zeitgeist57 Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 My '95 BMW is running like a champ. Today when I drove to Marion, Findlay and back, I was using A/C, and the car was very comfortable. However, once I got off the highway, I heard what sounded like hissing under the hood, and it was RPM-specific. I could feel the compressor engaging and disconnecting, but when I turned down the stereo, I realized it was an occasional squealing/slipping noise. Admittedly, I haven't had a chance yet to look at whats going on underhood, but would this jibe with just the A/C clutch going out? (A/C still engages and blows cold, but compressor occasionally makes noise). Of course, I'm hoping it's just the A/C clutch, and not the compressor. How do I diagnose the system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POS VETT Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Does it make noise when the compressor clutch disengaged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted April 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Not that I can hear. There's a good amount of rotating assembly noise these days. If there is any noise, definitely not as bad as when the clutch engages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POS VETT Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Then your compressor clutch is likely just fine. If you could spray some belt dressing, it might tell you if it's just the belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE-O Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 I agree isolate it and see if it's just the belt when the clutch is engaged or I'm not familiar enough with that engine but you can remove the belt and check the compressor itself to see if it's binding at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grudes Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Also start it when you have the belt off (not for very long) just to verify that the noise isn't coming from somewhere internal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted April 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Gentlemen, you're all spot on. I was replicating the issue and found it to be LOUD...but intermittent. Turns out the Idler pulley is super chunky and the belt is worn. There's a seperate ribbed belt for the A/C pulley (which I didn't replace last year) so I'll make sure to replace those two items. Thank you! :thumbup::thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99StockGT Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 CR Tech crew saves the day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted May 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2016 After tightening the A/C pulley and belt, I still had a little bit of A/C clutch slippage at higher RPM's than at idle, so I did a little searching, and found this tutorial: http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33308 I couldn't be happier. The clutch on the E36 BMW is super easy to remove from the compressor. I cleaned the mating surfaces, removed a couple of the small spacers, and reinstalled. NOW I can rev it up to 3k+ and it engages the A/C, with a very nice blast of cold air. :thumbup::thumbup: I do love how easy this era of BMW 3-series has been to work on (in general ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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