I have been noticing a horribly annoying buzzing sound the last few months inside the dash by the steering wheel. I noticed that there was some kind of small fan behind a slotted facing near to the mirror adjusting ****. It is squeaking at various levels of volume and I can't seem to figure out how to make it quiet again. Does anyone know A) What the purpose of this fan is and B) How I can go about making it quiet again?

Thanks for the help!

 

I apologize. When I said "it was squeaking at various levels of volume" I meant that it was buzzing at various levels of volume. The sound is a constant buzz, not a squeak.

 

Sounds like an interior temperature sensor for the automatic climate control. I had an acura legend with similar symptoms. The sensor on that car was in a silly place, right near the shifter in the console, so it was in a perfect place to get nasty, and then the fan would start making noise. You could try using canned air to blow it out, but you may have to remove it first.

I figured out what it was on that acura (before looking in the service manual) because there were no cup holders in the car, and I used to sit my fast food drink cups there. When the auto climate was on I would shortly there after start getting HOT air blowing on my feet.

 

That is what it is: the fan for the interior air temperature sensor. Compressed air or shop vac is what I use on mine depending on which is closer. I've been meaning to clean mine for several weeks now, but hate working in the cold, so I just turn up the radio.

 

I think you need this part: It will keep that sqeaky squirl quiet under your dash!

Land Rover Discovery II 99-04 DASH FAN 173000-0741 02 (140337820175)

 

You only need to buy a new fan if the old one has stopped working, or is making a "squeaking" noise like the bearings are going out. If it is just loud, due to dust buildup, and is "whirring", clean it. I see it like the 5 fans in my computer; every 6-8 months or so, they get loud, so I open the case and blow out the dust. If I replaced the fans every time they got loud, I would have replaced every fan in my computer 15 times since building it a few years ago.