What is the most common Midea aircon problem?
The fault we fix most often on these units is a noisy fan motor: it still spins and the aircon still cools, but it gives off a constant high-pitched whine that can keep a household awake. Replacing the motor is the fix. On Midea units, the bigger problem in our experience is how long spare parts take.
Key takeaways
- The motor still works: the aircon cools normally; the problem is a constant high-pitched spinning noise.
- Replacement is the fix: worn fan motors are sealed and cannot be serviced back to quiet.
- Parts can take months: on this job, the Midea motors took about six months to arrive.
- Not only Midea: we see the same fan motor noise often on LG units.
In the video above, Uncle Eric shows the two fan motors we had just replaced on a customer's Midea aircon, and explains why this one fault keeps coming back to us.
How do you tell a worn fan motor from other aircon noises?
Not every noise is the fan motor. Run through these checks first:
- Listen to the sound itself. A worn fan motor gives a steady, high-pitched whine or spinning noise. Rattles, clicks and gurgles usually mean something else.
- Change the fan speed on the remote. If the whine rises and falls with fan speed, the fan side is the likely source rather than the compressor.
- Find which unit it comes from. Stand next to the indoor unit, then the outdoor unit if you can reach it safely. The noise is loudest at the motor that is wearing.
- Rule out the simple causes. A loose front panel or a filter sitting badly can buzz. Refit them and listen again.
- Decide. If the whine is constant, follows fan speed and stays after step 4, the motor is the likely cause and needs a technician to confirm. Have it checked by our aircon repair and troubleshooting team.
If you hear rattling, buzzing, clicking or gurgling instead, our guide to what each aircon noise means covers those.
Why replace a fan motor that still works?
Because the noise does not go away on its own. In jobs like this the whine usually comes from wear inside the motor, most often the bearings, and aircon fan motors are sealed. There is no service that brings a worn one back to quiet.
A worn motor also tends to get worse. The noise is the early warning. Left alone, the motor can eventually seize, and then the aircon stops cooling until a new one goes in. Replacing it while it still works lets you plan the repair instead of losing cooling without warning.
This customer has been with us since 2017, and we have looked after their aircons closely. The Midea system was installed in 2018, so it was only about four years old when the noise started. Apart from these two motors, it had given no trouble. The customer had lived with the noise for months; it disturbed their sleep every night.
How long do Midea spare parts take to arrive?
This is the part of the story that surprised even us. Here is how the wait went:
When | What Midea support told us |
|---|---|
September 2022 | We asked for price and availability. No stock: wait until December. |
December 2022 | Stock had not come in. New date: March 2023. |
March 2023 | Parts said to have arrived, but only ready in April. |
About six months after first asking | We had the motors and fixed the problem. |
For comparison, even ordering parts online from overseas takes about three weeks.
Six months is a long time when the noise is keeping you awake. It would have been far worse if the motors had failed completely: no aircon at all for half a year. We even asked the customer whether they were prepared to change to a new aircon if the parts never arrived or the wait stretched further.
Is this only a Midea problem?
Any fan motor can wear out eventually. But in the jobs we do, this high-pitched fan motor noise is one of the most common faults we see on Midea and LG units, and it appears well before the age at which we would expect a motor to need replacing.
What about the newer models? Honestly, we cannot say yet. Fan motor wear like this takes a few years to show, so it will be another two to four years before we know whether the current models have improved.
What does this mean if you are buying a new aircon?
Ask two questions before you buy, whatever the brand: how common are motor and board faults on this model, and how quickly can the local service centre supply parts? A cheaper system that leaves you waiting months for a part can cost more in the end. Our guide to choosing an aircon in Singapore covers the other things to check. For the bigger picture of which parts fail and why, see how an aircon works and where it goes wrong.
What it costs
Job | Price | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
Indoor fan motor replacement | Quoted after the S$150 diagnosis | Brand and model, cost of the original motor |
Outdoor fan motor replacement | Quoted after the S$150 diagnosis | Model, access to the outdoor unit on the ledge |
The part price depends on the manufacturer, and so does how long you wait for it.
When to call a technician
Get your aircon checked if:
- the fan makes a high-pitched whine, grinding or humming that was not there before
- the noise gets louder or changes pitch over time
- the fan slows down, stops or starts with a struggle
- the unit stops cooling or shows a blinking light alongside the noise
We test the motor, confirm the cause and source the right part. You can book online in under a minute, or message Luna, our AI assistant, on WhatsApp at any hour.
Frequently asked questions
Can lubricating the fan motor stop the high-pitched noise?
Usually not for long. Aircon fan motors are sealed units, so once the noise starts the motor is normally worn inside. Replacing it is the reliable fix.
Is a noisy fan motor dangerous?
On its own it is mostly a sleep and comfort problem. But a motor that keeps wearing can eventually seize, and then the aircon stops cooling or shows a fault until the motor is replaced.
Should I replace the whole aircon instead of waiting for parts?
That depends on how long the wait is, the age of the system and whether it still cools. If the motor still works and only makes noise, waiting is usually reasonable. If it has failed completely and parts are months away, we talk you through whether replacing the system makes more sense.
Why does the noise seem worse at night?
The room is quiet, so a steady whine stands out, and bedroom units often run for hours without a break. The motor is not necessarily louder; you simply notice it more.
Will a new fan motor start whining again?
A new motor resets the clock, but nobody can promise how long any motor will last. On the newer Midea models we will only know whether the problem has improved after another two to four years of use.
Eric Lim, aka Uncle EricFounder of iAircon.Repair, now in its 10th year servicing aircons in Singapore. Every job is filmed, so you can watch the work on YouTube.
