A/C clicking?

[Rcman098]

hey everyone, for a while now I have noticed a clicking noise whenever my A/C is on. the noise is constant and varies with my RPMS, the sound seems to be coming from the front of the engine. A/C still works but ONLY when im using max A/C and when im moving. If I idle for a little while the A/C doesn't get very cold and when I set it on "vent" only and put it to the 60 degrease, it just blows warm air.

I don't know much about A/C systems but I do know it not just cycling on and off. the sound is a constant clicking sound. as soon as I turn off the A/C the sound stops.

thanks for any help!-Collin

 

[rb142]

Probably something in the compressor or clutch assembly. The poor cooling performance may be due to a pulley bearing/clutch problem, a compressor not working, or maybe just bad seals that have let a bunch of refrigerant leak out.

You may just need a bearing and a shaft seal. You need to take it to a shop that can leak check it, fix the leak, then recharge the system.

 

[my98nnj]

The constant clicking you hear is the compressor short cycling on the low pressure cut off switch. You need to recharge the system with refrigerent and check for any leaked.

 

[Rcman098]

I work at a shop so ill have them hook it up to our machine. the sound isnt the compressor kicking on and off. it sounds like a pulley and its a constant clicking/popping sound thats always on when the A/C is on

 

[my98nnj]

I work at a shop so ill have them hook it up to our machine. the sound isnt the compressor kicking on and off. it sounds like a pulley and its a constant clicking/popping sound thats always on when the A/C is on

In that case, as rb142 said, you might be better off replacing the compressor.

 

[koda2000]

i had an A/C compressor (more specially the clutch) that made a rattling noise whenever the compressor was engaged. it turned out to be that the OE style 3-pin clutch hub was badly worn. i replaced it with a different style clutch, which solved the problem. clicking is normal when the clutch engages, mine do this around every 10 seconds or so.

 

[Rcman098]

i had an A/C compressor (more specially the clutch) that made a rattling noise whenever the compressor was engaged. it turned out to be that the OE style 3-pin clutch hub was badly worn. i replaced it with a different style clutch, which solved the problem. clicking is normal when the clutch engages, mine do this around every 10 seconds or so.

this clicking is constant, if I had to to guess its probably at least 100 clicks per minute. I have a feeling its something in a pulley because as I rev it up a little the clicking speeds up

 

[koda2000]

it might be the hub bearing. my new clutch came with a new pulley, bearing and elector magnet. it was fairly easy to change.

1. remove the intake hose from the air cleaner to the throttle body to get clear access to the serpentine belt tensioner
2. remove the serpentine belt from the A/C compressor
3. disconnect the trans lines from the radiator (use 2 wrenches) to get them out of the way
4. remove the small bolt from the center of the clutch (you can borrow a special tool from the auto parts store to hold the clutch while you loosen the bolt).
5. there's a small c-clip that has to be removed. i don't recall where it is, but it's somewhere on the compressor shaft. it was a bit of a bugger to get it off on mine due to the position of the holes.
6. the clutch assembly pulls right off the shaft and the electro magnet slides onto the front of the compressor housing. wiggle it off with a couple of large screw drivers.

depending on the style of clutch you end up with, you may need to adjust the air gap between the clutch hub and pulley. this is accomplished with small spacers (will come with the clutch) placed under the hub. use a little dab of grease to hold them in place. it took me 2 tries to get the air gap right, so don't be in a rush to return the tool. i didn't have enough gap, and my clutch dragged when disengaged. i ended up having to add another spacer.

 

[rb142]

Take the belt off and spin the pulley. Then you should be able to hear whether the noise is from the pulley bearing. If the noise is coming from the body of the compressor, then that is a whole different problem all together.

There should be a little spacer washer in there already, so be careful not to lose it when you take the pulley off.

 

[koda2000]

Take the belt off and spin the pulley. Then you should be able to hear whether the noise is from the pulley bearing. If the noise is coming from the body of the compressor, then that is a whole different problem all together.

There should be a little spacer washer in there already, so be careful not to lose it when you take the pulley off.

as you'll be replacing the pulley and hub, you're old spacer washer will not be of much use. your new hub should come with an assortment of spacers. it would be a good idea to spin the hub w/out the belt to see if that's where the noise is coming from. if it's the compressor making the noise (kinda hard to tell w/out the clutch being engaged) but you can try to eliminate the hub bearing from the equation. you can replace the whole compressor with a new hub for nut too much more money, but of course you'd have to evacuate the system, flush it and also replace the accumulator and orifice tube before recharging.

 

[Rcman098]

thanks for all the help guys!

so if the clutch bearing is bad will that cause the problem with the A/C temp?

 

[koda2000]

thanks for all the help guys!

so if the clutch bearing is bad will that cause the problem with the A/C temp?

i might, as the clutch may not be able to keep the compressor turning, or possibly even not be able to stop the compressor from being turned. it would depend on how bad the bearing was.

if the problem turns out to be the inside the compressor, then it would absolutely cause an A/C temp problem.

you should start by removing the serpentine belt from the A/C, spin it by hand and see how the clutch bearing feels. it should be free, smooth and not have any play or make any noise.

 

[rb142]

It might if the compressor is not spinning right. Or you might have a leak and be low on refrigerant -- you need to check for leaks.

Edit, Koda beat me to it.