Fan or motor runs on first start of the day?

[MXMAN 141]

Maybe this is normal but my 2009 Passion has a fan or motor, (electric) noise when the car is cold or the first start of the day. It is coming from the rear of the car and by the time I get to the street it stops. If you start the car later when it is warm it is not there. Should I be concerned?

[jefferios]

No, its a device for the fuel system or something like that. Sorry I am not making much sense, but with the 08's its the same. Its a 30 second whine and its over. Normal operation.

[a2jack]

It's like the bilge fan on a boat, except it doesn't blow up if fails to come on.

Jeff is right again. A2Jack

[Duckhunter]

part of the emmision control system to warm up quicker for lower emmisions.

[GHammerly]

Sounds like a hand held vacuum.

[NCC1701]

Ya know, I haven't noticed this after sitting all day long at work. I'll have to pay attention tomorrow. Certainly notice it first thing in the morning.

[SuperGeek]

It only comes on if the water temp is under about 97 degrees or if a sensor says it's necessary. It will run for less than about 30 seconds. Tech manuals are great sources of information.

[PeteInLongBeach]

It's an air pump for exhaust emissions. It pumps air into the exhaust manifold to help complete the combustion of the richer fuel mixture when the motor is cold, and to help the catalytic converter heat up faster for better emission control.

In the 70s & 80s many cars had belt-driven air pumps for similar purpose. The smart's air pump is electric and managed by computer.

[stzul]

Same thing happens in my 08 passion. A vrroooom noise goes on for 8-10 sec. I mentioned it to the dealer during a service visit in mid-Sept. Dealer said it was normal, though didn't explain why/what it was. I hear it almost every day.

a2jack - I was just in A2 for the holidays, was looking for other smarts, but only saw one white/silver smart in passing on Plymouth rd. Sorry I missed yours!

[legaldesign]

Funky community, you/us smartcar folks... That seldom-commented-upon "Start-up Whine" has been a mild source of interest since I first noticed it several months ago. But the little beast just continues to runs like a bear so I put off looking into it until today. On SCoA's site I discovered a great description of my exact issue, followed by an extensive, but not not very helpful, series of "comments." Granted, some of the take-offs on human, v. mechanical, "whining" were actually pretty humorous. But at the end of the fun 'n games I wasn't much closer to an answer to whether or not my '11 smart was close to wanting-to-destroy-itself during its first 30 seconds most mornings. Then PeteInLongBeach took the time to weigh in with his particularly cogent thoughts on the matter. Thank you for that! Now, until I hear otherwise, I'm cautiously optimistic that something besides that insanely impressive high-pitched and nasty whine will NOT be the thing that ultimately takes out our smartcar. Until then we'll just continue to enjoy the heck out of this unique driving experience, while we look forward to smart's introduction of potentially even more fuel efficient versions of this instantly classic conveyance!

Originally Posted by PeteInLongBeach

It's an air pump for exhaust emissions. It pumps air into the exhaust manifold to help complete the combustion of the richer fuel mixture when the motor is cold, and to help the catalytic converter heat up faster for better emission control.

In the 70s & 80s many cars had belt-driven air pumps for similar purpose. The smart's air pump is electric and managed by computer.