Aircon compressor whining, help please!

[Disco Matt]

My aircon compressor is whining. I think this has something to do with a ford on my last laning trip. Does anyone know of a cure? I tried dribbling oil into the bearings (this cured the alternator) but the noise is still the same. It's definitely coming from the compressor.

The water was clear and flowing, rather than a mudbath. The aircon hasn't worked for a while (coolant seems to have escaped!) but the noise only started after the unexpected bath. Should I try retensioning the drive belt (suspect it may be loose, but not sure - would that cause it?) or just remove it until I can get a professional to take a look? The manuals I have all say that fiddling with aircon is not for amateurs.

[Disco Sev]

You say the air con is not working. Have you noticed if the clutch is stuck on or not? If off then the belt should only be turning the pulley and not the main compressor. That's about as helpful as I get :twisted:

[Disco Matt]

As far as I know the clutch is working, as there's a definite change in sound when I switch it on, just no cold air coming out (hence my diagnosis of escaped coolant). I would try retensioning the belt but can't believe that having water splashed on it would cause it to stretch?

[Range Rover Blues]

IF the refridgerant has escaped then the pressure switch should prevent the clutch from engaging.  If the compressor is running but you get no cold then something else is wrong somewhere anyway and if the comp has run dry it will be goosed.

That said there is another bearing inside the air con pump clutch pack.

[Disco Matt]

Fair enough - I can definitely hear a slight change in engine note with switching it on, but no cold air comes out. I was planning to seek out a specialist to get it back into working order soonish, so thinking I should remove the belt for the time being to prevent further damage as that bearing may well be the one making the noise.

As it would probably benefit from a new belt anyway I'm inclined to just loosen the tensioner and cut the old one, rather than remove everything else to get it out.

[Range Rover Blues]

You can also slackent he water pump belt a little when there's no airconn.

[Disco Matt]

Well, it's back from the dealers, they regassed the aircon and diagnosed the noise as coming from the tensioner. A new one would have been £140 fitted so I politely declined, I'll try dribbling oil into it and if that fails I think replacing a tensioner pulley is within even my abilities!

[Dr.Ed]

these guys sell the bearings for the tensioner if you want to save even more money, tensioner was £40 last time i looked, bearing is £8 - guess what i'm attempting this weekend!

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/disco-compatible-parts

Ed.

[Disco Matt]

Thanks Ed - I'll bookmark that in case the bearing turns out to be beyond oil. It's only done a couple of hundred miles since it started whining so should still be savable.

[Disco Matt]

Right, I now have one of the bearing kits and have stripped down the tensioner. Only problem is that I can't get the inverted circlip thingy that holds the bearing in the pulley out - I've tried hitting it, prising it, everything I can think of to no avail. The instructions confidently state that if you whack it with a screwdriver and hammer in the right place the circlip will distort so you can pull it out with pliers, but it's not happening. Anyone have an idea before I resort to trying to order a new pulley?

[beast5680]

they are fiddly to do you should be able to get a screwdriver under them and prise one end out then its a case of fiddling the clip out of its groove

[Disco Matt]

I could move it with the screwdriver, but when I tried to lever it enough to make it pop out the screwdriver slips or the circlip spins around in the groove  Was thinking there might be some trick I'd missed. I've not managed to stab myself with the screwdriver yet anyway!  :lol: