whining noise

[sans93lt1]

i droped the vette off to my mecanchic new belt, plugs. wires,oil change,and i have this whining noise, at first i thought it was a power sterring pump going bad but he said he did not think that was the problem.

he said it sounded like some bad bearings in the altenator and it would be no big deal ,but i talk to him today and hes leaning more toward the clutch for the air condtioner, has anyone had a bad a/c clutch ,does it make that whiny sound. he said about $250 plus labor. i told him to hold off for right now,i hate to spend 250+ and that not be the problem. i do feel some vibration when i put my hand on the compressor,but i feel it on the altenator also.

thanks in advance

 

[LT4man]

You need to check the serpentine belt tensioner and pulley. Either one could give you a whining noise and you would feel it through anything that was attached to the belt.

Save The Wave!

 

[sans93lt1]

i called him this morning and he checked that,he took the belt off and checked each componet by hand and again was pretty sure it was a clutch.
whats the downside if i let it go for awhile,can i cause severe damage.

 

[LT4man]

i called him this morning and he checked that,he took the belt off and checked each componet by hand and again was pretty sure it was a clutch.
whats the downside if i let it go for awhile,can i cause severe damage.

In the old days you would just take the A/C belt off and you would be cool. Can't do that now. The clutch on the A/C compressor is much cheaper to replace than the whole compressor. I would do the repair now to eliminate more costly repairs down the road.

Just my .02!

Save The Wave!

 

[John Robinson]

Fix it now

Just in case you do not know the air conditioner does not just run in warm weather. With the temperature control system it runs to cool the car even in the winter this is how they can control the cabin temp. Also many years ago in order to keep fog off the inside windows they started to cycle the air when the defrosters were on. This is to remove the moisture in the air. So in reality there is no way to stop using the air compressor unless you turn the whole system off. In my part of the world that means getting cold Brrr. Let us know what you finally do and if it fixes the problem so if I start to hear your noise I will know what to do.

 

[Mart]

I thought mine was the AC too, turned out to be the belt tensioner.

The lack of tension caused the AC to rattle and hum, hee hee.

Mart

 

[gmjunkie]

Why not put a new baring in the A/C clutch?? Baring is about $20.00-$40.00 depending where you get it!! And 1-2 hr. to do it,and you don't have to break the seal on A/C! Ps. The Alt. and Tensioner barrings will whine!!

 

[sans93lt1]

replaced tensioner and pully with new one,noise still there iam going to pick it up sunday, i asked to just replace the bearing and told me that they a re put in there with metal around the bearings,(kinda like its sealed or something) but that he may be able to do it, we will see. the car only has 50k on it but has been sitting up for awhile, (about 3 years on and off) i know not driving a car is worst thing you can do to it. now i have all these issues at one time, but we`ll get to them , ill let you all know what happens.

 

[gmjunkie]

I replace Alternator,Tensioner,Belt Idler and A/C Clutch Barrings all the Time!! These Small sealed barrings are available Dixie Barrings, and Most auto part stores If you Know the # on the Baring!! I keep most Popular Sizes in my Tool Box!! Gm,Ford.Chrysler and Japanese alternators, Idler's and Tensioner use mostly the same barrings!! Just 2 or 3 that different ones, there $2.00-$4.00
ea.!! A/C Clutch barrings Depending on what kind,York,Tecumseh,Sanborn,Nippondenso,Frigidaire,Sankyo,Motorcraft,Harrison to name a few!! They are Double and Triple barrings in one and are more Expensive $10.00 to $30.00 ea. and held in with snap rings and you usually need a A/C clutch puller!! I'd say over 80% can be changed on vehicle without Removing compressor and braking down system!! You need a stethoscope or broom handle to narrow down which one is whining!! (I have both!! My Wife is a RN and a Witch)

 

[Mart]

the problem with the tensiooner is not the bearing it's the spring itself, if there is not enough tension then the AC whines.

 

[sans93lt1]

ok ,got it back still whining,but iam impressed with the tune up. feels like i gain some extra hp. you guys know if we can get the a/c clutch off whitout removing the a/c lines? mine run in front of the compresser,may have about 2ins clearance.