we have an '03 LE, AT, 70k with a couple of issues:
1) car makes an audible noise most noticeable 25 - 40 mph, wife likens it to a helicopter (thupt - thupt - thupt). doesn't happen all the time, wind noise will cover it above 45. it seems to be coming from the underside of the car closer to the front half. i checked the front tires and didn't feel any abnormalities on them that might cause this. at the moment i'm thinking it might be a loose exhaust mount, or a wheel bearing (had to replace a bearing in the rear passenger side a couple of years ago). just recently i've noticed an odor when stepping out of the car right after parking, kind of smells like hot metal. i know this might not be related to the noise...
2) AC has been behaving strangely the past 2 months. blower works fine, but the compressor doesn't always work. i did the relay swap with the horn and the horn worked, had the AC recharged (they said it was low) and replaced one hose (evidence of oil on the old one). there doesn't seem to be any consistent behaviour on when it will work or won't *except* it seems to work most often when the ambient temperature is below 80 degrees F. could i have a faulty sensor some where, or could the relay be flaky? BTW, a dye was put in the system when it was recharged, i haven't noticed any evidence of it leaking out since it was put in.
1. Check the splash shields under the bottom of the car for missing tabs.
2. Dye in the AC system may be a UV only dye. Did whoever replace the AC hose do a complete evacuation of the system? Moisture may cause your problem. When you say the compressor does not always work, do you mean that it does not always blow cool air? By design, the compressor does not run all the time.
we have an '03 LE, AT, 70k with a couple of issues:
1) car makes an audible noise most noticeable 25 - 40 mph, wife likens it to a helicopter (thupt - thupt - thupt). doesn't happen all the time, wind noise will cover it above 45. it seems to be coming from the underside of the car closer to the front half. i checked the front tires and didn't feel any abnormalities on them that might cause this. at the moment i'm thinking it might be a loose exhaust mount, or a wheel bearing (had to replace a bearing in the rear passenger side a couple of years ago). just recently i've noticed an odor when stepping out of the car right after parking, kind of smells like hot metal. i know this might not be related to the noise...
thanks for any advice!
My car also has a helicopter noise, my issue was driving with the rear windows open only. If I close all the windows or only leave the left front open the sound goes away. Hope this helps.
__________________ 2005 Corolla LE - Impulse Red - Auto Trans - 1ZZFE - 86,000mi 2003 Echo - Auto Trans - 96,000mi. - slow as dog-dirt - I'd rather put my money in the bank than in the tank!!!!!
1. Check the splash shields under the bottom of the car for missing tabs.
2. Dye in the AC system may be a UV only dye. Did whoever replace the AC hose do a complete evacuation of the system? Moisture may cause your problem. When you say the compressor does not always work, do you mean that it does not always blow cool air? By design, the compressor does not run all the time.
they said they checked it out, but i'm not sure what exactly they looked for. when the problem first occurred, the AC would blow cold at engine start until the point it would normally cut off (my guess), then not come back on when i'd expect it, continuing until the air coming out of the blower would reach the outside temperature. it would then suddenly come back to making cold air, then do the same thing all over again.
after recharge, it went to behaving as described in the OP, not working in hotter outside temperatures.
i'll take a closer look underneath at the flaps...
back to the A/C issue. have verified by repair shop that the system is charged, rpm's will go up when the ac is turned on, but there is no cold air coming out. shop wants to replace the entire compressor, saying the core has gone bad.
does that sound likely given the symptoms? is there a better way to approach this rather than doing an expensive swap out?
back to the A/C issue. have verified by repair shop that the system is charged, rpm's will go up when the ac is turned on, but there is no cold air coming out. shop wants to replace the entire compressor, saying the core has gone bad.
does that sound likely given the symptoms? is there a better way to approach this rather than doing an expensive swap out?
Did you take to a toyota service center or elsewhere? If not, have toyota diagnose the issue and go from there.
no. before i did this it wasn't doing anything but blowing uncooled air. now i get the surge in rpms when i hit the switch, but the air's still not chilled
Beat me to it. As soon as you mentioned the RPM's fluctuating....it's the clutch or some part of it. By the way, never take your car to the shop that wanted to replace the compressor, but you've probably already figured that out. Have you checked the balance of the tires? Have the shop road balance them. It's where the machine pushes on the tires to simulate the weight of the car. Much more accurate than static balance.
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