Hello, I've got an 06 Honda Accord with about 89K on the Odometer. Took it in to a mechanic because it makes this horrible high pitch grinding noise I originally thought was the alternator. Mechanic says "tension assembly is loose so we'll replace it". Then they said "there's still a bit of noise and it looks like the AC compressor clutch bearing is making the noise, we need to replace it as well as do an evac and recharge. Oh and we noticed your windshield fluid pump isn't working so we can check that out too(funny short story I'll tell at the en)." They quoted about 900 to do the work for the ac compressor . I said no thank you I'll live with the noise for a while since everything is still working (AC is still cold).
I feel confident I could replace the ac compressor myself but I don't want to just start replacing parts without being sure. What do you recommend I do?
Alright so back to the windshield fluid pump not working... My brother in law noticed the noise my car was making and was like "man that sounds aweful, I think that's your power steering and it needs fluid! Here let me put some in.." While I was distracted getting my daughter ready to leave he pours fluid in and when I come back he says "well I poured some in and still the noise." I thought oh well thanks for trying, well I come to realize that he poured it in my windshield fluid reservoir because he's an idiot and ruined the pump.
Lesson learned, don't let your idiot BIL try to help. Luckily it was an easy fix, new pump at my local store was less than 20 bucks and a couple hours of my time.
The thing with A/C work is you have to evacuate the system before you work on it and then it has to be recharged. If it is still working I would leave it.
You should be able to tell if the bearing in the compressor clutch is bad. Remove the belt and spin the pulley by hand. If the bearing is rough or making noise you'll be able to tell. If the bearing seizes up you'll likely shred the belt and be stuck on the side of the road.
On some compressors the clutch is available as a separate item but a quick check of the Rockauto database doesn't show that available for '06 Honda. They do show replacement compressors in the $200 range complete with clutch.
Wow, if my mechanic replaced a part and it didn't fix the problem then said he should replace ANOTHER part I'd be DONE with him....obviously doesn't know enough to be trustworthy.
Smart call on the A/C.....if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!
Yeah I won't be going back there, I was... less than pleased lol
If it's the AC clutch I wouldn't let that go too far. I had one seize on the interstate about 20 miles into a 150 mile drive. It made a god-awful noise and then shredded the belt. Luckily AC clutches on a 2003 Jeep Liberty can be replaced without replacing the compressor. When I took the old clutch off I saw a lot of scorching and could tell that I was lucky I didn't have a fire as well.
BTW, I found the clutch as a separate assembly for you 2006 Accord on several parts web sites. You can use a pull bar to get the old one off but pressing the new one on can be a chore if there isn't much room to work.
I saw the same thing in my 92 black Subaru. The A/C compressor seized up and shredded the belt....I heard the squeal and saw, and smelled, the smoke coming out. Thankfully it didn't have the serpentine belt but just a lone belt on the compressor. Cost of replacing the compressor was $2,000 which was about what the whole car was worth. Still kept driving for about another year but the black color made the car a sauna in the summer to ended up trading it in. Sad, because that 4-cylinder Subaru engine was amazing and ran great even though it was 180,000 miles on her.