Can you do a quick observation for me and reply - you can probably do it by yourself - sit in the car with the vehicle running - no radio, etc. and leave the ac off. Once it's idled down and running smoothly, turn your ac on to low - low will keep the fan noise down.
When you turn your ac on - do you hear like a single 'click' and does the motor sound as if it's a little more strained than it was before you turned the ac on? Your compressor (I'll attach a pic) has a 'clutch' on the outside of it - when you turn your ac on, that clutch needs to engage - that's the click sound. Your engine will usually sound like it's under a small amount of strain. Which is normal.
When you turn it off - you should hear that same click, maybe not as predominantly - but the engine should feel as if it's no longer under that strain. This will tell me if your ac compressor's clutch is engaging or not.
We can go from there - all the best, hope it's an easy fix - summer's here without a doubt.
Mary - that part on the front, on front of the assembly - that's your clutch for your ac compressor - this is just a reference - if you stand outside the car and watch - when the car is running but your ac is off, the pulley spins - but that piece with the triangle will not spin with it. When you turn the ac on - that piece on front of the pulley 'engages', makes a click sound - and spins also. That's the clutch - and the assembly in the picture is an ac compressor.
The top pic the clutch is engaged - the bottom pic - this assembly is a little different - but these give you an idea of where to look if you can visually observe. Your belt will go around the ac compressor just like the power steering pumpI have a 99chevy lumina 3.1 6cylinder the a.c. is - 26229443-hsbu0kdn1or1zw4ruk3t3cnr-4-5.png"/uploads/images/26229443-hsbu0kdn1or1zw4ruk3t3cnr-4-5.png" alt="26229443-hsbu0kdn1or1zw4ruk3t3cnr-4-5.png" />
All the best, I'll keep an eye out for a reply - Justin McCartney 17 South Industries
Hello, the issue with this is likely the AC system is low on refrigerant. This means you have a leak, the most common cause of leakage is that the AC compressor pump front seal is leaking, very common on this engine and year. It is not advisable to try and just replace the front seal, as it will likely still leak. Buy a rebuilt compressor from eBay, they are very cheap. Doing this repair requires special tools and allot of skill.
Answers & Comments
Can you do a quick observation for me and reply - you can probably do it by yourself - sit in the car with the vehicle running - no radio, etc. and leave the ac off. Once it's idled down and running smoothly, turn your ac on to low - low will keep the fan noise down.
When you turn your ac on - do you hear like a single 'click' and does the motor sound as if it's a little more strained than it was before you turned the ac on? Your compressor (I'll attach a pic) has a 'clutch' on the outside of it - when you turn your ac on, that clutch needs to engage - that's the click sound. Your engine will usually sound like it's under a small amount of strain. Which is normal.
When you turn it off - you should hear that same click, maybe not as predominantly - but the engine should feel as if it's no longer under that strain. This will tell me if your ac compressor's clutch is engaging or not.
We can go from there - all the best, hope it's an easy fix - summer's here without a doubt.
Mary - that part on the front, on front of the assembly - that's your clutch for your ac compressor - this is just a reference - if you stand outside the car and watch - when the car is running but your ac is off, the pulley spins - but that piece with the triangle will not spin with it. When you turn the ac on - that piece on front of the pulley 'engages', makes a click sound - and spins also. That's the clutch - and the assembly in the picture is an ac compressor.
The top pic the clutch is engaged - the bottom pic - this assembly is a little different - but these give you an idea of where to look if you can visually observe. Your belt will go around the ac compressor just like the power steering pumpI have a 99chevy lumina 3.1 6cylinder the a.c. is - 26229443-hsbu0kdn1or1zw4ruk3t3cnr-4-5.png"/uploads/images/26229443-hsbu0kdn1or1zw4ruk3t3cnr-4-5.png" alt="26229443-hsbu0kdn1or1zw4ruk3t3cnr-4-5.png" />
All the best, I'll keep an eye out for a reply - Justin McCartney
17 South Industries
Hello, the issue with this is likely the AC system is low on refrigerant. This means you have a leak, the most common cause of leakage is that the AC compressor pump front seal is leaking, very common on this engine and year. It is not advisable to try and just replace the front seal, as it will likely still leak. Buy a rebuilt compressor from eBay, they are very cheap. Doing this repair requires special tools and allot of skill.