Air Conditioning Problem

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Original poster
Member
Oct 25, 2012
126
So I posted before about the AC in my 05 TB. It gets coldish but not really cold like it should. Today it is in the low 80s here so I tried it again. I now notice that there’s a noise under the hood when the AC is turned on. I can best describe it as an inconsistent chirping sound. If the AC is off it definitely stops. I would think that it is either the compressor clutch or the compressor itself. Is there any way to determine which it is? I realize that replacing the entire compressor would fix it but I’d rather not if it’s only the clutch. All replies are appreciated. Thanks
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
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Mektek

Member
May 2, 2017
656
FL
Be careful with shim removal. If you leave no clearance then the clutch will not release. I put a new shim half the thickness of the original and that fixed the clutch slip problem. Aim a flashlight at the clutch with the AC running and watch if it occasionally slips.
But chirping is more likely a slipping belt - increased load from the compressor.
 
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6716

Member
Jul 24, 2012
821
All I know is that the chirping belt when I had it indicated a bad alternator. Not that OP has a bad alternator, but in my experience it was because a component was not turning correctly. If I put a little dielectic grease on the belt, the chirping went away ... until the grease was gone and it grabbed again. So anyway, it's not that the belt is slipping it is that the component is sticking. In my experience. Hope that helps.
 
Dec 5, 2011
574
Central Pennsylvania
Try pulling the air-gap shim as suggested above. When I did mine I cleaned up the clutch surface with a dremel. The metal side of mine was scored horribly so I just cleaned it up with the dremel and removed the shim and haven't had a single issue since. I also wire wheeled all the pulleys for good measure and haven't had a squeal since.
 

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