Air Conditioning 'noise'

September 6, 2004

When turning on the air con, a considerable whining, ghostly noise becomes evident. It seems to intensify when the revs are increased. Is this normal?

I'm new to air-con gadgetry and appreciate they will make some noise, although even so, it seems quite excessive.

September 6, 2004

There will be a bit of noise as the compressor kicks in but it shouldn't be over the top, but it might increase as revs to as the compressor is driven from a belt off the engine, might be worth checking if a bearing of somesort has seized, or if the clutch in the compressor is faulty.

Not an expert in these areas i'm afraid, but if it's not really cold when the A/C is on then it could be the unit at fault.

P.S. Since your new to A/C, please don't be one of the many daft people out there who drive with there windows down when the A/C is on, all you'll be doing is air-conditioning the world and making your fuel economy far worse, A/C uses less fuel than the extra drag caused by having windows open.

September 7, 2004

Make sure you did not press the "recirculate" air button. This is when no fresh air is let in from the outside and the air con makes a lot of noise. This should only be used for a short period of time after the car stood in the heat and you need to quickly cool the interior.

September 8, 2004

Hmmm, I always have mine set to recirculate when I want cold air on a hot summers day. If you measure the temperature at the air vents you will find that the air is a couple of degrees cooler on recirculate (once the interior has cooled enough of course) because you are cooling cool air as opposed to ambient air from outside.

September 9, 2004

with aircon ur meant to have it on recirc air once the car has cooled enough , its already cold so the air is used again and the aircon doesnt need to cool as much and is kinder to the aircon system.close all windows and close sunroof blinds to prevent sunlight entering the car.if it get too cold turn the heater controls towards hot a little, to warm it slightly until a temp you prefer is reached.