memetx

Ok before I start let me tell you I know nothing about cars! I bought my son an 87 Camaro for his 16th birthday and we are learning as we go! It is a good thing I like to read and am pretty good at learning stuff as I go. That is how we have gotten to where we are. With that said here is what happened:

We decided to try and see if the A/C would work if we added some freon, well it did but after an hour it would not cool anymore. So we went back and got the sealant and then added more freon. So far so good! Ok so here is what I noticed. When the compressor kicks on it starts making a loud ticking noise. It looks like on of the belts might not be tight. It does not do this when the compressor is not on. So when it is out of freon and not coming on the belt looks like it is running normal, but add freon and let the compressor kick on there goes the ticking noise

Can anyone tell me what this belt would be called so I can see about "maybe" tightening it?

Thanks for reading and any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

zraffz

It's probably not the belt. I've never experienced it on a car but any of my trucks that were ever in a remotely dusty/muddy/overall dirty environment would have the clutch in the compressor make noise. Spray some WD40 on the compressor (where the clutch is; right behind the pulley) but DO NOT get any WD40 on the belt or pulley itself.

AlkyIROC

I fixed the AC on my 91 pickup a few weeks ago. As soon as the compressor kicked in, there was rattling type noise but only at an idle. When I brought up the rpms, the noise went away. It really sounded like it was coming from the compressor especially since it only made the noise when the clutch engaged.

I tracked it down to a bad power steering pump. The truck isn't my daily driver so I haven't got around to changing the pump yet. It still works but I know I'll need to change the pump if I want to use the AC without hearing that noise.

It sounds like you have a V-belt system. If the belt is in good condition and isn't slipping when the clutch is engaged then it shouldn't be making a ticking noise. If the compressor belt isn't driving anything else then it's possible you have a bad compressor. I really hate seeing people trying to add sealant into AC systems. If you had no freon in the system then it also wasn't in a vacuum and probably has air in the system. Air is a non condensible. To properly charge an AC system, it needs to be pulled into a deep vacuum before freon is added. If it can't hold a vacuum then there's a leak that needs to be repaired. Normally it's something simple like an o-ring. That's all that was wrong with the system on my truck but I had also converted it to R132A a few years ago so recharging was easy.

paulo57509

I would have to agree that the noise is inside the compressor and is not due to the tightness (looseness) of the belt that's driving the compressor.

I've learned that there are no short cuts or any kind of "mechanic-in-a-can" fixes for A/C systems.

You don't mention how long the A/C system has been inoperative, but I would guess it's needed repair for more than a few years. I would recommend not bothering with it unless you really want to spend the money to have it repaired the correct way.

Since it's working now, I'd leave it alone and not do anything until it really quits working. The cost to get rid of the noise vs. fixing it when it finally gives up would be about the same, IMO.

A/C system repair THE RIGHT WAY is not really for the DIY'er.

This forum has some good and reliable info on A/C repair. Read the FAQ section.

http://www.autoacforum.com/

camarosrock1989

iTrader: (1)

Funny my power steering pump went bad and when i changed it, the noise from the compressor went away.

eseibel67

Noisy compressor could be indication that it's toast, but the R4 compressors used in third gens are noisy even when they are working properly.

But if the refrigerant leaked out, there is a problem. And don't forget, the refrigerant carries the oil to lubricate that compressor that's located way up high on the engine.

czlowiekmucha

I reaseled My compressor to R134a and refill it, and then there was some kind of problem with the cluch - it was slipping, the air gap was to big it was 0,50 mm and it was adjusted to 0,20 mm - that solved the problem.

this is the video: