I have an 07 xls and I get this weird tapping noise when the a/c is running. Thought it was the fan but when I popped the hood it wasn't coming from the fan. Any ideas?

Brought it to Meineke they said it was the compressor but I don't fully trust those guys seeing that they quoted me $1000 to have it replaced.

If it truly is the compressor anybody have experience with aftermarket ones. I and thinking GPD, anyone has experience with them? Thanks

 

It's possible it's the clutch or bearings on the compressor clutch.

One thing you can try is disconnecting the plug on the compressor, so the clutch doesn't engage, and see if the noise is still present.

 

I don't fully follow you here. If the plug is disconnected that means the clutch won't engage right? On its own (free-spinning) the bearing doesn't make any noise (A/C off). So wouldn't disconnecting the plug be the same as having the A/C off?

Let me know if I'm off or not. I appreciate the help

 

It's called process of elimination. If it's truly the compressor, unplugging it will help to isolate the problem. If you unplug it and run the A/C system, the relays and condensor fan should all still kick on. If the ticking is gone, then you've isolated the issue to your compressor/clutch/bearing. If it's still there, then it's not the compressor.

You said you didn't trust the meineke guys and wasn't sure what it was. So this simple 2 second test is one way to help determine the issue.

 

There is a bearing on the clutch pulley, and it's possible adding load to it causes it to make noise. You could try taking off the belt and free spinning the pulley by hand to see if the bearing are rolling smoothly.

If you are satisfied with the clutch and pulley, then the problem could be internal to the compressor. A rebuilt compressor will probably be $200-$300. They will need to vaccum out the A/C system, mount the new compressor and refill it. $1000, seems slightly high, i would think around $600-$800. But it really depends on the price of the compressor they get.

 

So I got around to disconnecting the compressor and it seems that is the problem. No noise when fans kick in but when compressor is reconnected and comes on it sounds like a tapping noise from the compressor body itself and like sand is in the pulley bearing.

Ill have to do the whole compressor job since my mechanic says it's better to do than clutch job. For some reason there are only 3 options I have found; oem ($900 +) so no way I'm paying that, Buyautoparts and GPD which are in the $300 range. Anybody has experience with any of these compressor? Please let me know

 

I was in the same boat. Just drove it till it broke. Now I have to find out what broke... it is either the clutch or the compressor (or both). It seems that the compressors now are sold with clutches and getting a clutch on it's own is near impossible.

By the way, I have replaced ac systems before. Last one was on my eclipse. I used GPD. No complaints. Time will tell. But, all seems well for now. I will probably go this route again for my Outlander.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll go ahead with the GPD kit from rockauto https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...434917&jsn=413 it comes with drier, expansion valve and seals. Hope it's reliable.

 

Follow up: I changed the old compressor for the GPD compressor kit. The noise is gone and the A/C is super quiet and cold now when on. Let's pray that the GPD compressor is reliable for years to come.

 

Nice, glad to see you're back up and running. For future reference, how much did it all cost?