[newtonium]

Thank you everyone! This thread has been very useful for me.

My 2018 PacHy also started to produce this noise 6 months ago.
Only seemed to happen the moment I turn off the the engine.

After studying this thread I took my vehicle in for service.
I told the service coordinator about the sound and that I think it might be the recirculation door in the passenger footwell.
Although a pretty nice guy, as expected he said "well you see, these hybrids always have some motors and pumps to keep cooling the battery even after the car turns off, probably nothing to worry about".
(I knew to expect that response thanks to this thread.)

I insisted that the sound has been getting louder over the 6 months.

The service coordinator brought in the lead mechanic/foreman to come and listen to the sound. He said he thinks the blower fan is continuing to run, which it should not, so he agreed to take the glovebox off and look into it further.

They called me to tell me that it is in fact the recirculator door actuator, but the new part will need to be shipped in, so another 2 days. Finally, all fixed.

Again, thanks everyone.

 

[JRD]

Pumping or Gear turning noise while off/parked and plugged in.

We have been noticing that the Hybrid has a low pumping noise that seems to come from the center of the dash board when the van is parked and charging. When I turn on the van the noise stops. It seems like this noise only starting happening recently Dec. Jan. and I am wondering if it is related to warming the battery or some other maintenance system keeping the oil circulating. I took a video that has the noise but do not know if we can upload a video here. There are no warning lights and the van seems fine otherwise.

Anyone else notice a similar noise from near the dash?

I have yet to try and document if the noise also occurs while not plugged in yet.

Edit.

I had U73 done in Dec. and never noticed the noise before that.

I have noticed the same noise in my 2018 limited Pacifica after opening the door before startup and after engine shut down, looking for answers?

 

[JRD]

Thank you everyone! This thread has been very useful for me.

My 2018 PacHy also started to produce this noise 6 months ago.
Only seemed to happen the moment I turn off the the engine.

After studying this thread I took my vehicle in for service.
I told the service coordinator about the sound and that I think it might be the recirculation door in the passenger footwell.
Although a pretty nice guy, as expected he said "well you see, these hybrids always have some motors and pumps to keep cooling the battery even after the car turns off, probably nothing to worry about".
(I knew to expect that response thanks to this thread.)

I insisted that the sound has been getting louder over the 6 months.

The service coordinator brought in the lead mechanic/foreman to come and listen to the sound. He said he thinks the blower fan is continuing to run, which it should not, so he agreed to take the glovebox off and look into it further.

They called me to tell me that it is in fact the recirculator door actuator, but the new part will need to be shipped in, so another 2 days. Finally, all fixed.

Again, thanks everyone.

 

[Preebs78]

Hi blhx,
We understand your hesitation about visiting your dealer for further diagnostics. Your safety is our biggest priority so we encourage your to visit your dealer for any outstanding recalls you may have. We would also like to assist with this as well. Please send us a private message at your earliest convenience.

Lydia
Chrysler Social Care Specialist

I have the same issue the clicking noise is only when the vehicle is off and you remain in the vehicle it usually stops once you open the door. I took my pacifica for the warranty work and the dealer has quoted me a price of over $400 to replace the blend door actuator. If there is an issue with the software and it is repeating why would this not be a covered repair by Chrysler?

 

[peterweb]

I have the same issue the clicking noise is only when the vehicle is off and you remain in the vehicle it usually stops once you open the door. I took my pacifica for the warranty work and the dealer has quoted me a price of over $400 to replace the blend door actuator. If there is an issue with the software and it is repeating why would this not be a covered repair by Chrysler?

Is your vehicle still in warranty period? How many miles on it? If beyond the bumper to bumper warranty, it would not be covered.

If you place your vehicle information into your forum signature, it can help us help you. ie Year, Gas/Hybrid, trim level, accessories, build date.

 

[cfo314]

I took my 2018 in yesterday and the service rep said that it was normal. The car did not make the sound when we first bought it and the noise has been increasing over the last several months. I don't want to miss my chance when I'm still in the warranty period. Any ideas? Not sure if the dealer really knows what the problem is.

@ChryslerCares ?

 

[ChryslerCares]

I have the same issue the clicking noise is only when the vehicle is off and you remain in the vehicle it usually stops once you open the door. I took my pacifica for the warranty work and the dealer has quoted me a price of over $400 to replace the blend door actuator. If there is an issue with the software and it is repeating why would this not be a covered repair by Chrysler?

Preebs78,
Please feel free to follow up with us privately regarding your current concerns.

Lamar
ChryslerCares

 

[ChryslerCares]

I took my 2018 in yesterday and the service rep said that it was normal. The car did not make the sound when we first bought it and the noise has been increasing over the last several months. I don't want to miss my chance when I'm still in the warranty period. Any ideas? Not sure if the dealer really knows what the problem is.

@ChryslerCares ?

cfo314,
Please also feel free to follow up with us privately regarding your current concerns.
Lamar
ChryslerCares

 

[Preebs78]

cfo314,
Please also feel free to follow up with us privately regarding your current concerns.
Lamar
ChryslerCares

It is the recirculator actuator or better known as the blend door actuator it was the left side on mine part # 6830967AA. My hybrid is out of warranty unfortunately so the dealer quote of over $450 seemed a little ridiculous to me.

 

[DZ1]

I had this issue as well on my 2018 Hybrid. Clicking noise on passenger side near glove box. I printed the notes here and also was able to reproduce the issue at the dealer. They just called and confirmed it's the Recirculation Actuator and it's approved under my extended warranty, but would otherwise been $350CND. I get the car back tomorrow once the part arrives. Will post another update once I get the van back. Thanks for the heads up on this issue.

 

[DZ1]

Got my van back today and the clicking noise is fixed! Here is what the dealer noted on the invoice:

Heard clicking noise coming from the dash area
Removed glove box and found that the re-circulation door is moving back and forth causing the clicking noise
Performed actuator calibration test and found that all door actuators have passed
Found in data that the internal potentiometer is not registering normally when vehicle is in the off position
quoted new re-circulation actuator

Everything was covered and approved under extended warranty. 2018 Pac Hybrid Limited

 

[PacDave]

Got my van back today and the clicking noise is fixed! Here is what the dealer noted on the invoice:

Heard clicking noise coming from the dash area
Removed glove box and found that the re-circulation door is moving back and forth causing the clicking noise
Performed actuator calibration test and found that all door actuators have passed
Found in data that the internal potentiometer is not registering normally when vehicle is in the off position
quoted new re-circulation actuator

Everything was covered and approved under extended warranty. 2018 Pac Hybrid Limited

I am now getting the same noise on my van. It used to be something I would hear once in awhile but now it’s constant when the van is shut off. In fact, I don’t know if it ever stops. It’s making the noise when I shut the van down and it’s still making the noise the next day when I get in to drive it. I think I can get it fixed under warranty though since I’m under 3 years and 30k miles.

 

[dcloes]

Thanks for this solutioin. My 2018 non-hybrid is making this exact noise. Being a non-hybrid and the location, I assumed it was a blend door issue and you guys had nailed it.

I'm out of warranty, but part is less than $20 online everywhere. When it first started making the noise, I thought crap, that sounds expensive.

 

[drocketman]

I just noticed this noise in the last few weeks. Before I found this thread, I studied the problem and sent this to my dealer:
Quote:
Following W46 completion, we noticed excessive “servoing” run-on with the car in the OFF state. Problem discussed with you (manager AutoNation CDJR Katy on 9/16/2020. I was pleased that you were very receptive to a methodical troubleshooting of problem rather than rushing to a service bay. Observations and actions taken to date:

• Sound is of a servo motor hunting for position and driving repeatedly into its stop. Drive is back and forth at a cycle rate of approximately 2 cycles per second. Drive sounds as if it is hitting a stop at one end of its travel about 2 out of every 3 cycles as if hunting for position and unable to achieve it.
• Servo cycling sound can be heard from inside the car as well as from outside in the area of the windshield wipers.
• Sound seems to be coming from HVAC area in lower center of dash.
• A sound recording can be made of the servoing if needed.
• Servoing initiates when the car is moded from ON to OFF or when a door is opened and closed. If not stopped by some other action, the cycling will typically continue for 400 to 500 cycles (around 3 minutes) and stops at some unknown condition.
• Servoing will stop if the car is moded from the Off to the ON drive state while pressing the brake.
• Servoing will continue if the car is moded from OFF to ACC.
• Servoing will stop if the car is moded from ACC to ON (while pressing the brake or not pressing the brake).
• Today we drove on errands (dentist and store) of a few miles (less than 25 miles), opened and closed the doors a typical number of times (normal light vehicle use), and shut down the car at each stop. I estimate that in excess of >6000 cycles were executed by the servo as it is being repeatedly overdriven into its stop. Over 2300 of the cycles were actually counted by me while listening inside the car. This was JUST ONE DAY OF LIGHT VEHICLE USE.
• This servoing has been occurring at least since 9/15/2020, and shows no sign of stopping.
• Servoing has been coincident with a perceived reduced charge state of the 12V battery while operating in Hybrid Only mode (no corded motive battery charging) during the 24 hour period of 9/15/2020.
• On the evening of 9/15/2020, while away from home dining with family in Austin, with the motive battery at 0% and a perceived low 12V battery, I feared that we would come back to the car in a dead state (12V battery <10V under normal door open loads). To counter this, the car was idled with hood open to boost the 12V battery state and the motive battery % charge. (Hood open with car ON condition automatically starts the IC engine and charges both the motive and 12V batteries). The engine was run until the motive battery was at 7% and I felt the 12V battery was boosted to a decent charge state.
• Upon returning to my daughter’s house, I placed the car on the factory L1 charger to boost the motive battery from 0% to 100%. During the required 12+ hours for this charge, the 12V battery is continuously charged and reached a decent charge state (open circuit voltage >12.8V).

The cycling sound may have been going on before, but only recently got loud enough to hear as the drive seems to hit its stop at one end of travel making it more audible. Earlier it would always stop when the car was turned ON, but recently I heard it over the blower noise with the car ON so I suspect it is getting worse.
Very good posts, #23 by montedtrotter... and #29 by mOebius604 are excellent copy to be armed with when talking to the dealer. Thanks
I will report back once mine is "fixed".

 

[drocketman]

SERVO REPLACEMENT

The servo motor that drives the recirculation (blend) door is on the left side of the cabin air filter housing. It is stocked by my dealer and should be a stocked item for most Chrysler dealers as it is used in multiple model cars and apparently fails often. The two screws that m0ebius604 mentioned are difficult but not impossible to get to. Looking up at the failed servo while laying on my back on the floor, its exterior appeared a little oily from leakage. After all, tens of thousands of extra cycles were run on this motor due to its failed position feedback. The motor in the servo runs forward and backward depending on the polarity of the 12V applied to its pins 5 and 6. Position sense is likely obtained from a 4.3 Kohm potentiometer (pins 1,2 and 3). Resistance between pins 1 and 3 is a consistent 4.3 Kohm no matter what the servo position, so pin 2 is likely to be the Pot wiper. My new servo has the same resistance between pins 1 and 3 as the failed servo. Resistance between pin 2 and either pin 1 or 3 on my failed servo is inconsistent with position and higher than expected which is a dead giveaway for a dirty, worn out, or oil contaminated Pot wiper contact. (So much for “Swiss Made” servo quality).
[url=https://postimg.cc/Wqq5jQ1V][/URL]
[url=https://postimg.cc/w31fhscr][/URL]
I checked the new servo out of the package. The 1-2 resistance is about the same as the 2-3 resistance so it appears to be about in the mid position which is where the Pachy leaves it when shut down. So it was installed this way. Reaching in the cabin air filter slot to move the damper around its mid position lets the servo engage properly so it can be screwed down. You do NOT want to drop the screws so taping them to the socket with some painters tape helps. Plug it in, turn on the car and move between fresh air and recirc to see that the damper moves back and forward like it should. When I turned the car off, the damper settles in the mid position with a little split second oscillation but no continuous hunting like before. Problem fixed!

I could have had the servo replaced under warranty, but scheduling became such a hassle that I bought it at the dealer p/n 68164960AA. I was a little unhappy about this, but the parts guy felt my pain (perhaps encouraged by my service manager) so discounted the servo from the $25.xx down to $16.41, so I was happy again.

CABIN AIR FILTER REPLACEMENT

Might as well replace while replacing the servo. I ordered the PureFlow Cabin Air Filter PC99238X from the PureFlow web site. OEM quality with activated carbon and baking soda. Ordering 2 gets 10% discount, free ship and no tax for TX. ($35.60 total and they accept paypal).

PUSH PIN REPLACEMENT

If you’re like me and others on this forum, you accidentally pushed one of the pins of the molding push rivets holding the felt barrier behind the glove box and it launched into never land. I actually located it by feel and then by mirror on the left side of the blower housing. But while fishing it out with a wire, I launched it into never never land behind the center console. So I found exact OEM replacements stocked at Advance Auto Parts. Dorman 963-227D, 2 in package for $3.99. (Dealer couldn’t find them and no help.)

 

[drocketman]

[url=https://postimg.cc/Wqq5jQ1V][/URL]
[url=https://postimg.cc/w31fhscr][/URL]

 

[panoguy]

SERVO REPLACEMENT

The servo motor that drives the recirculation (blend) door is on the left side of the cabin air filter

@drocketman If I could give you a "Super Thumbs Up" I would. Excellent breakdown on the process, including the part # and potential gotchas. It may not be rocket science, but still can be intimidating for some folks (like me), whose only experience with servos is on remote-controlled toys. Here's hoping I remember this post when and if my recirc servo goes bad.

 

[PacDave]

SERVO REPLACEMENT

The servo motor that drives the recirculation (blend) door is on the left side of the cabin air filter housing. It is stocked by my dealer and should be a stocked item for most Chrysler dealers as it is used in multiple model cars and apparently fails often. The two screws that m0ebius604 mentioned are difficult but not impossible to get to. Looking up at the failed servo while laying on my back on the floor, its exterior appeared a little oily from leakage. After all, tens of thousands of extra cycles were run on this motor due to its failed position feedback. The motor in the servo runs forward and backward depending on the polarity of the 12V applied to its pins 5 and 6. Position sense is likely obtained from a 4.3 Kohm potentiometer (pins 1,2 and 3). Resistance between pins 1 and 3 is a consistent 4.3 Kohm no matter what the servo position, so pin 2 is likely to be the Pot wiper. My new servo has the same resistance between pins 1 and 3 as the failed servo. Resistance between pin 2 and either pin 1 or 3 on my failed servo is inconsistent with position and higher than expected which is a dead giveaway for a dirty, worn out, or oil contaminated Pot wiper contact. (So much for “Swiss Made” servo quality).
[url=https://postimg.cc/Wqq5jQ1V][/URL]
[url=https://postimg.cc/w31fhscr][/URL]
I checked the new servo out of the package. The 1-2 resistance is about the same as the 2-3 resistance so it appears to be about in the mid position which is where the Pachy leaves it when shut down. So it was installed this way. Reaching in the cabin air filter slot to move the damper around its mid position lets the servo engage properly so it can be screwed down. You do NOT want to drop the screws so taping them to the socket with some painters tape helps. Plug it in, turn on the car and move between fresh air and recirc to see that the damper moves back and forward like it should. When I turned the car off, the damper settles in the mid position with a little split second oscillation but no continuous hunting like before. Problem fixed!

I could have had the servo replaced under warranty, but scheduling became such a hassle that I bought it at the dealer p/n 68164960AA. I was a little unhappy about this, but the parts guy felt my pain (perhaps encouraged by my service manager) so discounted the servo from the $25.xx down to $16.41, so I was happy again.

CABIN AIR FILTER REPLACEMENT

Might as well replace while replacing the servo. I ordered the PureFlow Cabin Air Filter PC99238X from the PureFlow web site. OEM quality with activated carbon and baking soda. Ordering 2 gets 10% discount, free ship and no tax for TX. ($35.60 total and they accept paypal).

PUSH PIN REPLACEMENT

If you’re like me and others on this forum, you accidentally pushed one of the pins of the molding push rivets holding the felt barrier behind the glove box and it launched into never land. I actually located it by feel and then by mirror on the left side of the blower housing. But while fishing it out with a wire, I launched it into never never land behind the center console. So I found exact OEM replacements stocked at Advance Auto Parts. Dorman 963-227D, 2 in package for $3.99. (Dealer couldn’t find them and no help.)

Thank you so much for posting this info. I’ve got the same problem and although the van is under warranty I’d rather not hassle with the dealer.

 

[drocketman]

SERVO REPLACEMENT
...
When I turned the car off, the damper settles in the mid position with a little split second oscillation but no continuous hunting like before. Problem fixed!

Just an interesting FYI for you R/C buffs out there. This servo is very cheap and differs from the operation of a typical old fashion R/C servo in that it only has the potentiometer (POT) for position feedback and the motor/gears. It does not contain the electronics that interpret the pulse width modulated (PWM) signal that comes from the receiver in a typical R/C system. The position control electronics are in the Pachy. So the position stability and precision are not as good as a typical R/C servo. This is why a perfectly good (new) damper servo sometimes oscillates or hunts for a split second when moving to home (center position). This oscillation does not damp out in a failed servo (with dirty, worn or contaminated POT) and eventually gets worse. It can continue until the power is removed from the driver (about 3 minutes in my Pachy).

 

[Mstegman]

SERVO REPLACEMENT
The two screws that m0ebius604 mentioned are difficult but not impossible to get to.

Any recommendations on getting those screws out? I was able to get the one closer to the floor out. But I cannot seem to get to the top one. I'm using a short handled socket wrench. Will I need an electric socket wrench? Smaller hands...?

Thanks!
Matt