strange noise from the dash area
 

hi guys,

I've been getting this strange noise from the passenger side of the dash for a couple of weeks now and have no idea what it could be.

https://youtu.be/qBs9Fs2xL5c

any ideas?

was suspecting a fan but it doesnt go away when i fully turn the AC and fan off.

2000 base boxster.

thanks,

Cristian

sounds like a stepper motor/gear for the auto adjusting vent flaps...
do the vent settings still work for each position? Some can get really noisy and still work fine.

Maybe? I found a cat living in an old Mustang I was restoring once, and I had been driving it for 6 months.

hahaha! i will put out some nuts on the carpet and see if they disappear in the morning :)

hmm... i will play around with the settings and update.

thanks guys!

Pull out the round vent just below the passenger side dash vent. Look at the fan that is inside there. Turn the key on, and see of the fan starts and the noise comes back. If it does - you found the culprit.

Weird, I have the same noise coming from the same location. I am interested in what you find before I dismantle the dash. Please post your findings when you can. Thanks.

yeah i'll give that a try most likely Friday and update.

question: no matter what position i put the vents in, the dash ones always blow air. is that normal? i mean i can set them to windscreen only or foot well only and i still have air coming out from the main dash vents. could that be a sign of the motor not working properly?

not that its a bother..

So that clicking sound is coming from the stepper motors trying to adjust the vents... its either the gears or something else jammed up and that's why they make that knocking sound... that's why your vents are always blowing out the dash vent... that should change when you set to defrost or floor vent.... in auto mode those regulators automatically redirect air where required so it constantly adjusts itself (but obviously that's not working)
Not a fun job pulling the dash out to get at those regulators!!!

oh crap.. any chance thats a DIY? i"m a patient guy if it requires more time than specialized skills. would it most likely require replacing the regulator?

i can probably live with it. but will it get worse and eventually completely break?

Taking the dash out is requires some skill but more patience.... steering wheel has to come out (careful with the clockspring mechanism) if you attempt this yourself... If you have the time and are handy with tools, you can probably do this yourself. Just take lots of pictures and remember where all the screws go... its quite a mess of parts!

The little adjuster motors look something like this... you'll have to determine which one is causing the trouble or what's jamming it up... unfortunately there is no easy access to these especially for troubleshooting any jams etc.

http://jdmspares.pairserver.com/CARS/J046-Porsche986Boxster/P1340131.JPG

oh boy.. doesnt sound like fun but i might jump on it myself.
i recently replaced the steering wheel so that shouldnt be so hard but what clockspring mechanism are you referring to exactly?

I was able to listen to the video a few moments ago. It does sound like a motor for the vent. It is possible to see at least two of them move - they both are in the footwell on the passenger side - near the center console. One of them is actually removable with out dropping the heater box. Instructions can be found on how to fix the heater core flap. They will show the one motor that is removable without dropping the heater box.

The clock spring is in the steering column... you'll see it when you take the steering wheel off.... just careful it doesn't come apart, it looks like this..
http://photo.nurburgringautoparts.com/2014Q1/104753/104753_320.jpg
hopefully you can try determining which regulator it is before you end up pulling everything apart... best of luck and keep us posted.
H

ah ok. i know this piece. it felt very flimsy when i took the steering wheel off. will be careful with it if it comes to that!

thanks a lot for all your input guys! weekend is coming up and i will have a go at it and report back.

Have you ever had any bits of foam coming out of the vents? I believe the baffles within the system that direct air have holes in them covered with foam and when the foam disintegrates the air goes as if the baffles were fully open.

Steve

you know what.. i do have a lot of foam coming out of the vents. there was a lot of it stuck in the vents which i cleared and i see sometime it still spits some out.

some of the pieces were quite big so maybe this is what's making the motors stick?

the noise went away for about a week now so maybe the piece of foam that was blocking it moved on. i see some of it being spit out and on the carpet.

putting this one on hold for now until it comes back.

thanks to all for the great advice!