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6th Gen ('00-'05): Fan Squeal/Whine Upon Startup With Fan On

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Old Jan 14, 2013 | 09:02 PM
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Exclamation Fan Squeal/Whine Upon Startup With Fan On

First time poster here.

I have a 2003 Monte Carlo with the 3.4 Liter V6 and a little over 141,000 miles. Lately upon startup with the fan on for the climate control unit there is a very loud whine or squeal coming from what sounds like the fans under the hood. I was wondering if any one else has experienced this problem with their 3.4 Liter V6 from this era. It will only squeal/whine if the fan is on and will stop after about 5 seconds. It will sometime come back after a few seconds to a minute but never lasts longer than 10 seconds. If I turn the fan speed completely off it will stop. I have only noticed this in the cooler temperatures of 50 or lower. If you know anything about this please let me know.
 
Old Jan 14, 2013 | 09:49 PM
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Possibly the a/c compressor, I think that is the only thing that turns on under hood when you turn on the climate control. To test it make sure its not on defrost, and the a/c is not on, then turn the blower on and see if it still does it. If it doesn't hit the button for the a/c or switch to defrost they both make the compressor turn on, and see if it makes the squeaking noise. Hopefully that will aid you in figuring out if its the compressor, and if it isn't then you can rule that out. And welcome to the forum
 

Last edited by ndaguanno; Jan 14, 2013 at 09:54 PM.
Old Jan 14, 2013 | 10:19 PM
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That's what I was originally thinking. Do you happen to have any idea how much in a ball park range it would cost to repair. I have had a lot of problems with this car including a total transmission rebuild at 56,000 miles, having to have the lower intake manifold replaced at around 80,000 miles, and just recently at about 132,000 having the majority of the suspension replaced. I originally bought the car in 2007 with ~53,000 when I turned 16 and I absolutely am grateful for it, but after I graduate from college in May I am planning on getting another car within a year and a half and I do not want to have to put a lot of money into it. Also thanks for welcoming me to the forum.
 
Old Jan 14, 2013 | 10:38 PM
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i have this problem with my monte right now, i have the 3.8 tho, its deff the right fan blade for mines, heres the link to my youtube video where i recorded the noise, let me know if yours sound similar please


 
Old Jan 14, 2013 | 10:48 PM
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That's is almost definitely the noise, yours is a little louder but mine sounds a lot like that. Did you get it fixed and if so what was causing it.
 
Old Jan 14, 2013 | 10:53 PM
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Originally Posted by jhbasse
That's is almost definitely the noise, yours is a little louder but mine sounds a lot like that. Did you get it fixed and if so what was causing it.
i didnt get if fixed but i took some of the fan apart and used a long metal screwdriver and ear method to pinpoint that its coming from the right fan, ive done some research and found that the bearings goes out eventually (basic wear and tear) so now i want to replace the fan but its connected to the radiator so im still searching.... i will deff keep you posted tho, it dont do it as much soo....
 
Old Jan 14, 2013 | 11:05 PM
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I am going to take it to get it looked at next monday and see if I can get a diagnosis and see if I can get a quote. If it is just the fan bearings hopefully it will not be to bad. I luckily have a trusty mechanic in my area. I will keep you posted as well on what I find.
 
Old Jan 14, 2013 | 11:32 PM
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I have uploaded a video to youtube please listen to it I believe it is the same sound as before.
 
Old Jan 15, 2013 | 04:06 PM
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Originally Posted by jhbasse
I am going to take it to get it looked at next monday and see if I can get a diagnosis and see if I can get a quote. If it is just the fan bearings hopefully it will not be to bad. I luckily have a trusty mechanic in my area. I will keep you posted as well on what I find.

yea let me know as well, i got a good one around here as well, this way if it is what i think it can go on my car's to do list, and i seen your video, and i think mines is louder because i have the bigger fans MAYBE because i think the 3.4's have only one cooling fan, i think my lumina (3.1) did if i remember correctly
 
Old Jan 15, 2013 | 05:00 PM
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Fans aren't connected to the radiator. If you don't have headers it's a really easy swap out. The only thing holding the fans on is two small L brackets at the top with O bushings that hold the pegs. And two screws on both sides halfway down that attach it to the radiator. Take those off along with the engine brackets and slide it upward. I just got done replacing mine because the header is so close to the right one it just burned up the bearing and it stopped working. Took me all of an hour start to finish. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I could literally walk you through this with three sockets and a wrench.

Oh I forgot there's a clip on the top in the middle and all the wiring of course.
 



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