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View Full Version : Rattles, whistles and whines


Willow
02-28-2004, 08:07 PM
I first stumbled in here a couple of weeks ago and found virtually no one else familiar with the handful of built-in rattles my dealer hasn't been able to do anything about. (No, it's not the gas tank slosh, the rear suspension squeak or the rear seat seat belt.) But I left one off that I CAN'T be alone on, and I was reminded when it popped up repeatedly during a recent long-distance trip.

Whenever the vehicle has been running with the AC on for a while, either on and off on several errands through the day - or after 30-45 minutes in a straight haul - I get a short, intermittent whistle coming out of the center of the dash. It lasts a second or two, and sounds EXACTLY like someone doing a low very unmusical whistle. At first my wife and I thought it was one of the kids screwing around with an annoying noise. That ended the first time we both heard it while both kids were asleep, and we tracked the source to the center vents in the dash. Sometimes it happens just once every 20-30-40 minutes. Sometimes it happens 2-3 times in the space of 5 minutes, and not again for 45 minutes.

The dealer keeps saying it never happens for them, and that they've heard nothing like it. So, is this familiar to anyone of you?

Granted, it's February (soon to be March) and many of you can't imagine having the AC running at this time of year. But in LA it's basically an every day need. (Hey, I was raised in Minnesota, so I've paid my cold weather dues.)

Anyone else have their AC whistling at them?

PatrickC1026
02-29-2004, 12:15 AM
This is the first time that I've heard this kind of problem. Could it be somewhat loose A/C belt? If it is consistent and repeatable, I'd suggest to take a video and show it to the dealer service people.

By the way, would you like to be added to the Southern California members list? Once in a while, we hang out and meet, and sometimes we go off-roading.[/list][/code]

PatrickC1026
02-29-2004, 12:16 AM
Moved to Clinical Rounds

desertpilot
02-29-2004, 03:43 PM
This is also the first time I've heard about this. It will really be hard to track it if the noises are not constant. Maybe you should have a second opinion at another Honda service department.

Except for normal gas tank and cold brake click sounds, the Pilot is one of the quieter trucks that I have driven. Some Pilot owners even said that it's even quieter than their other car, a BMW 5 series which is a luxury car.

redn22
03-02-2004, 06:55 PM
I'm going in for my 12,000 km service this Thursday... I'll ask the service department if they have heard of this problem... I'll report back when I found out...

redn22
03-05-2004, 08:09 PM
I'm going in for my 12,000 km service this Thursday... I'll ask the service department if they have heard of this problem... I'll report back when I found out...

Hi Willow,

I asked the Service guy at the Honda Dealership about your problems with your Pilot (well, I got him to read your post)... He said that he has never heard of this problem at their facility, but he thinks and a few other mechanics thinks that it might be a faulty "valve" that runs on the AC lines... These valves are similar to the valves on the tires where you put air in... The AC assembly has a few of these... They said that when pressure builds up on the AC line that a faulty valve can malfunction and cause the "built up pressure" to release via these valves...

I hope this helps you some...

Good luck and if and when you find out the source of the problem, please be sure to share it with us!

Thanks!

Rick1
06-15-2005, 04:11 PM
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I HAVE BEEN GETTING THE SAME NOISE AND CAN'T GET AN ANSWER ON HOW TO GET RID OF THIS ANNOYING NOISE ON MY 03 PILOT.

Anonymous
03-05-2006, 01:45 PM
The dealership said it was the A/C vent actuator that controls where the air blows. They changed one of them but the sound persists.