1996 Maxima idle noise
02-20-2015, 03:58 PM
#1
Newbie - Just Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 1
1996 Maxima idle noise
I have a 96 maxima and lately it has started to make a whining noise at startup. A local shop says the compressor bearings are going but it makes the noise whether the AC compressor is on or off. They want around $3500 to replace it and all the CV boots (inner and outer). They said if the compressor locks up the belt will snap.....
To diagnose it they said they loosened the belt and when they turned the compressor by hand it made a grinding noise. Isn't the compressor hard to turn by hand?
Could the noise be from the idler pulley or something else?
I don't want to spend more money on this car if I can help it!
Thank you,
Michael.
To diagnose it they said they loosened the belt and when they turned the compressor by hand it made a grinding noise. Isn't the compressor hard to turn by hand?
Could the noise be from the idler pulley or something else?
I don't want to spend more money on this car if I can help it!
Thank you,
Michael.
02-20-2015, 04:15 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Central AR
Posts: 3,041
Welcome to Maxima.ORG!
The idler pulley bearing could be failing but that is a relatively inexpensive part to replace.
The compressor clutch bearing on my 99 Maxima failed last year. It will make noise whether the A/C is on or off. Since it was going to cost almost as much as a new compressor to replace the clutch bearing, I found a good bearing/clutch on a wrecked Infiniti I30 at my local junkyard. Then I pulled the bearing from the compressor on the Maxima and replaced it the with the one I purchased from a salvage car. It has been running for about a year without issue. I saved a bunch of money on that deal.
A friend recently experienced clutch bearing failure on his 4th gen. He installed a shorter belt to bypass the compressor pulley as a temporary fix while he looks for a replacement from a salvage car.
CV boots can be replaced. Others on the ORG have done it. $3500 seems like a fierce amount of money.
The idler pulley bearing could be failing but that is a relatively inexpensive part to replace.
The compressor clutch bearing on my 99 Maxima failed last year. It will make noise whether the A/C is on or off. Since it was going to cost almost as much as a new compressor to replace the clutch bearing, I found a good bearing/clutch on a wrecked Infiniti I30 at my local junkyard. Then I pulled the bearing from the compressor on the Maxima and replaced it the with the one I purchased from a salvage car. It has been running for about a year without issue. I saved a bunch of money on that deal.
A friend recently experienced clutch bearing failure on his 4th gen. He installed a shorter belt to bypass the compressor pulley as a temporary fix while he looks for a replacement from a salvage car.
CV boots can be replaced. Others on the ORG have done it. $3500 seems like a fierce amount of money.
Last edited by CS_AR; 02-20-2015 at 04:41 PM.
02-21-2015, 12:39 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Central AR
Posts: 3,041
If you are not the Do It Yourself (DIY) type, I would get a second opinion. The price seems too high. If you are the DIY type, the following information may help.
The way to determine if the clutch bearing is the culprit is to remove the serpentine belt and spin the A/C pulley by hand. If you hear the clutch bearing making the noise when the pulley is rotating, then you've found the culprit.
Before I changed my A/C clutch I watched the following video where the clutch was removed on an Altima. The clutch looks this same was the ones on my Maxima and I30. Actually clutch removal was a tad easier on the Maxima/I30 because no line had to be moved out of the way to access clutch.
WARNING: I did not find it necessary to cut any bolts for removal on either the old or replacement clutch car like the video. The clutch used a bolt like new clutch in the picture. I had no problem removing the bolt.
The hardest part of the operation that required me to use a puller was because the shaft splines were rusted on my car. The donor car's clutch splines were not rusted and it was actually easy to remove. You can see the shaft splines in the following video.
Note the section on snap ring removal in the following video link.. The snap rings I found on the Maxima and I30 were exactly like the ones in the video.
This is the only video I found where a clutch like the one on my Maxima is being changed. I used a snap ring tool like the one in the video.
The way to determine if the clutch bearing is the culprit is to remove the serpentine belt and spin the A/C pulley by hand. If you hear the clutch bearing making the noise when the pulley is rotating, then you've found the culprit.
Before I changed my A/C clutch I watched the following video where the clutch was removed on an Altima. The clutch looks this same was the ones on my Maxima and I30. Actually clutch removal was a tad easier on the Maxima/I30 because no line had to be moved out of the way to access clutch.
WARNING: I did not find it necessary to cut any bolts for removal on either the old or replacement clutch car like the video. The clutch used a bolt like new clutch in the picture. I had no problem removing the bolt.
The hardest part of the operation that required me to use a puller was because the shaft splines were rusted on my car. The donor car's clutch splines were not rusted and it was actually easy to remove. You can see the shaft splines in the following video.
Note the section on snap ring removal in the following video link.. The snap rings I found on the Maxima and I30 were exactly like the ones in the video.
This is the only video I found where a clutch like the one on my Maxima is being changed. I used a snap ring tool like the one in the video.
Last edited by CS_AR; 02-21-2015 at 01:35 AM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Team STILLEN
Autocrossing and Road Course Racing
0
08-10-2015 04:29 PM