Hi All,

I have an 2002 R53 which is causing a few issues.

I need some advice with regards to a noise when I use the aircon. When you have the standard heater turned on its quiet and sounds normal. When you press the aircon button, on the passenger side there is a whirring sound like a fan is not spinning correctly.

Its odd as it only happens when the aircon is switched on. If you use the normal heater its quiet. Any ideas? Something wrong with the compressor? I recently had the aircon re-gassed and they didn't advise any issues?

Thanks

Chris

 

Auto or manual climate control?
On the auto there are small motors under the dash that open/close the blend doors... May be one is stuck?

 

Its manual aircon, not the climate control. It seems strange as you can use the normal heater with the fan control switched on and no noise.

As soon as you press the air con button with the fan control turned on then it becomes noisey and only at the passenger side of the car. I tried to take the top off the dash but its doesn't allow you any access to look.

 

Just for giggles pull the cabin air filter & see if there is accumulated crud in there. Leaves or small twigs. Put the cover back on & see if the sound changes. This is just a wild guess on my part. It is odd that the heater is quiet & the AC is not.

 

I did actually change the cabin filter last weekend and it was full of crud. I might take it out again and see if anything has got lodged in there.

 

My guess since you are hearing something "noisy" is you are hearing the hiss of the expansion valve...or maybe a noisy compressor...
As long as it works.... I'd just say ignore...older cars can have "ghosts"...you can spend $$$ chasing stuff, for little gain....
One thing...this is assuming the folks the refilled your ac were compatant....I have heard that a overfilled system can be louder...guessing from the compressor struggling with higher pressures, which will shorten its life...but at 10 years plus...who knows...

 

For me it can be hard to identify sounds in a new car.

I was a little surprised about the noise when I run the aircon.

You used the word "whirring" and that caught my attention. Mine indeed makes a whirring sound, but it changes pitch slightly as RPM's change.

In reading up on it, it seemed somewhat common that the compressor makes some noise. The fix that some talked about was some kind of dampening or weight added to the compressor.

I don't know,... Your problem may be completely different than mine. With further research I found most that had the whirring compressor sound thought it to be "normal" with no performance or reliability AC issues after years of whirring.

Ya,.. Ghosts.

 

I had a grinding type of sound only when my ac was on. I tracked it down to being the power steering fan which kicks on when the ac is on. I swapped the fan with a new one and its quiet as can be. Maybe crawl under there when the ac is on and see if your fan is doing the same.

 

Mine sounds exactly the same issue with it changing slightly under RPM change. Odd.

 

Thanks it might have a look today then and see if that could be the issue. Can you advise where the power steering fan is in the engine bay?

 

Best place to look is from the front..
Find the oil drain plug...now look about 1 foot or so to the rear of the car...the fan is a pretty small unit....looks as almost like it is from a computer case....

 

I have the same kind of sound, it is from my aircon compressor.
It is a fairly common problem and I chose to live with it, it's been doing this noise for at least 5years now. Don't bother with a fix if this doesn't bother you.
When I switch off the aircon the noise disappears.

 

Good thing to check....the PS fan DOES USUALLY RUN WHEN THE AC IS ON...
One check that might save you some $$...
If the bearing in the fan is bad....
It can seize up....
Causing 2 issues...
1 fan stops running...PS pump runs hot...fails overtime... A big issue.
2 on pre2005 production cars and cars that did not get modified by the service campaign.... The fan seizes...and a fuse blows, this blown fuse removes power from a relay that is used in activating the radiator cooling fan....so now the car can overheat, costing big $$ in repairs...think cracked head, head gasket, etc...not to mention the inconvenience of it...