The weather in recent decades never ceases to amaze with temperature records. Abnormal heat in summer time is already becoming commonplace, the notorious climate warming is making itself felt more and more. The category of people most affected by the heat is, of course, drivers. For them, staying in a stuffy car that heats up both due to the engine running and due to the accumulation of solar radiation by the rear and front windows is a serious test. Perhaps this is why automakers are trying to complete even budget models auto. Bringing life-saving coolness, car air conditioners are gradually becoming a de facto standard, helping drivers get through the summer with minimal discomfort.

Reasons for hissing in the cabin when the air conditioner is running.

Unfortunately, car air conditioning, being quite complex technical device, is not eternal. With proper and regular care and compliance elementary rules operation, it is able to properly serve its owner for many years. But even in this case, you cannot protect yourself from breakdowns. Sometimes they happen without any pronounced symptoms, but most often the approach of trouble is indicated by the appearance of extraneous, previously unheard sounds when turning on or. Learning to correctly interpret such symptoms is not difficult, and this is what the topic of this article will be devoted to.

Noise when turning on the car air conditioner

Let’s say right away that the climate system is not purely automotive equipment, therefore service centers and service stations usually do not repair such equipment. You can be sure that in the event of a breakdown, restoring the functionality of your car air conditioner will cost you a pretty penny, and the chances of doing it on your own are extremely low, even if you consider yourself a car guru. That is why it is so important, when the first signs of problems appear, to be aware of what caused them in order to make a prompt decision.

Of course, if the air conditioner in the car is noisier than usual, this should be taken as symptoms that indicate problems earlier than others (although in some cases they may not be evidence of problems). The first thing you need to pay attention to in such situations is where it comes from. This can be easy to determine, especially with the hood raised. Most often, strange sounds are heard from the compressor, which clearly indicates the place where problems should be looked for.

Localizing the fault greatly simplifies the search for the immediate cause of the noise. But this does not always happen: sometimes the breakdowns are partial. The compressor can continue to operate without making noise, and, nevertheless, not create the required freon pressure in the system. There are often cases when the device functions normally, but the seal is broken, and this affects the cooling efficiency. Finally, to frequent breakdowns refers to malfunction bypass valve. In any case, identifying the location where the strange noise is coming from clearly indicates where to look for trouble.

Causes of noise in the operation of a car air conditioner

If you find out that the source of new sounds when turning on, working and after turning off climate system comes from the compressor, this can mean several options:

Separately, it should be said about the unusual sounds that appear only when the car air conditioner is turned on. An experienced car owner can judge their origin by the nature of their sound. The most common cause of increased noise levels is pollution. air filters located inside the main block. An increase in resistance to the normal air flow leads to turbulence, which manifests itself in the form of noise. To get rid of it, you just need to remove the filters, clean them thoroughly under warm running water, dry them and put them on regular place– you don’t need to take your car to a car service center for this. A hissing sound when the car air conditioner is turned on/operated indicates a lack of freon.

Methods for eliminating noise

In most cases, even if you have determined exactly where the unpleasant noise is coming from and can guess what caused it, do-it-yourself repair automotive system air conditioning is practically unrealistic. Even if you consider yourself a car guru, air conditioning repair may be too much for you. Rumble, noise, hum or whistle of the air conditioner in the car when the climate system is turned on indicates that the compressor can no longer operate properly. normal mode. The “sick” condition can be alleviated, for example, by adding a little oil to the compressor. This is exactly what many car owners do. Alas, by doing so they are only delaying the demise of this the most important node car air conditioner.

And his complete replacement will cost you a pretty penny: the cost of restoring functionality can reach $1000, which is comparable to the cost of the entire air conditioner. There is nothing surprising here: professionals will have to completely disassemble the compressor, clean/rinse it, change the receiver-dryer, and change the oil and refrigerant. In advanced cases, when you have tried for a long time to “ignore” suspicious sounds when the air conditioning system is operating, metal shavings formed during the movement of the compressor cylinders can get into the thermostatic valve. In such cases, you will have to change it too, since this unit is not repairable.

Violation of the integrity of the bearing can lead to play, unpleasant consequence What can happen when grinding aluminum off the walls of compression chambers? As a result, graphite enters the system, which should be thoroughly washed and cleaned. It becomes mandatory to flush the system under high pressure when large backlashes occur. In such cases, it is impossible to do without dismantling the air conditioner, and this is also an expensive operation with the replacement of the receiver-dryer with a new one.

When the noise comes from the clutch and when it is turned off car air conditioner, this means that the compressor belt is “walking”. As a rule, such trouble is accompanied by the appearance unpleasant odors, burning In order not to aggravate the situation, it is recommended to remove the belt (or cut it, which is much easier) before visiting a car service center. If the pulley turns out to be common drive for different automotive components, the opportunity to continue driving to the nearest service station will appear if you find a short belt (for example, from the same model of a car that is not equipped with air conditioning). If this is not possible, you will have to wait for reinforcements in the form of a tow truck or tug.

For example, if you are the owner Peugeot cars 308, to the question why the air conditioner is noisy when the air conditioning system is turned off, there is a very specific answer - wear of the compressor drive belt, which is combined with the timing belt and power steering drive.

The cause of a refrigerant leak, which can also be manifested by the appearance of a hum, is most often a loss of tightness due to a violation of the integrity of the bearing seal. Replacing it yourself in most cases is possible with dismantling and disassembling the compressor, which will require you not only to own the appropriate tool, but also a lot of patience. The fact is that the compressor shaft is secured not only by spline connection and a fixing plate - this can be dealt with relatively easily. But to remove the keys you will need a hydraulic press, which garage conditions– the tool is extremely rare (and not every service station can boast of having it).

Another subtle point, which should be taken into account when self-replacement compressor oil seal - you will need to adjust the gaps between the fixing plate and the pulley. Using special shims, it is impossible to do this directly on the car. For this reason, most car service centers refuse to perform the oil seal replacement operation without dismantling the compressor, which naturally increases the cost of repairs. In any case, to remove the damaged oil seal and install a new one, you will need to dismantle the entire front part of the compressor.

If the noise appears due to a decrease in refrigerant pressure in the system, the cause of a freon leak may be a loss of tightness at the junction of the two parts of the compressor. Typically, two types of seals are used here:

• classic O-Ring, characterized by great thickness;
• reinforced fairly thin gasket.

It is clear that to replace the gasket you will have to remove the entire compressor, and you are unlikely to be able to do this yourself for the reasons described above. If there is any doubt that the appearance extraneous noise the compressor is to blame, you can perform the following additional check: try removing the cabin filter, and then turn on the car air conditioner. If the hissing that annoyed you so much has disappeared, you’re in luck; the air conditioner really isn’t to blame.

If the noise remains, check the compressor belt tension. This is very simple to do - press the belt with your thumb in the area between the compressor and crankshaft pulleys. At normal tension The belt deflection when exposed to a force of about 10 kg should be about 8 millimeters. If it is much smaller, there is a constriction, which you can easily fix yourself. If the belt becomes too loose, the belt will have to be replaced.

One way or another, if noise occurs in the cabin when the air conditioner is turned on, you should understand that this is a harbinger of more serious troubles, and the problem should be solved immediately. Otherwise, you risk being left for the summer without a source of saving coolness.

An experienced driver can determine the cause of the malfunction and how to eliminate it by the sounds of his car. If the belt whistles when you turn on the air conditioner, then most often the problem is related to the V-belt drive. The article discusses the causes of whistling and methods for eliminating it.

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What is the source of the problem?

Most often transmission occurs due to friction. This means that the surfaces have lost their original qualities. During operation, the belts, pulleys and bearings of the vehicle are subject to constant load and wear out over time. The following factors influence the quality of components:

The reasons why the engine whistles can be different. The problem needs to be solved on a case by case basis.

If a whistle occurs, the following measures must be taken:

• check the condition of the belt;
• adjust the belt tension;
• lubricate the tension roller;
• in some models the reason may be the alignment of the pulleys;
• Clean the surface of the strap or replace it if there are traces of oil or antifreeze, which could cause the product to slip.

The source of the whistle can be not only tension, but also the quality of the part. Sometimes replacing with a new product does not help get rid of the whistling sounds. Therefore, you need to buy only original ones Consumables famous manufacturers.

Diagnostics and repair

When turning on a cold engine, a whistling noise may occur, which may be caused by the belt slipping on the pulleys. Until the car is warmed up in the cold season, the lubricant in the bearing is sometimes of such a consistency that the belt cannot turn the pulley and slips. The reason for this may be poor quality lubrication, poorly tensioned strap, or wear. The situation can be corrected by changing the oil, adjusting the belt tension, and replacing it in case of wear.

But first you need to check if the pulley is spinning. There are times when a unit jams, then first of all it needs to be repaired. The cause of the whistling may be wear on the surface of the alternator pulley; in some cars it is located in open state. In models where the alternator pulley is located below the crankshaft pulley, the pulley may jam, especially on SUVs. If installed, then the reason is the bearing.

The strap often whistles in rainy weather with high humidity. Moisture gets on the surface of the pulleys and belts, which reduces frictional qualities. Such whistles are temporary and gradually disappear. But this means that the strap is not tight enough and it is worth tightening it if it is not yet very worn. By the occurrence of a whistle in wet weather, you can diagnose that the belt will soon need to be replaced.

Helps combat the whistling problem chemical agent Hi-Gear, although this is a temporary salvation. The product is first applied evenly over the entire inner surface strap. It is enough to go through one full circle. Then apply a small amount of spray to the outside. Next, you should start the engine and let it run for a while. The product will be evenly distributed over the surface of the belt and pulleys. The spray makes the material elastic and improves it appearance, protects against cracking and drying out, reduces noise from the motor. Hi-Gear spray extends the service life of products by 1.5-2 times.

In the old days, they used rosin for this, soaking the belt with it. Rosin increased the coefficient of slip resistance. At the same time, the elasticity of the material increased, its wear decreased, it cracked less and was torn less often. Thus, with periodic use, the service life of any rubber product. Thanks to the use of the product, you can find out exactly what is whistling - a bearing or a belt.

The whistling noise that occurs when the air conditioner is turned on may be due to the alternator belt. The belt drive experiences a large load and the product slips along the pulley.

In this case, tensioning the strap helps. If, after tensioning, the belt still whistles, then the reason is in the air conditioning compressor. To tighten the strap, you need to do the following:

1. First, jack up the right wheel.
2. Then unscrew the protection from the right bumper.
3. Then remove the right fender liner.
4. Using a 12" spanner and an extension, you need to unscrew the mounting bolt and the tensioner bolt; the belt will become weaker.
5. Then special key Turning counterclockwise tightens the belt.
6. After tensioning the belt, tighten the main bolt first, and then the tension bolt.

But the belt is not always the cause of the whistling sound when the air conditioner is turned on; sometimes the oil in the compressor should be changed and unpleasant sounds disappear. Sometimes absence sufficient quantity Freon causes the compressor drive clutch to slip. The compressor lacks lubrication, making it difficult to turn. The load on the electromagnetic clutch increases.

You can get rid of the whistling noise when you turn on the air conditioner by lubricating the bearings of the pulley and compressor, depending on the design features air conditioner If all else fails and the sound remains, you may need to replace the electromagnetic clutch or compressor.

To avoid unpleasant whistles when the engine is running, the following preventive measures should be taken:

• regularly monitor the condition of belt drives;
• control belt tension;
• check the lubrication of bearings and bushings;
• diagnose the condition of components.

Regular use of Hi-Gear will extend the life of your drive belts.

To eliminate the occurrence of whistling sounds, it is important to correctly diagnose.

The driver, unless, of course, he got behind the wheel yesterday and has at least a little understanding of the structure of the car, if he hears extraneous sounds when starting the car, he will definitely become wary. To an insider, the whistle of a machine is distinguished in the same way that a conductor distinguishes between false notes.

Malfunction can be identified by sound

The sounds coming from under the hood are the same only for the uninitiated person. In fact, each device, each device in the car has its own range, in which it will whistle, hum or hiss. No driving school teaches you how to recognize sounds coming from an engine. You can learn to recognize them only by own experience and mistakes.

So, if the gasket leaks on exhaust manifold, then an experienced driver will never say that the gasket on the main pipeline is broken. If between air filter and a gap has formed in the carburetor, the hiss that will be heard is difficult to confuse with the sound made by the gasket on the intake manifold.

But most of all, they teach drivers to understand what is happening with the noises and whistles made by the alternator belt or air conditioner. We also need to mention one “author” of the whistle in the car -. Why there is so much noise from these devices and how to deal with it is why this article was written.

In which ear is it buzzing?

The expression “In which ear is it buzzing?”, uttered by Freken Bock in the famous cartoon, has long passed into the category of folk art. And for the driver this phrase is very relevant, since everything and everywhere can buzz and whistle.

And the driver’s most important task is to learn to determine as closely as possible to the truth what is making extraneous sounds. If your plans do not include stopping at a service station every extraneous sound emitted by a machine, you need to learn to recognize these sounds and learn to eliminate them with your own hands.

If a V-belt drive is installed in the machine, then we can safely say that there is friction, which should not exist. This in turn means that some surfaces have defects that will have to be eliminated.

The cause of the whistle may be deformation of belts, bearings and other parts under the influence of:

• high air humidity;
• changed operating temperature;
• wear due to natural causes;
• the presence of damage caused by mechanical stress;
• lack of lubrication in bearings and other reasons.

There are actually many more reasons for the occurrence of extraneous noise in the engine area. Each of them must be considered in accordance with what accompanies and contributes to it. Let's consider several situations.

What if the engine whistles in winter?

You start the engine between November and April, and an unpleasant whistle is heard under the hood. The reason for this may be that the lubricant in a car located outside begins to thicken. The same thing happens in the generator bearing. As a result: the belt spins idle, the generator pulley is not engaged. As a tip: you can change the lubricant in the bearing, check the tension and wear of the generator belt.

If the engine warms up and the whistle disappears, then this is the problem. If the check reveals that the generator pulley is spinning, then 99% of the reasons for the whistling noise when starting from a cold state are due to poor lubrication or belt. If it turns out that the pulley does not spin at all, then serious repairs cannot be avoided.

It doesn’t hurt to check the working surface of the generator pulley. This is especially true for models such as Suzuki Vitara , Renault LOGAN , Mitsubishi Galant, Mitsubishi Lancer . In them, the pulley is located in such a way that external influence is possible, and nothing can prevent it. In cars like Opel Vectra , BMW a toothed belt drive is installed. In this case, you don’t have to worry about the condition of the pulley, but immediately check the bearing.

Alternator belt whistles in the rain

If there is fog or rain outside, or both, then the music in cars with V-belt drive secured. If even a drop gets on the belt, the grip is reduced and deteriorated. If the whistle is heard only when it’s raining, then you shouldn’t relax much either. If there is frequent whistling, we can already talk about the belt being loosened and the need to tighten it. If the belt is worn enough, then it’s only worth talking about replacing.

Slipping in wet weather is a signal for experienced driver, clearly indicating that you will soon have to visit a car repair shop to replace the belt. But the craftsmen from Hi-Gear have found a way to do without noise in in this case.

Chemistry or noise?

Whistling is not only artistic. Very often he is simply annoying. Car enthusiasts have always had a negative attitude towards such creativity. But, instead of replacing the worn-out belt and getting rid of the noise in this way, they began to come up with folk wisdom on how to extend its life.

Among the most popular life extension measures was treating the belt with rosin dissolved in alcohol. This made the belt more elastic, less susceptible to cracks, and slippage was reduced. To some extent, this treatment made it possible to increase the service life of the belt.

Hi-Gear also offers a similar method for extending service life. Her Belt Dressing spray has enough average cost(around 350 rubles), but allows you to almost double the service life of the belt. This increases elasticity and improves appearance. Can be used with belt spray various systems: serpentine and wedge-shaped. It can't be said that this remedy is a full guarantee that there will be no more whistling. If the spray is used, but the whistle remains, then the problem is not in the belt, but in the bearing.

Turn on the air conditioner and it whistles?

The generator is not the only component in the car that “can” whistle. If the generator belt and bearing have been tested and passed successfully, the belt is tightened exactly as needed, the lubricant in the bearing is fresh and of good consistency, and the whistling does not stop, then you will have to check the air conditioning compressor. In this case, the sound most likely comes from the clutch drive belt located in the air conditioning compressor.

Minimal repairs that may be needed if we are talking about Kia cars Ceed, Kia Rio,Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Tucson- This is an oil change in the compressor itself. The cause of the whistling noise may also be an insufficient amount of freon in the air conditioner. In this case, the compressor drive clutch will slip. From here - increased load, experienced electromagnetic coupling. If lubrication of all parts, including: bearings located on the pulley, compressor bearings, and other things, does not lead to the disappearance of the whistle, then it is worth stopping by a car repair shop and replacing either the compressor or the electromagnetic clutch itself.

What else can whistle in a car?

Another type of “artistic” whistle is produced by the engine when the gas pedal is pressed. If you remove your foot from the pedal, the sound also disappears. At the same time, the sound is quite quiet, so much so that often no one except the driver hears it. Yes, and many car enthusiasts admit that they “feel” rather than hear this sound. And at car service stations, where they disassemble the generator, clean and lubricate all the bearings, they cannot say anything definite.

This time, the “author” can be considered not the generator with its belts and bearings, not the air conditioner, but the PCV valve. At the same time, the whistle is not as annoying as other types, but you also need to get rid of it. And to do this, you need to regularly clean the valve from deposits and dirt. The main thing is not to try to clean the plastic case with strong substances. After such “cleaning” the valve will have to be replaced with a new one.

But, we must admit that the whistle will disappear for the period until there is plaque and dirt. If the valve is metal, then abrasive and other chemicals can be used to remove dirt. The most difficult thing in the whole operation is to carefully unscrew and remove the valve itself so as not to damage it.

As soon as all foreign deposits are removed from this unit, you can forget about the whistle emitted by the gas pedal.

How do you generally look for the source of a whistle or noise?

Many components and parts can whistle in a car. In the most common case, the noise comes from the belt, but it is not the only source noise irritation for the driver. If there is noise, and you cannot say exactly what is making itself felt, then you need to:

• The very first and most important thing is to check the belt. And the excuse that the belt has just been installed is not relevant in this case. They could simply sell you a defective spare part;
• if the problem is not in the belt itself, then the next candidate for whistling is the tension of this very belt. If you adjust it and check the lubrication of the tension roller, then 90% of all drivers will say that the whistle will disappear;
• if your " iron Horse» was produced by AvtoVAZ, and its brand starts from VAZ 2109 and higher, then check how well the pulleys are aligned. The same needs to be done on cars. Daewoo Nexia, LANOS, Daewoo Matiz;
• check how clean both the belt and pulley are. If there is dirt or foreign deposits on them, then you should not expect silence in the cabin or normal operation. If drops of oil get in, belt slipping is inevitable.

By the way, it's too tight tensioned belt no better than a dangling one. If you tighten the belt, you will place excessive load on the generator bearing. The intermediate tensioner roller will also suffer. If we are talking about the VAZ family, then we should not forget that in models starting from Lada Priora and higher, belt tension should not be measured with standard Newtonometers, but sound vibrations should be used for this.

The car manufacturers have even developed a device for these purposes. The vibrations of the belt between the generator and the tension roller. The device has a display on which you can see the readings. If we are talking about the Lada Kalina, then we should focus on 190-240Hz, if we are talking about the Priora, then the readings should be lower - from 120 to 160Hz. If you use this device, then the whistle under the hood will soon no longer be scary. It can be calculated and eliminated.

If you learn to “listen” to your car and determine the weak link of the engine by its whistling voice, then repair costs will be significantly reduced, and the car will serve reliably and faithfully for many years, rather than sitting idle in a garage or car service center.