Heater fan making awfull noise

[jrath]

My fan in my car makes a terrible noise when I turn it on above the lowest setting. When it makes the noise it does not blow at all making it impossible to defrost my windows. If I can stand the noise long enough it will stop and then start to blow, but that only last for a short while.
If there is someone else in the car with me the noise is loud enough that we cant even hear each other talk.

Any suggestions? Has anyone ever come across this problem?
Even though my Regal is a '99 I do have over 150,000 miles on it but it runns great.

Please help before my hearing goes or I crash because I cant see out the window.

[AZeline]

Is it a screaching like noise? Or a ticking/clicking noise?

[jrath]

It is a screaching like noise. However, now the fan quit working alltogether.

[AZeline]

I had a car that was doing that a while ago. Turns out the fan had come loose and needed the set screw to be tightened. I also had to replace the fan because of the extra wear on the inner part of the fan where the shaft goes. It wasn't to expensive, but very time consuming.

If it's still screaching and no air, the motor is turning but the fan itself isn't moving much if at all. Could be the fanblade has loosened from the shaft of the fan motor. It will have to come out and be looked at. Not a fun task as the underside of the dashboard is it's hiding spot.

If the screaching noise has stopped and you have no air, than it's probably the fan motor itself. Still, it has to come out from the vent system. Of coarse if the motor bearings froze up it could also be going through fuses too because the motor won't turn anymore.

[Johnny R]

I replaced the blower motor on my 95 Century. What a blessed quietness compared to before the fix. Merry Christmas!

[jrath]

Sounds like I have a fun job ahead of me. One question, do I get to the fan from the inside of the car under the dash or is it located under the hood attached to the firewall?
I think I know the answer but one could hope!

[AZeline]

Pick up a Chilton or Haynes Manual before you start and look it over. I don't know your car spacifically, but almost all cars and trucks have similar vent systems. The fans are normally located under the dash usually attached to a large black vent box, and you'll have to remove some items to get to it like the glove box and/or radio (with the radio comes some dashboard pieces). I've never touched a dual climate system but I'm sure there are more things to deal with if you have one. Save all the screws in marked containers or zip lock bags so they can all go back in the right spot. I've misplaced to many or put a short one where a long one should have gone because I didn't do so. There are may also be some one-time use clips that may be difficult to remove, but easy to put in. They are fairly cheap to replace too. It's a time consuming job and hard on your back as you spend much of it laying on the uneven floorboard. Small pillows help with that. If you have the time, taking your front seats out will give you more room to work with but it's not required.