Air Conditioner Servicing For Your Vehichle .. Help Please :)

[Ian442]

Good morning,

As some of you folks know I drive a pretty beat up Pontiac Sunfire 2005 model year with 5speed and A/C. lately though i've noticed some noise when i try to run the a/c perhaps a grinding sound (?). So i quit turning it on, but its rather miserable and humid lately.

Would this sound I hear be something like the a/c clutch and its subsequent bearing giving out ? How hard is a clutch replacement for something like this or do i replace the whole unit.

Thanks In Advance
Ian

 

[skygazer6033]

Ian --- Normally when an A/C clutch bearing is going bad it makes less noise when the A/C is turned on. When the clutch is engaged the compressor shaft helps stabilize the pulley so the pulley bearing doesn't rattle as much. If it's quiet until you engage it the clutch is ok but the compressor is going south. If it just started you might be ok just replacing the compressor. However if the compressor starts breaking up internally you may need to also replace the condenser, dryer, orifice tube and have the evaporator flushed. Probably more expense than you want to deal with in a beater. Or you could roll the windows down.

 

[outsydthebox]

Good morning,

As some of you folks know I drive a pretty beat up Pontiac Sunfire 2005 model year with 5speed and A/C. lately though i've noticed some noise when i try to run the a/c perhaps a grinding sound (?). So i quit turning it on, but its rather miserable and humid lately.

Would this sound I hear be something like the a/c clutch and its subsequent bearing giving out ? How hard is a clutch replacement for something like this or do i replace the whole unit.

Thanks In Advance
Ian

Tint your windows...if you haven't already. You will be amazed by how much heat it keeps out.

 

[Coss]

Good morning,

As some of you folks know I drive a pretty beat up Pontiac Sunfire 2005 model year with 5speed and A/C. lately though i've noticed some noise when i try to run the a/c perhaps a grinding sound (?). So i quit turning it on, but its rather miserable and humid lately.

Would this sound I hear be something like the a/c clutch and its subsequent bearing giving out ? How hard is a clutch replacement for something like this or do i replace the whole unit.

Thanks In Advance
Ian

Go to the bone yard and find a GM compressor for that year (GM used the same one across the entire line) and then find a mom and pop shop that does A/C repair. The problem with opening the A/C system is the refrigerant liquid; They attach a A/C vacuum, and pull out all of your old liquid (don't ever let it just open to the air (that's illegal, and really bad for the ozone layer), and above all do not breathe the stuff, it will kill you) swap out the pump yourself, take it back to them, and have them give it a fresh charge with new refrigerant. Cost should be reasonable. They'll be able to check the rest of your system at the same time by doing a leak down test.

 

[Ian442]

Windows are down trust me, its humid here in the summer and it makes me feel like I am at square one with my first car that had no A/C. I live in this car as I have a long commute plus deliver pizzas several days a week on top of that.

at 278,000 miles the plan is to keep it running long enough to get my Elio. The A/C system is one of the few things left that has not been replaced either by me or a shop.

Thanks everyone for the advice and warnings. Greatly appreciated.

 

[BlioKart]

Sounds like a busted compressor. Mine did the same a few years ago. I spent 400$ fixing it. I did it myself though. It would have been less but my low pressure line was leaking.