Dull humming sound from passenger side
 

My ignition switch has been telling me it needs to be swapped out for about a year. Key was difficult to get into the ignition and difficult to remove with a little jiggling. Well, today I was driving home from the office and I cranked the motor and felt and heard a "snap!" in the ignition switch and knew it was kaput!

This was confirmed when the AC unit lit up (normally) but no air blew out of the vents. Common problem when the ignition switch has failed... some or all of the accessories go haywire.

Anyway...
So I get home and turn off the motor and the key cannot be removed. I am able to stop the motor though. But I hear this faint humming sound coming from the passenger side engine compartment fan. So I remove the terminal on the negative side of the battery thinking something's still getting power to it and this is not good.

Something in the engine compartment is still making a quiet little humming sound.

Any thoughts as to what it might be with no electrical power going to the car?

Are you sure it was an electrical hum and not just hot items (coolant, oil, metals, etc.) cooling? Also, it's "possible" that air temperature differentials (and pressure) from one side of a fan to the other will cause a fan to rotate, but I wouldn't think it would spin fast enough to hum. My final thought is that the fan would continue to spin from inertia for a brief time with no power. Other than those, I've got nothing...but it's always fun to just join a discussion. :)

Coolant cap?

Randall, you still have that 986?

Could it be your terrified passenger humming "Nearer My God To Thee" ?

Topless, you bet! I've owned my 97 since 2004. We're old friends now and I have so much freaking money dumped into this car I will never be able to sell it without a lot of anguish.

And I think you're right... might be vapor escaping from the coolant cap. It was hotter than hell in Houston the day I posted that and my coolant temp was 106 degrees Celsius according to climate control display.

Where is your 986?

I keep it in the garage :)

Less specifically, me and my car live near downtown Houston, Texas, aka Sauna City