Can't sleep just got home shut car off making vibrating rattling hum from console

[PrOjEcT iCe MaN]

Hi i just got home and shut my car off and when i left my car i noticed in the center console what seems to becoming from the ac/heat controls is a vibrating/rattling hum sound. I waited and it didnt stop I came out an hour later and still the same. Does anyone have a clue as to what this is, is this going to drain my battery till i get to my mechanic, i gotta work in the afternoon.

[mattmartindrift]

FSU, try searching it. It's a common issue.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by PrOjEcT iCe MaN

... when i left my car i noticed in the center console what seems to becoming from the ac/heat controls is a vibrating/rattling hum sound. I waited and it didnt stop I came out an hour later and still the same. Does anyone have a clue as to what this is...

Is this a recent purchase for you or have you owned the car for a while and this is the first time you've heard this "vibrating/rattling hum sound"?

If you can verify that the sound is NOT your car's blower for the AC/heating system blowing air thru the vents...but the sound is coming from behind the IHKA control panel (the AC/heat panel in the dash)...then the sound you are hearing is the small fan in the IHKA panel that draws air thru the left vent...across a thermistor which tells the IHKA panel what temperature the air is...so that the control panel can maintain the temp setting you've selected.

The IHKA panel is on the P-bus (perepheral bus) which "comes to life" when the door handles or the keyless entry system, or the windows are actuated. You will also see an orange light illuminated (P) on your gearshift lever display which indicates the the P-bus is active. That light (and the P-bus) goes to sleep AFTER 16 minutes of the engine being shut down, and no activity of the doors/windows.

This means, when you shut the car down, the little fan is still running inside the IHKA panel...it probably shut down after 16 minutes...BUT...when you came back to the car and lifted the door handle (or unlocked the door)...the P bus came back to life and the little fan in the IHKA started running again, preparing for you to start the car and was "sampling" the cabin's air so that the IHKA panel could began to adjust the temp inside the cabin.

That little fan inside the IHKA panel can become noisy after a while if a lot of dust has collected on it. CAREFULLY take a vacuum hose to the LEFT vent in the panel (careful not to suck the buttons off your IHKA panel).

The pic below is the little fan inside the IHKA panel that draws air in:


If you can somehow let your car sit for 16 minutes without any manipulation of the door handles or windows...you should be able to see the light go off on the gearshift and the little fan should stop running.

[PinoIX]

This was also stumping me... Thanx for the info. I feel better now about the noise.

[s car]

I just hit my center console, and it turned off.

Kinda like the Fonz, in Happy Days.

[PatrickW]

i was wondering what the hell that was, i know my fan sounds like a 747 taking off but i had no idea what was living in my dash