THe_DeTAiL3R Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 okay my A/C doesn't work since I've had the car Problem: Today I've noticed that the A/C compressor makes a very loud metal-on-metal scratchy sound. When I took the belt off and spun it I noticed that only the outter ring of the compressor (what the belt spins) is all that turns, the rest of the guts of the compressor do not (I don't know if they ever did). Anyways I'm not sure if its always been like that and it just got alot louder or if the sound just started, but is it something I should be worried about? Are there like bad bearings or something on the compressor pully? The pully doesn't seem loose when inspecting it by hand, just makes the metallic sound and doesn't turn the compressor when you spin it. I just don't want the pully to come off or something and kill my engine. Any input is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 sounds like your A/C clutch might be fucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted September 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 sounds like your A/C clutch might be fucked. It probably is. Aside from the annoyance, is that dangerous? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 Try spraying some silicone lube on the clutch first before you replace it. I've heard that sometimes that's all it takes to quiet it down. You won't be able to spin the compressor with the car off unless you jumper the clutch to the battery to engage it... FWIW, I've also heard that the clutch is a $25 part and is fairly easy to replace... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannymik Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 My Cutlass occured that problem with only about 55-60K on it. I hated that noise, but never feared it. Its your damn clutch as they junk out in all 3.1 & 3100 GM vehicles(not sure about the 2.8's). I'll tell you one thing about this, the garage will rape you if they fix it(easily $400). I called aroung to all the junk yards around here and I could have landed a used compressor for $60. Then people told me that there could be further problems with my a/c system, so I lived without replacing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted September 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 My Cutlass occured that problem with only about 55-60K on it. I hated that noise, but never feared it. Its your damn clutch as they junk out in all 3.1 & 3100 GM vehicles(not sure about the 2.8's). I'll tell you one thing about this, the garage will rape you if they fix it(easily $400). I called aroung to all the junk yards around here and I could have landed a used compressor for $60. Then people told me that there could be further problems with my a/c system, so I lived without replacing it! I see. I think what I will do is live with it for now... and try to fix (grease?) the clutch myself when I have time. (I have the 88 I can experiment on ) The bypass is a cool idea but I would like to eventually get my A/C working hence it would be pointless... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 well i've seen that hapien on my friends park avenue (L36), it sounded prety bad for awhile till one day it just siezed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted September 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 well i've seen that hapien on my friends park avenue (L36), it sounded prety bad for awhile till one day it just siezed up. It siezed up? What happened? Mine is very loud.. you can hear it the grinding noise while driving... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannymik Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 cbad I did spray mine with some kind of silicone spray and it did help with the metal on metal sound, but eventually it will dry up and flake away...you can see the metal shavings down there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 well i've seen that hapien on my friends park avenue (L36), it sounded prety bad for awhile till one day it just siezed up. It siezed up? What happened? Mine is very loud.. you can hear it the grinding noise while driving... it made a metal on metal noise for awhile then in his driveway it siezed up and he had to get a new one. it was fairly loud for awhile and just got louder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 well i've seen that hapien on my friends park avenue (L36), it sounded prety bad for awhile till one day it just siezed up. It siezed up? What happened? Mine is very loud.. you can hear it the grinding noise while driving... it made a metal on metal noise for awhile then in his driveway it siezed up and he had to get a new one. it was fairly loud for awhile and just got louder. Yep.. Exactly what happened. I just bought a shorter belt.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted September 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 Okay I've heard from some people that you CAN'T remove the compressor and just throw on a smaller belt (that you HAVE to get a bypass pully) and from others that you CAN do it... I WANT ANSWERS!!!!! If so, anyone have a clue what sized belt I would need?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 Okay I've heard from some people that you CAN'T remove the compressor and just throw on a smaller belt (that you HAVE to get a bypass pully) and from others that you CAN do it... I WANT ANSWERS!!!!! If so, anyone have a clue what sized belt I would need?? Fuck those people. I'm living proof you don't need it on there. Just put the belt on there minus the compressor and take up the slack. Go to your nearest auto parts store and they'll help you find one of that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFromColorado Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 sounds like someone charged the system and didn't add any oil, so the swash plate inside is taking way more energy to try to spin, this will cause the internal part of the compressor (the part not spinnign all the time) to drag when you do activate the clutch itself to run the air-conditioning system. I'd recomend a new AC compressor, and a full recharge with good ol' fassioned R-12 from a certified shop. --Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPRACER Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 sounds like someone charged the system and didn't add any oil, so the swash plate inside is taking way more energy to try to spin, this will cause the internal part of the compressor (the part not spinnign all the time) to drag when you do activate the clutch itself to run the air-conditioning system. I'd recomend a new AC compressor, and a full recharge with good ol' fassioned R-12 from a certified shop. --Dave. Nothing good about R-12. It's illegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 R-12 isn't illegal, you need to be certified to buy it, that costs $19. If you have a shop fill it, look to spend about $80 a pound for freon plus labor. If you get certified and buy it outright, you can find it as little as $20 a pound but you'll need the right tools to recharge the system. Easy enough to do and once you buy the equipment, you can pretty much work on any car AC unit on the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 just get a smaller belt and bypass it until next spring, fix it then..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 sounds like someone charged the system and didn't add any oil, so the swash plate inside is taking way more energy to try to spin, this will cause the internal part of the compressor (the part not spinnign all the time) to drag when you do activate the clutch itself to run the air-conditioning system. I'd recomend a new AC compressor, and a full recharge with good ol' fassioned R-12 from a certified shop. --Dave. Nothing good about R-12. It's illegal. There's plenty good about R-12. One, like has been said, it is legal. Two, from my experiences, it lasts longer and blows colder than R-134a. R-134a is cheaper though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 C-Bad does know that the part that the belt doesn't spin doesn't come on until the clutch engages, correct? Have the system recharged and see if that part does come on, because it won't unless there is a certain percentage of charge in the system. That's what happened with my car, I converted to R-134a, which doesn't blow as cold, but is acceptable, and as I was adding the stuff, the inside part of the compressor began spinning. The inside does not spin unless you have the A/C on, and it has a charge. If your system is discharged, that won't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPRACER Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 R-12 isn't illegal, you need to be certified to buy it, that costs $19. If you have a shop fill it, look to spend about $80 a pound for freon plus labor. If you get certified and buy it outright, you can find it as little as $20 a pound but you'll need the right tools to recharge the system. Easy enough to do and once you buy the equipment, you can pretty much work on any car AC unit on the market. It is illegal. I am doing the certification course TODAY!! I have the book in front of me. There are alternatives but virgin R-12 is illegal to buy or sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPRACER Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 R-12 is colder yes, but it kills ozone, R-134a does not kill ozone, but it does contribute to global warming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 R-12 is colder yes, but it kills ozone, R-134a does not kill ozone, but it does contribute to global warming. .....so what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPRACER Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 R-12 is colder yes, but it kills ozone, R-134a does not kill ozone, but it does contribute to global warming. .....so what? How old are you? It may not affect you but what about children or grandchildren. Cars represent 50% of all CFC emissions globally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 R-12 isn't illegal, you need to be certified to buy it, that costs $19. If you have a shop fill it, look to spend about $80 a pound for freon plus labor. If you get certified and buy it outright, you can find it as little as $20 a pound but you'll need the right tools to recharge the system. Easy enough to do and once you buy the equipment, you can pretty much work on any car AC unit on the market. It is illegal. I am doing the certification course TODAY!! I have the book in front of me. There are alternatives but virgin R-12 is illegal to buy or sell. I think I see the issue here, it may be that way in Canada but not in the US. It can not be produced in the states anymore but the supply that currently exists can be bought, sold, used........ There is no illegality to it as long as the person doing the buying is certified. I also have a 609 manual in my possession. Robby is right though about being colder, but R134 in a properly sized system will blow just as cold as R12. Fortunatly our cars have a very large condensor and it works quite well with R134, I only lost 3 degrees when I converted mine, if I had a R134 control valve in my compressor instead of the R12, I could get that back and then some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 How old are you? It may not affect you but what about children or grandchildren. Cars represent 50% of all CFC emissions globally. I am 26, but I don't see the need to be a tree hugger.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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