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Thread: Fixed the Buzzing Noise in my Dash!!!!! (HVAC Sampling Fan cleaning - No pics)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    stockton ca
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    528i

    Fixed the Buzzing Noise in my Dash!!!!! (HVAC Sampling Fan cleaning - No pics)

    well i finally fixed the buzzing noise in my dash. did some searching on here and found out it was my climate control fan just clogged with dirt..
    heres some pics hope this helps you guys


    1. remove cupholders 2 screws behind each cupholder ( you can go thru stereo as well)

    2. then reach behind and push climate control outward its just two metal clips holding it in ( as you can see in pic)

    3. once you have it out pull off your wiring harness to the climate control

    4. once you have your climate control disconnected seperate the front of your climate control from the back housing (little plastic clips use a flat head screw driver may help)

    5.after you have it seperated slide the circuit board out

    6. when you have the circuit board out youll see where the fan is and how dirty it is the fan will actually slid rite off if you pull it upward

    7. what i recommend to clean the circuit board and fan is some electrical contact cleaner after i did that i sprayed a little lubricant on it right where the shaft of the fan is dont hessitate to spray a bit on it let it kinda soak into it (make sure you use a lubricant that will actually turn into a gel like grease form) not wd-40 or one of those type of lubricants..

    8.last but not least put it all back together in the reverse way you took it out.

    ____________________________
    PHOTOS:
    *Edit: Since the OP's photo links are broken, I'm including a link to this DIY, done on an E38, from Qsilver7's post #25 in this thread.*
    http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/428942/
    Last edited by jamesdc4; 03-05-2011 at 04:57 PM. Reason: Added Link

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    1998 528i & 1997 318i
    Great write up!
    Vettes & Bimmers rule!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    TX
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    Mag SRT8
    There is a slight buzzing coming from my climate controls also. It buzzes always, even with car off. Does this procedure fix that?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
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    East Bay and Los Angeles, CA
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    97' 528i / Alpine White
    Quote Originally Posted by MechEngr View Post
    There is a slight buzzing coming from my climate controls also. It buzzes always, even with car off. Does this procedure fix that?
    Mine does the same thing. I'll have to try this over christmas break or something.

  5. #5
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    Mag SRT8
    Quote Originally Posted by Tone7171 View Post
    Mine does the same thing. I'll have to try this over christmas break or something.
    I'll try it tonight and let you know. It should take about 15 min.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Tucson
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    03' 540i/6 M-tech
    If it's not real bad you may get away w/ just spraying some of the contact cleaner though the right hand vents.

    BTW yes, this fan runs even when the car is off. It comes on when you "wake up" the electronics. Opening the door, or just unlocking the car will do it. It also stays on for a few minutes after the car is turned off.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
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    1997 BMW 528i Touring
    legend I bought my car recently and have a buzzing noise - was thinking it was going to be a nightmare - but i reckon its this.

    thanks very much for the good write up!

  8. #8
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    Oct 2006
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    stockton ca
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    528i
    thanx guys

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    Lincoln, NE
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    '97 540i Sport '87 325is '94 325is R.I.P.
    i also have this problem.
    I thought it was just a fan cooling the electronics even while the car was off? am i wrong? should it not make that noise if it is clean?

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    '97 540i, '10 Vette GS
    Quote Originally Posted by 84 GRANDSPORT View Post
    Great write up!
    +2

    Definitely a must have for the archives and DIY section.








    04/1997 Build Date. 84,000 miles. Mods limited to black BMW roundel front license plate, wheel locks and an M5 rear trunk lip spoiler. 12" Kicker sub and amp in the trunk.

  11. #11
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    Would it make sense to change that fan? I don't know it's cost, but I do know fans wear out and make noise. How many of us right now have computers whose fan buzzes?

    Nice job Frostone209, great write up. I had a car a few years ago, bought it with 30K miles from the dealership and told them to change that fan as it buzzed (farking annoying noise). They tried to pull me leg by spraying the fan with some lubricant as the fan began to chirp within a few weeks. I went back to the dealership and told the Manager, "Change that fan and hand me the old one." Fan was changed and problem solved.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    540it, Z3
    excellent writeup!

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    97 SC 540ia / 09 TL SH
    can someone post the pics of this , the pictures no longer work for some odd reason ! thanks my climate control sounds like a dying loon right now

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    Sweet Six E39
    Quote Originally Posted by Reuben540i View Post
    I thought it was just a fan cooling the electronics even while the car was off? am i wrong? should it not make that noise if it is clean?
    The fan is used to draw interior air over the climate control temperature sensor. It runs for 16 minutes after the car is turned off, and starts again as soon as you open the door.

    I don't think it should make any noise if it is clean, but you never know!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    Virginia
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    1999 540i sport
    Ya do realize this thread is 5 months old

    But I still would like to see the pictures of the hvac removal above

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    Sacramento, CA
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    2005 525i/6
    I just popped the panel out on mine with a plastic panel remover. Came right apart and it was completely filled with dust. It was like the inside of an old PC in there... pretty bad. I just cleaned it out with some compressed air and it's good as new.....

  17. #17
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    1999 540i sport
    So when you took it apart did you disconnect the battery to stop the fan from running?

    Does the HVAC face unclip from the sides or from the top and bottom?

    Thanks

  18. #18
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    '97 528i, '91 318is
    I wish we get the pics back...

  19. #19
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    Question



    Mine is silent and I have the cabin filters as well. Does that make a difference as to how dirty the fan gets or does it just get dirty from the inside air?

    '00 540iA Sport w/235k+ Original TCG's, Vanos and transmission.​*Trans failure at 244k+...FS Now

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    Canada
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    97 SC 540ia / 09 TL SH
    hmmm , im not sure if the cabin filters have to do with the fan getting dirty, but the bastard that had the car before me had cabin filters that looked like ..... how do I describe this .... shi$ on a filter ?

    I made my own little cheap fix that works great in my opinion, Filter Floss for a saltwater aquarium (or any aquarium) you can purchase it from any fish hobby store ... cut about 4 sheets worth, stack 2x2 in each filter assembly ... I also put baby powder within the filter floss ... works great !!!

    anyways .... post the pics please !

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Malaysia
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    251
    My Cars
    Year 1997 E39 M52B25
    I want picture!!

    The buzzing sound almost drive me crazy now..
    Last edited by bmw7833; 12-10-2007 at 05:54 AM.
    Live the e39..!!


  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Festus, MO
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    1997 540i, 2003 Murano, 2006 R350
    Cleaning my fan did no good when I did it earlier this year. The fan itself was too worn down on the shaft and it wobbled. No amount of grease in the bushing or shaft fixed my problem so I just plucked the fan out and it is sitting on a shelf in my office. The system still works decent w/o the fan... but I always leave it in manual mode anyway because I was never happy with the auto mode. By the way, it's an induction (brushless) fan that can be removed w/o any soldering or disassembly.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Costa Mesa, CA
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    2003 E39 M5
    Pics would help, I have the same buzzing noise in my dash :o
    2003 E39 M5 www.mym5.net
    Sold: 1997 E39 540
    Sold: 2004 E60 525

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    550i S, Hemi 5.7, Mazda
    Bump for pics, I have the same issue.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    15 650ix GC & 14 X5 50i
    Quote Originally Posted by capn shawn View Post
    Cleaning my fan did no good when I did it earlier this year. The fan itself was too worn down on the shaft and it wobbled. No amount of grease in the bushing or shaft fixed my problem so I just plucked the fan out and it is sitting on a shelf in my office. The system still works decent w/o the fan... but I always leave it in manual mode anyway because I was never happy with the auto mode. By the way, it's an induction (brushless) fan that can be removed w/o any soldering or disassembly.
    Capn Shawn: just a comment (neither for/against, or negative/postive)

    Removing the little fan thingy doesn't really change the fact that your HVAC system is automatic. I think you've only made the system a little less efficient rather than disable the "auto" function.

    Think of the HVAC system in your home...the only difference being that it doesn't automatically close/open the heating registers (similar to the stepper motors opening/closing the flaps in the ducting). But let's say your home's HVAC system had a little fan on the thermostat that drew air in from the room it was located to track the rise/fall of the air temperature in the house...which corresponds to it turning the HVAC system on to either maintain consistent heating/cooling of your home.

    Granted, most home HVAC systems also have a control that can turn the fan on (remove it from auto mode etc). I think all you've done by removing the fan is remove the HVAC system's ability to fine tune the accuracy of the air's temperature inside the cabin.

    The AUTO and Air Direction buttons on your car's HVAC system allows you to choose between auto mode and manually selecting air direction...you can also stop the fan blower from automatically adjusting (auto fan feature is activated when AUTO appears above the fan speed dashes in the display).
    ***********************************
    ***********************************
    As far as pictures...since the e39, e38, and e46 were built during the same time...many components are very similar. Sometimes you can check their forums for help too...in this case the e38 auto HVAC control unit is VERY similar to the e39. The button layouts are slightly different but the little fan thingy and the way it draws cabin air in across the temp sensor is basically the same. Hopefully this link will be helpful to you e39 owners : http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/428942/

    Here's a teaser pic from the link above: (btw, when I opened my 97's HVAC unit...the dust was unbelievable...the image below looks CLEAN compared to what mine looked like!)

    Become a BMW CCA member! Click HERE to join and feel free to use my BMW CCA member #191509 as a referral.

    2015 650ix GC (Moonstone/Cohiba Brown) <<~>> 2014 X5 50i (Space Gray/Mocha)

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