Greetings!

I'm looking for input on this issue.

It started with the cricket sound under the hood. At first it was only a temporary sound and then it became constant. My serpentine belt is pretty much new so i figured it had to be a tensioner or a pulley. It got worse after someone who thought they knew what they were doing sprayed PB blaster for rusted nuts and bolts on my belt (I was so mad. Now the car sounds even worse). My new mecahinc looked at it and determined it was the A/C compressor pulley and showed me where the clutch was defaulting.

My question to the forum is...should I replace the entire a/c compressor or have the pulley and the clutch repaired and use the original a/c compressor?

Thanks!

 

unlikely that it's the pulley, since those pulleys don't (shouldn't!) have any moving parts -- i would guess that it's actually the shaft bearings which i believe are inside the clutch.

 

Thank you for the feedback!

Would you suggest replacing the whole thing?

I guess i'm trying to figure out if it's best to keep all original parts and repair them or replace them with newer parts.

 

A remanufactured compressor is around $120.
Plus about $150-$200 for freon and labor, depending on the shop.

 

On my 03 I had the same issue last winter. Started to get some chirping noise. It got worse and occasional burning belt smell. I had the entire unit replaced. Figured it was due after the miles and years of use.

I looked into servicing the clutch and assembly, replacing the entire unit was less hassle for me.

Since mine started to cause some belt wear I had that replaced too.

 

Hey guys...again thank you all so much for your feedback.

My question today is:

What brand is the best to get to replace a genuine a/c compressor? I can't spend 1K+ on this thing right now so i need opinions on the next best option.

 

The compressor clutch bearings almost never wear out. I have two over 220k on the original compressors, have had 12 and never had the compressor clutch bearings go out. Try a new belt first. While the belt is off, grab all the pulleys and try to tilt them fore/aft - not spin and not perpendicular to the shaft, try to tilt on the shaft. If you can feel any movement at all - the bearing is shot and that could be your chirping. Very common for the idler pulley bearings to wear out. If the compressor clutch bearings are worn out, they are an easy replacement. One bolt takes the clutch face off. Then there is a large snap ring that holds the clutch on. Replacement clutch with new bearings should be around $40-50.

 

Thank you! There's also this smell sometimes...like burning rubber. Does that go along with what you advised about the belt?

 

Yeah, that's the belt burning.

 

Sounds stupid, but check to make sure the belt hasn’t slipped a groove. It should be in the middle of the pulley and not off to one side. Burning and chirping is a symptom of this.