paxmanz06

I picked up a 2003 z06 a few weeks ago and just recently, the AC makes a loud whirring sound when it's turned on. It still blows cold air but if it's off, the sound is gone. I'm thinking that the belt and pulleys are fine because of this. The sound is constant and doesn't change whether I'm at a stoplight or moving whenever the AC is on.

Do you guys know what I can test to isolate the issue?

Thanks!

dadaroo

Is the sound coming from the AC compressor or from the blower motor? Might try using the heater to see if it is the blower motor.

paxmanz06

Thanks I'll check after work today. Left the vette at home.

Bill Curlee

If it coming from the blower motor,,, you have trapped condensate in the air box and THAT IS NOT a good plan for the BCM directly below the fan motor!!!!!!

If thats the issue, you need to unclogg the drain on the passengers side of the fire wall near the back of the cylinder head. Its an under the car job!

paxmanz06

The sound is coming from the AC compressor. The blower motor is fine. Looks like I'll have to get it replaced

paxmanz06

Here's an update. About a week ago, the whirring sound went away and the AC continued working. Then just the other day, the AC stopped working and warm air was coming through all vents. The AC still engages though.

I finally got around to digging deeper into this issue and I pulled 2 codes for the left actuator. I followed a guide here (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...actuators.html) and removed the actuator. That was a big pain to do and I'm pretty sure I'll be sore tomorrow from it. I opened it up and the gears look ok so I'll reindex it, plug it back in, and give it a shot tomorrow.

paxmanz06

I bought a new actuator and got that installed, cleared the codes, and now the codes are all gone. However, the AC is still blowing warm air. I've pulled the AC fuse, unplugged the battery, and cycled through all the modes.

Do you guys have any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Bill Curlee

Turn on the AC and feel the LARGE aluminum line near the battery. If the compressor is working and pumping freon, it will be ice COLD. If its not, thats your issue.

Give that a check

BC

paxmanz06

Thanks for the tip. I finally put the interior back together and checked that aluminum line with the AC on. It's warm

I'm going to get my freon level checked this weekend.

paxmanz06

Update: I took my car in to get the compressor replaced and freon filled. The passenger side vents blow cold air but the middle and driver side are warm I have a dual-zone automatic climate control and all the modes and ***** seem to function properly. The car is throwing no codes.

From what I've read after searching, the problem may be the improper level of freon. I'm wondering, is it possible that the climate control unit is defective?

Another thing that crossed my mind is if the blend door on the driver side is having issues...

downtown42

I recently bought my first C5. It had the same sound coming from the Air Compressor. Talked down the price, took it straight to my mechanic and he replaced it. No problems and I saved a K.

paxmanz06

Nice! Don't know if it would have made a difference but I'm wishing I had gotten it fixed earlier. Do you remember if you had any codes when it was making that sound?

I currently have the interior apart and I'm taking another look at the blend door and the actuator.

paxmanz06

I removed the actuator and was able to manually move the blend door. While I was putting everything back together after cycling through the AC, I came across this wire tied to the set of wires that connects to the actuator. Does anyone know what the brown/gray wire is in this picture? It's not connected to anything.



I'm still seeing the same behavior - driver side vents are warm but I think there's some AC blowing. The passenger side is cold. I'm going to check the vacuum lines next and if that's ok, I'll get the freon level checked.

3sACROWD

The wires that are taped are for automatic headlights. If you buy a sensor ~$25 and have someone turn that feature on in your computer, you can have automatic headlights.

The pig tail gets fished up to the grill in the center of the dash (where the defroster blows) and the sensor gets snapped into place under the left side of the grill. If you pull the grill, you'll see the spot the sensor snaps in.

I added this feature when I added TPMS to my Z06. Well worth the time and money.

paxmanz06

Ah ok. Thanks for the clarification.