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Compressor growls when not engaged quiets down when engaged

Boomer_106 on Mon October 27, 2014 7:55 PM User is offline

Year: 98
Make: Chevy
Model: Malibu
Engine Size: 3.4
Refrigerant Type: R-134A
Country of Origin: United States

Guys, my brothers 98 Malibu has a growling from the A/C compressor when it's not engaged. When you turn the A/C on, it quiets down. Is it likely just a clutch or is the whole compressor warning of impending failure?

AC_Doc on Mon October 27, 2014 8:56 PM User is offline

Pulley Bearing is going out. Bearing can be changed without discharging or removing compressor.

Think about..what's moving when the clutch is disengaged....not the compressor shaft - only the pulley.
The bearing is pressed in to the backside of the pulley.

Remove the clutch face, then a c-click holding the clutch bearing on the compressor flange, the pull off the pulley (don't pull off by the edges or you'll bent the pulley!)
Press out (or beat out) the old bearing, press in a new one.
Reverse for installation.

Good Luck,
AC_Doc

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Sometimes you must accept things at faith value!

Boomer_106 on Tue October 28, 2014 3:16 AM User is offline

Thanks for the reply. That's what I was thinking but, it going away when the compressor kicks in threw me off.

GM Tech on Tue October 28, 2014 9:33 AM User is offline

Your 98 malibu uses a V-5 coompressor- which is notorious for clutch drag noise-- are you sure your noise is not a metallic scraping noise? Do you have metal fragments clinging to front of clutch? If so, you have the V-5 clutch drag noise- that I have defined numerous times- answer is to re-adjust the clutch air gap with the borrowed tool from Autozone.

Yes, the pulley bearing is in question, but I have rarely seen it on V-5's applications- All V-5's will/have encountered the clutch drag noise and the biggest hint is "It only makes noise with a/c off" depending on your engine 6 cyl or 4 cyl- it can be fixed on car- without removing refrigerant.



V-5 clutch drag defined

Click on the link above- where I explained this phenomena over 8 years ago...

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

Edited: Tue October 28, 2014 at 9:46 AM by GM Tech

Boomer_106 on Tue October 28, 2014 11:34 AM User is offline

I really appreciate the reply GM Tech. It's my brothers car and I haven't heard it doing it yet. He just sent me a text last night asking about it. I will contact him and/or look at the car myself today and see if there are shavings.

Quote
Originally posted by: GM Tech
Your 98 malibu uses a V-5 coompressor- which is notorious for clutch drag noise-- are you sure your noise is not a metallic scraping noise? Do you have metal fragments clinging to front of clutch? If so, you have the V-5 clutch drag noise- that I have defined numerous times- answer is to re-adjust the clutch air gap with the borrowed tool from Autozone.



Yes, the pulley bearing is in question, but I have rarely seen it on V-5's applications- All V-5's will/have encountered the clutch drag noise and the biggest hint is "It only makes noise with a/c off" depending on your engine 6 cyl or 4 cyl- it can be fixed on car- without removing refrigerant.







V-5 clutch drag defined



Click on the link above- where I explained this phenomena over 8 years ago...

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