lexus114

My A/C compressor on my 01 sounds like it is getting a little noisy.Do you guys think I should get the system evacuated/flushed and new oil/freon put in?? It works very well,nice and cold.I dont like to fix things such as this when their not technically broken. (if you know what I mean) I have 103,000 BTW.

thomas1

Could be the AC compressor clutch.... I doubt if evacuating and flush will help. The clutches (electrical clutch) sometimes start chattering, slipping, etc.

lexus114

Yep,thats what its doing! Its like a chattering.So no real maintenance of the system is necessary then?

code58

No maintenance Lexus. I would take a look at the clutch and make sure it is still OK, I don't think the bearing wears out very often and take a look (if you can) to see if the face on the clutch is getting overly galled (rough). Hard to see down in there but you can take a screw driver and gently spred the gap to try and get a little bit of a look. The bearing is on the pulley so it's turning all the time whether the A/C is used or not. You should be able to hear that with the A/C off if it is going bad. My suspicion is that it is probably normal for the miles. Compressors can be kinda noisy even when they're still OK, especially on a hot day and they're working hard. My DIL's 99RX still has the original charge at 130k mi. When I pulled the complete front drive unit out at 97K to do the rear main seal, I pulled the compressor off the engine and tied it back so that I wouldn't have to evacuate and recharge. I have never even had to add 134 to it. Don't worry about it until it makes more noise than that, but if it ever seems to be headed south, be sure and catch it before it destroys the compressor and contaminates the system and has to be flushed. Makes life simpler if you don't have to do that.
I strongly suggest getting a mechanics stethoscope, you'll be able to pinpoint noises in a way you can't otherwise. Be prepared for astonishing sound amplification though, if you've never used one before.

lexus114

code,thank you for the detailed information re:this. I kinda think it`s just normal like you suggested.Glad to hear your dil`s is holding up well,Toyota/Denso a/c units alway`s held up very well over the years.