My 2004 has a new problem. When I turn on the fan it is on on low speed. On "2" it has a slight rumble. On "3" the entire dashboard is vibrating and I'm afraid to go to 4. Clearly its something in the blower assembly which is behind the glove box. The old manual does not tell you how to remove the glove box. Can anyone provide an answer. This is one of the cars without a cabin air filter.
Thanks for reply. Yesterday while googling this issue I came across a set of step by step instructions for the glove box (you are correct in your instruction) plus how to remove the blower and all kinds of other good info on it. It only took fifteen minutes to remove the door, drop the blower and fix the problem. The dealer had quoted $115 for an estimate which would be put to the repair.
The repair came out to be getting too pieces of "gunk" out of the squirrel cage fan. I can't identify them but they look like dried out cherries. Glossy black crinkled outside with something red (a pit??) inside. At least it wasn't a chopped up rodent that I originally suspected. I also pulled a couple of dried out leaves from the air chamber.
Oh, the reason I suspected a rodent was that, at the same time as this problem occurred my ham radio stopped working. The power lead I had added to the accessory line under the hood had been eaten through. I could actually see the bite marks.
To remove the squirrel cage fan you don't have to remove glove box. It can be removed from under the dash in less than a minute.
I usually have to remove a few times in the fall due to trapped leaves.
Sorento5 is correct but removing the glove box gives much more visibility. I can't find the site that he instrcutions were on but here is a summary of the important parts.
- push pass seat all the way back, out of the way
- open the (pass side) glove compartment about 1/4 way
- pull it up/slightly toward rear of the car, strongly but carefully. The idea is to release plastic hinges. You might want to apply more tug to one side then the next, wiggle it a bit.
But the compartment should come out rather easily.
- the black air duct will reveal itself in the area behind glove compartment.
Now onto the blower/fan assy. It is inserted into the duct from underneath.
- Unscrew 2 (10mm socket) bolts that hold a strip of galvanized steel in front of the duct.
- there a small harness assy with 2 connector on it, still blocking the way. It is held in place with a single screw. Remove it.
- Now (be careful not to twist your neck/back) look under the duct. You will see a round plastic shape, may be 6-7" in diameter, with 3 screws in a bolt pattern (in a circle, equidistant). Remove them and the blower assy will literally fall into your hands.
Hey -M-,
you had a post titled "Glove box removal 2004 Sorento" where you said that you had found the instructions regarding your fan issue. Did you happen to ever post that link? I know this is ancient history, but I've got a recirc/blower door issue on my 06 and am looking for about anything to help. Many thanks in advance. --John