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Strange noises from 2004 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by iwannanewprius, Nov 12, 2016.

  1. iwannanewprius

    iwannanewprius Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2012
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    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A


    I have a 2004 Prius Package 9 with about 91,000 miles on it. I take it in for regular maintenance and don't have any serious problems with the car. However, the car is making two different strange noises I can't quite figure out.

    1) For the past couple of years, I have had an annoying clicking sound when I run the AC. It's intermittent and the several times I've brought it in to a mechanic, it doesn't happen in their presence. I made a short video with the sound. It sounds likes it's coming from behind one of the vents on the passenger side.



    The sound on this video isn't ideal, but it's kind of a like a swooshing, knocking sound.

    2) The second noise I'm hearing is more recent and has been increasing in frequency. It's kind a whirring, clicking sound coming from the driver's side dashboard area. It almost sounds like an electrical or rattling sound of something turning on and off. It only happens for a couple of seconds. First I noticed it when I stepped on the brake and was coming to a stop. But it also happens when I accelerate sometimes. I recall that sometimes when I turn the car off, I'll hear a little rattle as if something is shutting off, and it kind of sounds like that. In the video, it starts happening at around 3 seconds in and just lasts a second or so. Sorry there's a lot of background noise, including rumbling of another car and the AC sound described above.



    I plan on taking this to a mechanic, but any advice or directions I can provide to them would be really helpful.

    Thank you in advance for your assistance and thoughts!
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I couldn't really make any of the sounds on your videos, but from your description, it seems you may have something inside the blower fan of the AC. Remove the cabin air filter and check the blower fan for debris

    The sound from the driver's side is probably the brake actuator pump noise, you'll hear it every 2nd time you press onto the brake.
     
    kmsbanr likes this.
  3. iwannanewprius

    iwannanewprius Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2012
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    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thank you for your quick reply!

    I did a quick google search and someone posted a video of a brake actuator pump noise and it sounds like that is what it is. Several people suggested on other threads / forums that eventually that needs to be replaced but it can be costly (around $2,000) as this car is now almost 13 years old and is out of warranty. Is it safe to drive around with the noise or does it need immediate attention?
     
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
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    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    that is the normal sound the pump makes, it makes a sound every 2nd time you press the brake