A/C Blower Motor - am i going insane?

Just bought a 2006 2.7L tacoma. Got a great deal on it, less than 50k miles. The car wasn't driven much in the past 5 years and it sometimes shows. I've had to replace the fuel pump, struts and shocks, water pump, and my gas gauge doesn't work properly (I ran out of gas when it read 1/2 tank). My most recent threat to sanity is the a/c blower motor (I think), it makes this very subtle, yet rapid, ticking sound when it's on. At first, it didn't really bother me but now it's the only thing I can hear when I drive. I've pulled it out of it's housing underneath the dash/glove box and there aren't any leaves or receipts rattling around in the 'hamster wheel.' I'm starting to think that the motor itself is old and tired but I'm really not sure. Is it worth taking apart and trying to lubricate? Or, should I just bite the bullet and replace it (that's around $125 that i need for a new battery soon)? My coworkers (i work at an autoparts company) have told me that it's normal for it to make that sound, but I used to have a 2011 tacoma and never experienced the sound.

 

Mine did it too. Most noticeable at speeds 1 and 2.
I also checked everything. I came to the conclusion it was the motor.
I never did replace it. It actually stopped after about 3 years.
Maybe it wore off what was “ticking”.

You could not hear it if the radio was on.
And my radio is always on. Only time it’s off is if someone is riding with me.
Which is almost never.

 

I saw one thread that recommended tightening/loosening the screws when it is on but that didn't do anything. The first time that I took it out and put it back in, the sounds went away for about 30 seconds...

Also, when I take the motor out but keep it connected to its power connection, it still makes the sound.

I've been doing the same tactic with letting the music mask the sound, but I think that distraction wore off because now I can barely pay attention to the music ‍

 

OP, have you checked the servos used to control the temp, intake air, and mode doors on the side of the HVAC box? The gears inside are as fragile a potato chips and just love to make clicking sounds when stripped out.

With engine off but the key in on position sit in the pass seat, open or remove glove box, and operate the mode control dial, temp setting dial, recirc. switch button, and fan switch. You should be able to easily isolate.

 

I'll try that out! I tightened up the screws real tight yesterday and that seemed to reduce the noise ever so slightly.

 

I have a 2011 and it’s driving me nuts. I fixed it once playing with the screws that hold it up trying to get perfect balance, but it came back couple months later. Now playing screws does nothing.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/blower-motor-squeek-chirp-on-low-fix.28355/
All the tribal fixes like disassembling the blower and greasing the bearings aren't long-term, and don't bother with aftermarket ones TYC, etc. They'll work for a year or so and start chirping again.

It took Toyota 2-3 iterations but they eventually fixed the issue. Just buy the updated OEM blower and call it a day: https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-hvac-blower-motor-lower-8710304044

 

Thanks for the info on the disassembly. I was thinking about diving into that, but after buying specific greases plus the time it would take just doesn't seem worth it if the problem will just come back in a year. Thanks for the link to the part as well!

 

I took mine apart and greased it with white lithium grease 7 years ago, and it’s just started to make a bit of noise again this winter. So maybe I’m in the minority, but it worked for me. Just a couple hours of labour and a tube of white lithium grease