Noisy Heater Blower in Hybrid

[Kevin A. Gerfen]

Ever since it got cold enough here (northern OK) to warrant using the heater in my 2013 MKZ Hybrid, I've noticed that the heater blower is really loud--loud enough to make me wonder if there are some "doors" or vents inside the heater system in the dash that are not opening properly.

 

Once the car's interior warms up enough such that the heater needn't run on high, it quiets down quite a bit, but it really makes quite a racket when it first tries to heat the interior of my car.

 

I expect some noise, of course, but this is loud enough that it makes me wonder if there's something amiss. Are others experiencing this?

 

I'm hoping to hear from you, whether you are or are not experiencing the same thing. Thanks in advance.

 

 

[corncobs]

Do you have the climate setting on Auto? Have you tried decreasing the blower speed manually?

 

If the setting is on Auto and the engine is warm enough to supply heat to the cabin the blower will go to the highest level to make you comfortable quickly.

 

So I would say yes that's normal and to add to this my wife's Explorer is way worse than the FFH as far as blower noise goes.

[hybridbear]

We almost never set the fan to anything other than the lowest setting, but when we have turned it up the fan is quite loud, like every other car I know of. Do you feel that your MKZ is much louder than other cars?

[acdii]

What the system does on auto setting is blow air through all openings except the dash vents, so it makes quite a racket. If you set it to dash(defrost, not vents) and floor it quiets it down some. What I discovered is if you first set it to auto, then engage dash and floor, the blower will stay on the auto setting. Then as the set temp is reached will slow down the blower. Its a little quieter this way, but not by much. It also does a better job clearing the windshield, in full auto not enough air blows up the windshield.

[Kevin A. Gerfen]

corncobs, yes, I do have it on auto, figuring that was the fastest way to get the car's interior warmed up. If this is just normal, then OK, I guess. It's just louder than I expected (and louder than the air conditioning when it's on full blast after entering the car on a hot summer day). I've read the input from the others on here (thanks to all) and will see what I can figure out. Thanks again.

[Kevin A. Gerfen]

hybridbear, no, actually I think my MKZ Hybrid is rather quiet with the exception of this heater blower noise issue (and a little low-grade buzzing sound from the engine compartment those few times when I have to accelerate hard to match traffic flow). I'm going to try what acdii suggested next time it gets cold (supposed to be 72 here today) and see if that helps. Thanks to all.

[Kevin A. Gerfen]

acdii, I'll try that and see if it results in a little less racket. Also: I, too, have noticed that it seems that not enough warm air is directed to the windshield to clear the windshield in some cases. Thanks very much for the recommendation.

[acdii]

Youo're welcome. When you spend 2 hours a day in a car, you pick up on some of these things.