Strange noise from my dash. Any ideas?

[blueberry]

So for a while I've been getting this random noise in my dash. I can't for the life of me figure out what it could possibly be. It has been described by my roomate as a frog laughing, and by my gf as a cricket on a pogo stick. It always happens while I'm driving. Never while idling. Happens at random times. Sometimes it doesn't do it for days, other times its every 5 mins while cruising down the road. It comes from directly behind my instrument panel, Starts relatively slow, then the pulse gets slowly faster, then it just stops. Any ideas?

[LazyAmerican]

video?

[granlund]

I believe I have the same sound as you - crickets or frogs. I think it's some part of the HVAC system automatically adjusting temperature or air flap setting.

[blueberry]

ill try to keep my video camcorder on my cell phone handy next time im in my car to see if i can catch it. it only happens for a few seconds at a time. i know its not normal and its not supposed to do it. at least maybe not this loud. i wonder if it is something like an auto part of the hvac system, but the "bushings" lets use as a reference word, are worn out, so its louder than normal. idk.

[JDStrickland]

I believe I have the same sound as you - crickets or frogs. I think it's some part of the HVAC system automatically adjusting temperature or air flap setting.
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[blueberry]

so how do i fix it or get it to go away?

[granlund]

I have chosen to ignore it. It's on my DD, so I can't rip out the entire dash and have the car disabled for two weeks.

[coolpizzadude]

Mine does that too but only when I stop the engine. I think it's somthing with the AC or heater.

[blueberry]

Mine makes that different shutter noise after shut off as well. But that is not what this is. Completely different. This noise is only while driving.

[blueberry]

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It is not HVAC. I finally found it. Well, sort of. I know more about it now. I tried video recording it on my cell phone, but the road noise is way too loud on video. Can't even hear it.

So I was driving on the highway yesterday and it was happening every other mile so I decided to use that time to try to figure it out. I tried going faster, going slower, going faster than hitting the brakes hard. Still there, still there, still there. Its so annoying.

So I tried turning my heater on, then ac on, then off, then all the way up. Still there, still there, still there, STILL THERE!!! UGH!!! SOOOO ANNOYING!!!

So for some reason I decided to take it out of gear and cruise in neutral to hear it without the engine revved up. I popped it in neutral without the clutch....as the engine slows down, the noise goes away!!!! WTH?!?!?! So I kept doing it. Same thing happened everytime.

I thought maybe it had to do with the spedometer or tach......nope....

Then I went to put it into neutral with pushing in the clutch. As soon as my foot touched the clutch pedal (no pressure pushed on it, just resting on it) the noise stopped. I lifted my toe, its back, lowered toe down, noise gone, and so on.

So I have finally figured out its coming from my clutch pedal/assembly. I don't know what is causing it, but I know where I'm going to start. My pedal does have that annoying "squeak" as you push it in, and I'm going to replace the bushings with the UUC urethane ones. I hope that firms it up enough to fix the cricket in there, but if not, I will have some more work to do.

I thought I would share in case anyone else has the same issue. I'll post back up when I figure out exactly what it is.

[flyfishvt]

I had the same thing on my 92 318 but the noise was a scream type. As soon as I just touched the clutch pedal it stopped.

That is your throwout bearing about to die.

[blueberry]

Omg, don't say that. haha. I don't want to have to go in there to fix that. Its 23 degrees here right now in Wisconsin. haha. Mine doesn't stay on all the time, doesn't happen every day. If I'm going in to do the tob, I'm definitely going to replace the clutch, pp, and flywheel as well while I'm in there. Is there anyway to directly test the tob to see if it fails any other tests? I really don't want to replace all that stuff, then put it all back together just to have it happen again.