95 Lumina A/C Compressor Noise

[pete029]

I am wondering if I have a problem with my a/c compressor. I recently added some r-134a because the a/c has been non-existant for about a year. I used a decent quality gauge to check the pressure and it isn't overfilled or anything. Anyway, after I did this I noticed that the compressor would make a high-pitched grinding noise (bad bearing??). I have heard this noise before, but I was able to pinpoint the source of the noise while I was dealing with recharging the refrigerant. The thing that puzzles me about the noise is that it only occurs when I turn the blower fan motor OFF or if the a/c clutch is disengaged. When the fan is ON and the compressor clutch is engaged, then there is no noise. Does anyone know what the deal is with this and if I should be concerned? I was thinking that it might go away over time, but I don't know (I just recharged the a/c a week ago and haven't used it much).

[brcidd]

Originally Posted by pete029

. The thing that puzzles me about the noise is that it only occurs when I turn the blower fan motor OFF or if the a/c clutch is disengaged. When the fan is ON and the compressor clutch is engaged, then there is no noise. Does anyone know what the deal is with this and if I should be concerned? ).

This sounds like classic v-5 clutch drag- the air gap has tightened (due to corrosion) and needs to be adjusted back to .020" . I have answered this several times- and usually see about 1 a week during the hot season. The noise is a scrapping/rattle only with a/c off- should see signs of metal shavings about the clutch hub. The fix is to borrow the installer/removal tool from autozone and back off the air gap a tad. This can be done on car, without removing compressor or refrigerant, and can even be done without removing the shaft nut since the nut does not bottom on the clutch drive. Pull back the plastic cover in wheel well to access