Quote:
Originally Posted by e90yyc
Sounds like a bad compressor pulley bearing to me. I'll let someone else chime in on why you're getting cooling on only one side... Could be a few different things.
BMW's solution is complete replacement of the compressor; they do not sell the pulley separately.
You'll need to rule some things out before you can be sure it's just your pulley that's shot. But if you do ultimately arrive at that conclusion, then check out the DIY below that outlines replacing it with an aftermarket part. It's not a simple job though, and it seems like you might have other issues. Lots to check first (AC charge, as well as some values in INPA if you have access).
Pulley replacement DIY here.
I'm sure others will have more to add, but that noise does nottt sound healthy.
You're already living without AC, so if replacing the compressor is not an option for either financial or other reasons, you might want to install a shorter belt as a stop-gap measure to bypass the AC compressor and avoid pulley failure. It happens.
See 330istocknot 's AC Compressor Bypass DIY here.
Thank you for posting the video too. You'd be amazed at how many people post asking, "what's this noise!?" with nothing more than a crappy written explanation of what they're hearing, and no video or sound.  |
Thank you so much e90yyc for your amazing input.
Yes, it is very odd sound. I did not know that the AC Compressor is always engaged and it makes sense now because it happend today again a couple of times even without the AC on and just the fan on. The thing that I noticed is that when this happens, the car kind of jerks slightly and then the noise starts to come.
How would I know that the the pulley/bearing is shot vs the whole compressor? I am thinking of taking to a good reputable BMW shop (not the dealer). I have heard good things about either Columbus Automotive Services or RMP motors. And let them have a look to see what may be wrong.