Ac/heater fan

ok so i have had this problem for a while, but i am going to have my problem looked at by a mechanic, but i was wondering what everyone else thought before i took it in...

anyway, when i turn my heat on i hear a squealing noise coming from the passenger side underneath or around the glove compartment.. now my heat and defrost is working fine, at least as of right now..my question is..is my fan motor starting to go out? is it the motor? cause that's what I'm thinking right now, the noise comes and goes, sometimes its short or longer....the only other guess i have is..that something could be clogged? now i live in Minnesota so its pretty cold here.. i only ever notice this in the winter, never during the summer and such..i know something may be going, and I'm going to get it fixed..but I'm just wondering what the problem could possibly be? any advice or suggestions would be great, and if its the motor is it really expensive?..

YuS

My guess is the blower motor. Really cold weather like we have been having causes everything to turn slower. Bad bearings in the heater core motor are a reasonable source of this noise.

I looked at replacing the heater blower motor resistor this fall (A different part, but located right next to the blower motor) and the procedure is similar to what follows.

1: Remove the 2-3 plastic push-pins that hold up the black carpet piece under the dash on the passanger side.. You will see the motor. It comes out from the inside of the car, by loosening three small screws.

If I suspect labor to be an hour to an hour and a half.. So I bet this would be a few hundred, and then there's parts. $50-$100 depending on what sources the shop uses.

I considered removing the passanger seat when I was going to do work in that area.

There's two bolts at the back of the seat, one in each seat rail that can be unscrewed. Remove these, and slide the seat out of the front clips. I believe the front of the seat rails actually slide into brackets that are part of the car body.

Safely cover or remove the Air Bag control module, so you don't crush it. Put down some blankets, close the door with an electrical heater inside, and close the door.

I think I'd tackle this repair, even in Minnesota weather. Key is to remove the seat in my opinion so you can lay down. And in Minnesota Keep some heat in the car!

Good Luck

$69.99 at NAPA online. You'll be amazed how quiet it is to....I lived with that squeal for two months before I couldn't stand it any longer. I'm not much of a mechanic and I found it easy to replace.

Thank you both very much! This was my suspicion all along...i asked 2 different mechanics already, and from what i explained to them, they are saying the exact same thing..(blower motor). one mechanic told me the part was 215 for the motor then labor added $300, which i find ridiculous, cause i found the part for $96 online, but i can find a better price, like you said $69 at napa! wow! so i might go that route, but I'm gonna take my car into a mechanic to make sure its the blower motor, and then maybe order the part depending on what another mechanic says, if hes price is lower, I'll go that route, if not, I'll just order it, and have someone put it in...

i am disabled and not able to use my right arm very well, so i don't think i would be able to put it in myself..but if i could i would..

Thanks again to both of you

any other suggestions or advice is most welcome....

YuS

I had that same problem with the blower motor going bad. You guys are familiar with the movie dumb and dumber? Let me tell ya, the worlds most annoying sound isn't the one Jim Carrey makes in that movie. It's a close second....lol