Blower Motor Whining Again

Suhb · 11-20-2014, 04:01 PM

Hey guys, last year I had my blower motor replaced by the dealer due to a whine that became increasingly annoying towards the winter. I had read around that it was due to a moisture leak and brought this up to the dealership before they went ahead and replaced it. They said it would be fine and only replaced the blower motor saying it wouldn't happen again.

Well one year later, come winter, the whine is slowly starting to come back again. I can only imagine that it will get worse and louder with each winter. I had the work done under warranty and now I am out of warranty. Is there any way I can bring this up to them and have it fixed for free along with whatever moisture leak is causing this? Do they warranty their work? I had warned them about this possibly happening again and do not want to pay out of pocket at all because of their negligence.

MIAblu1 · 01-02-2015, 01:05 PM

question about this... I've been hearing a whine thats only present when my A/C is running, is that what you're referring to as far as the blower motor issue you had? I'm out of warranty so gotta research and replace myself to avoid whatever ungodly cost the dealer would charge me for it.

Miko226 · 02-05-2015, 03:31 PM

Yes dealer warranties any bmws part and labor they do for 2 years on BMW parts

6MT_Addict · 02-16-2015, 05:20 PM

I had this on my previous BMW (E90) while under warranty. I was told this was normal, it went away after a little while.

I've fixed this issue in other vehicles by removing the blower motor, and lubricating the shaft with a small amount of synthetic engine oil. It solved the issue for two years, and was quiet when I sold the car.

It's fairly simple. Most are located behind the glove box, accessed from below. Several screws and it drops out. Drip oil down between the fan and shaft, or remove the fan, lubricate the shaft (could also buff it with ultra fine sandpaper) and re-install the fan.

Suhb · 02-19-2015, 07:44 AM

MIAblu, no this is not the problem I have. And thanks for the solution 1addictsanonymous. I read up on this and that it removes the noise.

My understanding is that there is a moisture leak somewhere that causes the corrosion or premature wear on the blower motor. Is there a fix for that? Seems inconvenient to lubricate the blower motor every time the whine returns

6MT_Addict · 02-19-2015, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suhb

MIAblu, no this is not the problem I have. And thanks for the solution 1addictsanonymous. I read up on this and that it removes the noise.

My understanding is that there is a moisture leak somewhere that causes the corrosion or premature wear on the blower motor. Is there a fix for that? Seems inconvenient to lubricate the blower motor every time the whine returns

In my experience corrosion is at fault as you stated. The issue is that in order to pull air into the cabin, it needs to pass through and around the blower motor.

So unless you de-humidify the air constantly the problem is inevitable. In theory parts that do not corrode easily (ie aluminum) could be used to prevent this from re-occurring. Or technology similar to Dyson fans could be used in the future... But for our existing fans were kind of SOL as far as I know.

youngdoc1 · 03-02-2015, 09:56 AM

Agree with above. I have a 2009 128i that i bought in 2012. Winter of 2013 it started making squeaking/whining noises (only in cold weather) and when I removed it the centre shaft was rusted. I took out the cabin air filter and made sure everything was well sealed with no way of moisture leaking in. I replaced the motor and the electronic control unit with brand new BMW original replacement.

One year later, same problem again. This time, I took out the motor and again the bearing had been rusted. I applied a small amount of grease to the centre bearing and re-installed it. No noise for 1-2 weeks, then the noise re-appeared again (especially loud squeaking on very cold days).

I took out the cabin air filter and could see the fan from the engine bay. I sprayed a liberal amount of lithium grease at different fan settings. It's been about 3 weeks and noise is gone. I've read this same solution in different forums and seems to have worked well for people.

In either case, if it's under warranty it should be replaced by the dealer. They should also check the cabin air filter to make sure that it's properly installed and sealed to minimize moisture coming in.

lainmike0710 · 03-06-2015, 03:53 AM

funny this is being mentioned as PA is experiencing one hell of a late Winter blast but mine whines anytime the fan is on AT ALL but it only happens when I am turning left or sometimes hitting the breaks. It seems like it happens when power is redistributed to either the power steering (though only left hand turns which is strange) or the power to the breaks. Any ideas?? Could it just be a similar situation to the original poster's??

11-20-2014, 04:01 PM	#1
Suhb First Lieutenant 119 Rep 377 Posts Drives: 2010 128i Coupe 6-Speed Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: PA iTrader: (3)	Blower Motor Whining Again - Does Dealership Warranty Their Work? Hey guys, last year I had my blower motor replaced by the dealer due to a whine that became increasingly annoying towards the winter. I had read around that it was due to a moisture leak and brought this up to the dealership before they went ahead and replaced it. They said it would be fine and only replaced the blower motor saying it wouldn't happen again. Well one year later, come winter, the whine is slowly starting to come back again. I can only imagine that it will get worse and louder with each winter. I had the work done under warranty and now I am out of warranty. Is there any way I can bring this up to them and have it fixed for free along with whatever moisture leak is causing this? Do they warranty their work? I had warned them about this possibly happening again and do not want to pay out of pocket at all because of their negligence.
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01-02-2015, 01:05 PM	#2
MIAblu1 Second Lieutenant 22 Rep 201 Posts Drives: 08 Monaco Blue 135i Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Florida iTrader: (0)	question about this... I've been hearing a whine thats only present when my A/C is running, is that what you're referring to as far as the blower motor issue you had? I'm out of warranty so gotta research and replace myself to avoid whatever ungodly cost the dealer would charge me for it.
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02-05-2015, 03:31 PM	#3
Miko226 Captain 61 Rep 722 Posts Drives: 11' 335d Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Boca Raton, FL iTrader: (0)	Yes dealer warranties any bmws part and labor they do for 2 years on BMW parts __________________ 11' m57 335d 165k Miles - JR 2, ATM Full Exhaust & Intake, Wagner FMIC, AAR Boost Pipe, AAR Swirl Delete, AAR EGR Delete 08' n54 135i FBO E85 - SOLD
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02-16-2015, 05:20 PM	#4
6MT_Addict Captain 283 Rep 888 Posts Drives: 08 135i M Sport 6MT, 15 X3 35i Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Edmonton iTrader: (2) Garage List 2008 BMW 135i [10.00]	I had this on my previous BMW (E90) while under warranty. I was told this was normal, it went away after a little while. I've fixed this issue in other vehicles by removing the blower motor, and lubricating the shaft with a small amount of synthetic engine oil. It solved the issue for two years, and was quiet when I sold the car. It's fairly simple. Most are located behind the glove box, accessed from below. Several screws and it drops out. Drip oil down between the fan and shaft, or remove the fan, lubricate the shaft (could also buff it with ultra fine sandpaper) and re-install the fan. __________________ 2015 Cosmic Blue Metallic Wrapped X3 35i ///M Sport Full 3M Vinyl Wrap \| Flat Black Grilles
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02-19-2015, 07:44 AM	#5
Suhb First Lieutenant 119 Rep 377 Posts Drives: 2010 128i Coupe 6-Speed Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: PA iTrader: (3)	MIAblu, no this is not the problem I have. And thanks for the solution 1addictsanonymous. I read up on this and that it removes the noise. My understanding is that there is a moisture leak somewhere that causes the corrosion or premature wear on the blower motor. Is there a fix for that? Seems inconvenient to lubricate the blower motor every time the whine returns
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-02-2015, 09:56 AM	#7
youngdoc1 Private First Class 34 Rep 150 Posts Drives: 2019 X4 M40i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Toronto, Ontario iTrader: (0)	Agree with above. I have a 2009 128i that i bought in 2012. Winter of 2013 it started making squeaking/whining noises (only in cold weather) and when I removed it the centre shaft was rusted. I took out the cabin air filter and made sure everything was well sealed with no way of moisture leaking in. I replaced the motor and the electronic control unit with brand new BMW original replacement. One year later, same problem again. This time, I took out the motor and again the bearing had been rusted. I applied a small amount of grease to the centre bearing and re-installed it. No noise for 1-2 weeks, then the noise re-appeared again (especially loud squeaking on very cold days). I took out the cabin air filter and could see the fan from the engine bay. I sprayed a liberal amount of lithium grease at different fan settings. It's been about 3 weeks and noise is gone. I've read this same solution in different forums and seems to have worked well for people. In either case, if it's under warranty it should be replaced by the dealer. They should also check the cabin air filter to make sure that it's properly installed and sealed to minimize moisture coming in.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-06-2015, 03:53 AM	#8
lainmike0710 Private First Class 29 Rep 134 Posts Drives: '10 e82 128i Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Pittsburgh iTrader: (-2)	funny this is being mentioned as PA is experiencing one hell of a late Winter blast but mine whines anytime the fan is on AT ALL but it only happens when I am turning left or sometimes hitting the breaks. It seems like it happens when power is redistributed to either the power steering (though only left hand turns which is strange) or the power to the breaks. Any ideas?? Could it just be a similar situation to the original poster's??
	Appreciate 0 Quote