Disco 2: getting rid of whirring noise alongside steering column

A rather annoying but inconsequent issue that sooner or later comes up in Discos series 2 (either V8 or S5): on moving the starter switch to position "II" a vibrating sort of whirling noise comes from aside the steering column.

The trouble lies with the in-car temperature sensor (ICTS) mounted behind the grills, comprised of a small blower which draws air in from the cabin over a thermistor.

The blower is powered by a tiny brushless type electrical motor which has no bearings and tends to get clogged up with dust, hair, lint, etc.

Here's how to work this problem out.

1- ICTS (behind grills) next to steering column of LHD Disco (RHD is perfectly symmetrical)


2- Access the main fuse box by removing the fixings and opening the cover underneath the steering column:


3- Locate the ICTS assembly, unbend the loom retainer attached to the motor, pull the connector out and disconnect it:














4- Undo the two screws holding the ICTS against the panel -- takes a bit of patience -- a small hex drive ratcheting wrench was perfect for this job:


5- The ICTS as it came out, and after being cleaned out:




6- Undo the two screws --beware of falling nuts as they are not captive-- and open up the motor:




7- Thorougly clean the impellers shaft (both sides) as well as where it seats in within both the cover and stator:


8- Smear with a small quantity of light, thin, low friction grease. The motor has very little force so do not over grease or use anything too sticky as it would prevent the impeller from rotating. I used the teflon grease that I regularly apply to my mountain bikes bearings:




9- Reassemble blower motor, connect to loop and screw back in place.

Turn key to switch position II and enjoy the silence!

Total time for this job: 30 mins

Rgds

Matt

Nice guide, thanks for posting.

Well done Matt.

I recently cleaned mine out as it was quite noisey.( airline and hoover ) It made it quieter, but not silent.

I cant hear it when the engines running.

I might whip it out, ( Oooer Mrs ! ), and clean it properly.

Del.

Nicely done Matt,

I cleaned mine about 6 months ago and its been nice and quiet since. I didn't think about grease, that's a good idea.

Although it just struck me as I was writing this, could the grease not act as a trap to catch dust more quickly I wonder?

Regards

Ben

Great advice,thanks

Excellent advice, nice simple job once you know how (which I didnt). The whirring noise does'nt really bother me, but it will now until I get it done, thanks

no use to me (300tdi) but fantastic clear pics and nice concise instructions.
cheers for sharing.

... just a quick note to thank Matt Turri for his well explained and perfectly illustrated posting.
I had lived with this annoying whirling sound in my year 2000 Discovery Series II TD5 for 2½ years. Thanks to Matt's foolproof description of the job, I had the fan out, cleaned and reinstalled within the 30 minutes stated by the author with a considerable reduction in the monotonous whirling. Now when I turn the ignition key, the noise can just be made out; when the engine starts there's not a trace of the spinning sound.
An enormous "thank you", Matt! .... and one from my wife too! David.

I only realised that my Disco was making this noise when I read this thread. Out with the spanners in the morning.

Hello there, Stookie42.
Thanks to Matt, it really is a simple job ... you won't even need spanners! A coin will open the hatch below the steering column. The ¼-inch hex drive ratcheting wrench is essential; I tried with a number of cross-headed screwdrivers but just couldn't get one in there.
I used treflon grease as Matt suggests, but not nearly so much as in his photograph, thinking its presence may cause a build-up of dust and fluff more quickly.
Good luck! David.

quellaverde said:

Hello there, Stookie42.
Thanks to Matt, it really is a simple job ... you won't even need spanners! A coin will open the hatch below the steering column. The ¼-inch hex drive ratcheting wrench is essential; I tried with a number of cross-headed screwdrivers but just couldn't get one in there.
I used treflon grease as Matt suggests, but not nearly so much as in his photograph, thinking its presence may cause a build-up of dust and fluff more quickly.
Good luck! David.

Click to expand...

Thank you David. Did the job today. Works perfect. Used a couple of swear words getting the top screw back in and I just used a wee bit of Vaseline to keep it nice and smooth.
This forum is brilliant!

I need to do this, nice right up and will help!

MTurri said:

A rather annoying but inconsequent issue that sooner or later comes up in Discos series 2 (either V8 or S5): on moving the starter switch to position "II" a vibrating sort of whirling noise comes from aside the steering column.

The trouble lies with the in-car temperature sensor (ICTS) mounted behind the grills, comprised of a small blower which draws air in from the cabin over a thermistor.

The blower is powered by a tiny brushless type electrical motor which has no bearings and tends to get clogged up with dust, hair, lint, etc.

Here's how to work this problem out.

1- ICTS (behind grills) next to steering column of LHD Disco (RHD is perfectly symmetrical)

2- Access the main fuse box by removing the fixings and opening the cover underneath the steering column:

3- Locate the ICTS assembly, unbend the loom retainer attached to the motor, pull the connector out and disconnect it:

4- Undo the two screws holding the ICTS against the panel -- takes a bit of patience -- a small hex drive ratcheting wrench was perfect for this job:

5- The ICTS as it came out, and after being cleaned out:

6- Undo the two screws --beware of falling nuts as they are not captive-- and open up the motor:

7- Thorougly clean the impellers shaft (both sides) as well as where it seats in within both the cover and stator:

8- Smear with a small quantity of light, thin, low friction grease. The motor has very little force so do not over grease or use anything too sticky as it would prevent the impeller from rotating. I used the teflon grease that I regularly apply to my mountain bikes bearings:

9- Reassemble blower motor, connect to loop and screw back in place.

Turn key to switch position II and enjoy the silence!

Total time for this job: 30 mins

Rgds

Matt

Click to expand...

Thanks Matt! This solved the issue and also stopped my wife whining. I did add 1 thing. I am nott sure if there was a filter or something in place previously but to prevent particle ingress I have added a 4cm x 3cm piece of fine foam inbetween the dash and motor intake. All works as it should and the temperature readings are correct. Thanks again

Gary Wellington said:

All works as it should and the temperature readings are correct.

Click to expand...

Hi, i'm curious how did you figure out that the temp readings are correct? cos AFAIK that sensor's readings are not monitored by diagnostics

This was a great tutorial and read. I didn't know about that ICTS.