Squeal!! - Ouch

sp00ky · 06-23-2005, 02:20 PM

Hey All,

OK, so I am driving my mothers 2000 SE1 (just under 160K) to work this am.

I am sitting at a light just before parking lot, and as I start to accelerate the car gets really sluggish. A few seconds later a horendous squeal comes from under the hood!

I pull into to the parking lot (as I am smelling burning smell) shut off and pop the hood.

There is smoke coming from the shaft area on the AC compressor. Any thoughts.

I started it again, and there was no noticable squeal in park at idle though.

Any chance a bearing in the compressor seezed or something?? I am going to check it out again at lunch, and lubricate the area etc. to see what happens.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Scott

PurdueGuy · 06-23-2005, 03:25 PM

What's an SE1?

If the smoke was definately coming from the compressor, then it sounds like the compressor just took a crap. Is it still working?

sp00ky · 06-23-2005, 04:50 PM

Sorry SL1

Gonna go check soon... I had to get into work.

Break time will be the test... : crosses fingers :

sp00ky · 06-23-2005, 05:43 PM

Just drove it for about 10 min. all OK.

No squeal, no smoke. I think I heard a low pinging sound around the area. I think its also the water pump right under right??

Not too sure either compressor, or pump making the sound.

Any chance it could be a worn belt slipping? I think it has never been changed? Last summer I had a squeal sound with the AC engaged that turned out to be a simple worn / cracking belt/ on my SC1

So, with that extra info, any thoughts?

Scott

(Just got off the phone with my mom... I hate telling her stuff like that she really stresses about that stuff)

PurdueGuy · 06-23-2005, 05:46 PM

A belt could certainly squeel, and if it rubbed enough, prob even give you the smoke. Look it over and see if it looks worn. Some cracks in individual ribs is normal, but cracks lined up across ribs is a bad sign, as is an abundance of cracks in a single rib (like more than one per inch or so). If it's never been replaced, that's probably a good thing to do preventatively, but if you've got a bad compressor, you could also smoke up the new one pretty quick...

**Ssicarman** · 06-24-2005, 03:43 AM

Was the AC running with the smoke happening? Was the later test drive without the AC? It may be the bearing for the ac compressor pulley or the clutch maybe slipping.

sp00ky · 06-24-2005, 02:57 PM

Thanks,

The A/C was not on when the squeal and smoke happened, and I haven't tried to turn it back on either...

I have put over 100 km on the car since the incident and so far no problems at all.

Though I haven't tried to turn on the A/C. My mother tells me she hasn't used the A/C this year as she tried it and there was no cold air at all.

I think its a A/C compressor pully bearing that is bad and just got stuck, as the A/C was not engaged at the time. I gave her the car back this morning and suggested she get it checked out ASAP by a mechanic.

I'll LYK what the result is, hopefully she gets it checked soon instead of just hopeing it never happens again. I might take it in myself.

Thanks,

Scott