A/C clutch

[RetiredUSNChief]

My 2005 LeSabre (bought in 2012 with about 70,000 miles) had always had a slight "bearing noise"... think slight power steering pump whirring-type noise when low on power steering fluid.

Never been low on PS fluid, no problems with A/C, etc. Always been kept up otherwise with no other signs of problems, so I let it slide as "nothing to worry about", figuring I'd fix it "whenever".

Had some extra bucks a few years ago and went ahead and swapped the PS pump, alternator, tensioner, and belt when I did an oil change and tune up at the 200,000 mile mark. The PS pump, alternator, tensioner, and plugs/ wires were all factory original.

Still had the whirring noise.

Pulled the serpentine belt back off and started the car... no whirring noise.

Hmmm... only thing left driven by the belt was the A/C, which pumped out ice cubes. Whirring noise was there whether the A/C was on or not.

Probably the clutch, since the compressor was working fine.

Screw it, I can live with the whirring noise at 200,000 miles.

On the trip to Kentucky last week for a family reunion, the whirring noise got noticeably louder, with more of a knocking noise. Decided I might as well bite the bullet and have it checked out when I got back.

Yep.. bad clutch. My A/C guy didn't have a clutch on hand so screw it...replace the whole compressor. 250,000 miles on the original compressor anyway.

Car sure runs quiet now!

Car is still going strong and I'm looking forward to 300,000-plus miles on this car. Last LeSabre I had went to 311,000 miles, and I gave it up when the rod bearing started knocking.

 

[Culper]

My folks got 306K got of a '96 before the original transmission let go. 3800 motors will scoot too...

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I've found the 3800 to be an excellent balance of power and economy for that size car.

And, as a side note, I keep a good eye on my mpg when driving and tanking up the car. My mileage went back up a bit after replacing the compressor to what it was when I first got the car. I was getting 36 mpg at 70 mph with the A/C off on the way back to Virginia yesterday. With the A/C on, I was getting 33.5 mpg at 70 mph.

That's a solid gain of 1.5 mpg over what it was just before replacing the compressor.

If I were to drop my speed down, I could get around 39 mpg again, I bet.

I've had a lot of people stop just short of calling me a liar on those numbers! But the '95 LeSabre I had before this one got mileage like that, too.

Why should I buy a tiny "eco-friendly" car when I can drive a much smoother, larger, and quieter car with mileage like this?

 

[Button Pusher]

I believe the noise was from the pulley bearing not the clutch, the clutch is magnetic,
when the coil is weak you get a metal on metal scraping sound when the a/c is on.

 

[DCGallim]

I had a Grand Prix with the 3800 Supercharged motor. It would haul and got around 25mpg even with some motors mods. The car started falling apart when I traded it in but the motor was still strong.