I recharged my A/C today. The car passed the leak test, everything worked fine, air was cold. i drove around for about 30 mins with no problems. I was standing @ idle for about 10 minutes and noticed my temp gauge started to creep up to H and my (compressor?) was making a grinding/rattling type sound that got more intense with higher revs. The sound isn't very loud and it goes away after 3,000rpms. Now, if I have the a/c on, the car starts to run hot even if it's moving. Turning the a/c off results in a return to normal temp. readings. Fans have been checked and are coming on when the a/c is on.

I should add that the car was in an accident on the pass. side, and the condenser was replaced last july. I did not have the system recharged until now. Does it sound like my compressor may be on its way out? Someone told me that in addition to the refrigerant, the technicians should have added some kind of oil to the system to lubricate the compressor. I don't know if this is true or if the techs did this. Could this be why I'm getting that noise? Anyone know what might be going on here?

Thanks for any insight

 

might need a thermostat, and since you have'nt used it until now it takes a few times running before it runs smooth. compressor can be checked, if it makes a little noise and goes away, you should be ok just monitor it and remember that the car does get really hot on a hot day runnin ac. look at compressor and see if you can hear a little squeal when it comes on and then a constant hum while its running. and check your coolant as well, really important especially now with the heat. good luck

 

thanks for the guidance i appreciate it. i'll check into the thermostat to see if it's working properly. as for the noise, someone at autozone told me the same thing today, that i should give the compressor some time to start working smoothly since it has been inactive for so long. but today i found out that my fans actually don't come on with the a/c. i started the car, and switched it on, and the fans didn't kick on for about another minute. so someone else told me to check my relays. i'm going to look into it tomorrow. again, appreciate the response!

 

for anyone following or having a similar problem, i found the problem today, the rad_fan_1 relay was burnt up. after pulling the relay i checked with my meter to make sure power was getting to the circuit and luckily it was. to confirm that the relay was bad i ran 9 volts to pins1 and 2 and measured the resistance w/ my meter connected to pins 3 and 4. i heard the click, but the meter didn't change at all (it should have read 0 resistance) so that confirmed that the relay was gone. so i dropped in a new 1 & now the fans cut on as soon as i hit the ac. everything runs good, no overheating & now the ac is ice cold. the rattling noise is gone too. looks like that noise was only happening when the system got too hot. here's what it looked like. no idea how long it was like this, prolly ever since last year around the time of the accident, but i never knew since i never used the ac until now. so if anyone is havin the same problem, check into this relay

 

Mad props for the excellent follow-up

 

yeah the fan relay was the first thing I thought of.

 

Well done! Thank you for following up!

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JLD

 

no problem. i hate searching through threads that were made in which the creators just abandon them after (most likely) solving their problem . so i wasn't about to do the same lol. hopefully this thread can help someone else later on.

thx for the props

 

ok i got a problem my radoitor fan dosnt turn on and it was over heating i think my relay is ok though cuse the fan turns on when the car is started and the ac is on did u guys have the same problem?

 

Any engine codes? Does it ever stall/try to stall as it's warming up? I would consider checking the ECTS. (Engine Coolant Temp Sensor)
Try this link at Autozone for repair info. Testing, replacement, etc. Not sure if that link will work like this, let me know if it does or doesn't.

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JLD

 

hey ty 4 the link but i think i have 2 take it there and they test it with an ohmmeter if i am correct.

 

It's a DIY unless you're unsure of your abilities. Then just have a capable friend help you.

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JLD

 

i thought my fans were turning on when the a/c was on, but they weren't. they were just turning on because the engine was getting warm as i turned on the a/c. after i changed that relay, the fans switch on as soon as i hit the a/c.

to confirm that your rad fan 1 relay is ok, start your car with a cold engine, and turn on your a/c at the coldest setting. your fans should switch on instantly. after I did that test, i noticed that my fans weren't coming on for about a full minute after a cold start and activating the a/c. replacing the rad_fan_1 relay solved the problem - they now come on right away w/ the a/c even if the engine is cold.

other things to check include your coolant. make sure it's full and in good condition. i've also read that a clogged radiator and/or a faulty rad cap can lead to overheating. let us know what you find out.