Weird Noises when A/C is Running

I have a 2017 Civic SI and maybe in the past two months I've been hearing two weird noises coming from my car when the climate control is on. It doesn't matter if I am running heat or AC the noise happens only when you turn on the fan.

The first noise is hard to describe. It sounds like a fluttering noise but metallic. I tried to get a video but because the AC has to be running it's very hard to hear. VIDEO 1 is the best I can do. Turn up your volume and you will hear a very rhythmic fluttering/rattling sound. Here is a link to the YouTube video:

The second sound is a whine when I accelerate in either gears 1-3. See VIDEO #2, the first 5 secs is when it's most noticeable. Here is the link to the YouTube video:

Both sounds happen together it seems. I can't have one sound without the other. And only when the fan is turned on. Once you turn off the fan both noises go away. I took it to the dealer on a weekend. When I left it there the noises were present when I pulled into the service bay. I left it with them for the day so they can test it out and they could not hear any noise. They ran the car for over an hour idle and they even took it for a test drive. So I pick up the car with the intention of bringing it back during the week and lo and behold the sounds had disappeared. Fast forward two weeks and both sounds have returned today. I should also note, there is a very funky smell now when I have the heater on. At first it only smelled when I used the windshield defroster but now it smells when I first start the car and the fan kicks on.

I am wondering if anyone has had this issue before and if they know the cause. I did see one thread and read through the responses but wanted to see if there had been any updates or changes. I plan to take it back to the dealership and have them sit with me in the car so they can hear the noise while I am there but I was wondering if I could get any advice or input first.

It is probably your AC compressor. If you search the forums for this you will find many threads regarding this and leaking freon. My civic had the same issue, it is a common issue with our car and Honda is giving us an extended warranty for this.

EDIT: I noticed you made your first post over a year after you created your account lol.

herox said:

It is probably your AC compressor. If you search the forums for this you will find many threads regarding this and leaking freon. My civic had the same issue, it is a common issue with our car and Honda is giving us an extended warranty for this.

EDIT: I noticed you made your first post over a year after you created your account lol.

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Thank you for the reply. I was trying to search for another thread and I found one with no resolves solution. I also had trouble finding the search box but I believe I found it.

I had a feeling it was the compressor. That’s what it sounded like to me. If I go to the Honda dealer and tell them I think that’s the problem will they look into it? Like I mentioned I took the car to them and they couldn’t find anything and the noises had disappeared for two weeks before starting up again. I don’t know why? I want to get it fixed because I can always hear it and it drives me insane. I sometimes have to turn off my heat but it’s cold now.

I actually didn’t even realize I made the account over a year ago. I tried to make a new one yesterday but realized that my email was already being used. If I remember I made it to make a post about a possible upgrade but found the answer somewhere else and forgot about the account.

th3darklady said:

Thank you for the reply. I was trying to search for another thread and I found one with no resolves solution. I also had trouble finding the search box but I believe I found it.

I had a feeling it was the compressor. That’s what it sounded like to me. If I go to the Honda dealer and tell them I think that’s the problem will they look into it? Like I mentioned I took the car to them and they couldn’t find anything and the noises had disappeared for two weeks before starting up again. I don’t know why? I want to get it fixed because I can always hear it and it drives me insane. I sometimes have to turn off my heat but it’s cold now.

I actually didn’t even realize I made the account over a year ago. I tried to make a new one yesterday but realized that my email was already being used. If I remember I made it to make a post about a possible upgrade but found the answer somewhere else and forgot about the account.

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I would schedule an appointment with them and tell them what you wrote in your first post, and show them your videos. You could mention you've talked to other owners that have had the issue and it was a defective AC compressor but they may charge you for the test (and refund you if you're under warranty and it is defective.) For me it was easy because the AC was not blowing cold in the hot weather due to the defective AC compressor so they replaced it under warranty.

The search function on this forum is terrible. If you're just complaining about the noise, and not the actual cooling, here is your answer.