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Whirring Noise Inside Cab?

M

matt02av

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
13
Location
Dixon, IL
Anyone notice a whirring noise coming from the dash or possibly the engine compartment area? I usually notice it when the vehicle is fully warmed up and I pull in to park. It whirs at idle and continues to whir when the engine is turned off. The whirring quits when the door is opened. I'm tired of asking myself "hmmm, what the heck is that?" ??? Anyone know?
FYI: I have the 5.3L engine
 
I'm not sure how loud it is, but in both my 99 Silverado and my 2002 AV i hear it if everything is off. It's like a humming noise almost. Anyway, on mine it's the radio. I'm not sure what it is doing unless it has something to do with the CD player. Is the noise you're referring to? :rolleyes:
 
:rolleyes:Nope! You are NOT crazy. Mine does is also, not all the time but it is noticable. I think it is the AC system, but I am not sure. It certainly does not lead me to worry, just curious.
 
Hey Guys - - - I've had 2 suburbans and 3 pickups before my (new) z66 - - - and I'm betting the whirring noise is the fuel pump. It used to scare me to death with the suburbans where it resonates through all that space - - bet you're hearing the same noise with your avala's. I haven't yet, but it's only been a week.


garyr
White Z66 w/black sport-cloth.
 
Ok OK. I will tell you what the noise is. Are you ready ?
Well.. Maybe If you e mail me I will tel you privately.. Or Maybe if you just send me each $5.00.

Alright I'll spill the beans..
It is the cooling fan inside the Delco Stereo........

I heard it too and figured out that that it what it is. ;)
 
I did think the noise was coming from the CD player, but I took the CD out and turned off the radio and still had the noise. I'm reasonably certain it's not the fuel pump. I didn't realize the stereo had it's own fan, but that is exactly what the noise sounds like, a small fan. My CD's still feel like a pizza coming out of the oven though. :eek:

The cooling fan scenario seems to fit the noise I'm having to a T.

Thanks fellas! :)
 
I just happened to be talking with a service rep today about various Avalanche problems, and he discussed this complaint. He said it was a small fan in the headliner, that draws air for the temp reading for the A/C system, and there is no fix for it, since it is operating normally.
 
My 99 Silverado didn't have climate control and it still made the same noise. Plus, the cd player was seperate. The radio had the cassette player in it. Even with the radio off though it still made the same noise.
 
I get a similar noise from the center part of the dash. The noise sounds like a fan. The noise increases with speed. But it does not seem to be wind noise. It almost seems like a fan speeds up as my speed increases. I can not hear it if I am at idle.
 
Similarly, there must be something up with OnStar. I know our rigs have that 20 min power on feature after you remove your key but don't open the door. Have you ever noticed that sound "pop" from the speakers even though the stereo was off when you open your doors?

Just curious if anyone else hears this sound as well. Reminded me of powering up/down my old Carver home stereo equipment.
 
I've got the same "whirling" noise and can't figure out what it is. But I'm not too concerned. I've had worse noises in other vehicles! :cool:
 
shafman1 said:
My 99 Silverado didn't have climate control and it still made the same noise. ?Plus, the cd player was seperate. ?The radio had the cassette player in it. ?Even with the radio off though it still made the same noise. ?
Click to expand...

This is from GM TechLink:

When a conventional radio is turned off, it is truly off. A radio unit in the serial data system, however, only looks "off" when it is turned off. Various circuits remain aware of what's going on, and will wake up at a moment's notice. For instance, the chimes and OnStar? both use the radio speakers, and will operate even if the radio function is turned off.

The fan is most likely still cooling the electronics even though the radio is off. Yes, I have heard it once or twice myself. :p

Here is the link:
http://service.gm.com/gmtechlink/Sept2001/articles/radioswap.html

It has some other great radio info in it.

helmet
 
???Helmet i came up with same conclusion as i sometimes sit in my truck for an hour or so at dock while waiting for boat to arrive. after i turn key off and radio to lean back and rest eyes, captain kirk tries to beam me up but to no avail the av is just to heavy.
spoke with service tech, the only one that touches my vehicles and he said the fan on back of the radio comes on by way of internal thermostat..........that is the only thing i have heard and have layed my head over against radio when it started and it sucked my toupee off............just joking.........but it does sound like it is coming from that spot once you isolate
zeeya
 
??? I will have to listen more closely. I think I only hear the whirring when the engine is running, independent of whether the AV is moving. It is faint. The whirring increases in volume and maybe frequency with the rpm of the engine. My first thought was that it was the AC compressor but the whirring continues with the AC on or off. Fan in the radio...hmmmm??? Fan for the temperature indicater, which I have...hmmm??? I will have to investigate further. I don't think the whirring is an indication of something serious but the inquiring mind wants to know.
 
Hey guy's. I am pretty sure it is the electronics cooling fan on the rear of the radio unit. I have heard it with the engine off but the ignition turned on. I think that you might be able to feel it a bit at the cd opening if there is no cd inside.

The fan in the Headliner sounds a little strange to me. I can't deny it's existence because I have yet to remove the Headliner.
 
It's the radio cooling fan . .

And, yes it can be on when the radio is off - even without OnStar - but it does seem to turn itself off when the retained accessory power goes away.

For example - pull into the garage, turn off the radio, turn off the key . . . silence - except for the cooling fan! Then it shuts off when the door is opened.

 
It's funny this is still going on. It's a lot better than having smoke coming out the exhaust pipe. Some people have "real" problems. It's normal operation. Mine is very quiet anyway. :D
 
I noticed this one day myself and concluded it had to do with the radio/cd player or some part of the climate control. . I was setting there one morning with key off and letting the radio play for the 20 minutes after you shut the engine off and after about 5 minuts I noticed this sound. I played around with it for a while and as soon as the 20 minutes was up or the door was opened it quit. It starts a random and sometimes stop to before the 20 minutes is up and the door is opened. The radio can be on or off.

Funny thing ain't it.
 
My Silverado did it for the three years that I owned it since the dash and basically everything but the back seat is the same.
 
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