Only tools need are 7mm socket and ratchet.

Pull panel under glove box straight down, from upper leading edge, only 4 clips hold it.

Unclip wiring harness from blower motor. There's (1), hidden, 7mm screw holding footwell hvac ducting, so it can be gently moved aside when motor drops down.(3) 7mm screws hold blower motor.

Reinstall motor. Screw for hvac duct. Insert lower portion of dash panel 1st, then the upper clips.

 

[silkiechicken]

This is incorrect. No need to touch glove box or filter. Everything is accessed under the glove box

To change blower motor. Only tools need are 7mm socket and ratchet.

Pull panel under glove box straight down, from upper leading edge, only 4 clips hold it.

Unclip wiring harness from blower motor. There's (1), hidden, 7mm screw holding footwell hvac ducting, so it can be gently moved aside when motor drops down.(3) 7mm screws hold blower motor.

Reinstall motor. Screw for hvac duct. Insert lower portion of dash panel 1st, then the upper clips.

Thanks for the correction! I only watched the process from a garage bay door!

 

[dojob]

This is incorrect. No need to touch glove box or filter. Everything is accessed under the glove box

To change blower motor. Only tools need are 7mm socket and ratchet.

Pull panel under glove box straight down, from upper leading edge, only 4 clips hold it.

Unclip wiring harness from blower motor. There's (1), hidden, 7mm screw holding footwell hvac ducting, so it can be gently moved aside when motor drops down.(3) 7mm screws hold blower motor.

Reinstall motor. Screw for hvac duct. Insert lower portion of dash panel 1st, then the upper clips.

Thanks for the correction! I only watched the process from a garage bay door!

Just wanted to clarify before someone attempts pulling it out in the wrong manner, getting frustrated

 

[172CR]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to update you on my progression with this issue. Mine had progressively been getting worse and it's been annoying me terribly for months. I'm at 27,000 miles on my black edition.

I took my truck into a local Honda dealer to review the concern, advised of the superseded part number and hopeful it would be a quick in and out but of course, it was "normal operation" and I was sent home without a fix.

Anyway, long story short, the process posted above to remove the motor assembly is straightforward and simple. I took out the motor, recorded a video and sent a little email to the service manager with the video included...

A new part is on order and will be replaced Regardless of the dealer though, this is a very easy fix once you get the replacement part. I was ready to simply buy the part and do this. For those that have this noise, it's amazing how pleasant the cabin is with the noise gone!

 

[dojob]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to update you on my progression with this issue. Mine had progressively been getting worse and it's been annoying me terribly for months. I'm at 27,000 miles on my black edition.

I took my truck into a local Honda dealer to review the concern, advised of the superseded part number and hopeful it would be a quick in and out but of course, it was "normal operation" and I was sent home without a fix.

Anyway, long story short, the process posted above to remove the motor assembly is straightforward and simple. I took out the motor, recorded a video and sent a little email to the service manager with the video included...

A new part is on order and will be replaced Regardless of the dealer though, this is a very easy fix once you get the replacement part. I was ready to simply buy the part and do this. For those that have this noise, it's amazing how pleasant the cabin is with the noise gone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6L2enRbW3s

Same noise mine made. I replaced the motor. Then a grinding noise happened on high. Took new motor back out. I look at the case, it's cracked. I called Honda, told them it was damaged, no issue. They ordered a new one.

In the mean time I needed to use the old one again. I put oil on the bearing, via the hole you see in this video. And via the side of the case, you can see the shaft/bearing spin. No noise. Put old motor back in. Hasn't squeaked in since, that was weeks ago. New motor is on my shelf still. LOL

 

[silkiechicken]

My squeak may be returning... and grease may be my answer this time around since I'm 11k into the new blower fan.

 

[silkiechicken]

This is incorrect. No need to touch glove box or filter. Everything is accessed under the glove box

To change blower motor. Only tools need are 7mm socket and ratchet.

Pull panel under glove box straight down, from upper leading edge, only 4 clips hold it.

Unclip wiring harness from blower motor. There's (1), hidden, 7mm screw holding footwell hvac ducting, so it can be gently moved aside when motor drops down.(3) 7mm screws hold blower motor.

Reinstall motor. Screw for hvac duct. Insert lower portion of dash panel 1st, then the upper clips.

Circling back to the blower motor... I'm a few commutes short of 80k miles and the squeak (or a squeak) has returned! So using @dojob 's excellent description, we took the replacement motor out and tried to see what might be wrong. The hidden screw really was hidden. Hidden enough to basically be like, if you can see it with your eyes, it's not the right one. LOL. It's behind foot well hvac ducting appendage that blocks the fan from dropping out... it's not the one you can actually see way up there holding the ducting. You have to feel for it.

Interestingly... what we found was a brushed motor which might be getting premature wear due to an imbalanced fan. We even noted what look like balancing weights to make up for the manufacturing irregularities. I don't remember the original one having these, but it was a while ago. The squeak is intermittent, so will be living with it for the time being.

 

[172CR]

How strange with the balancing weights. My original fan did not have the either. The replacement is still quiet for me so far