AC sound on 96 prizm

The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
Thanks

"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c9fe72dq2ke65nvm0t5kogiqepfots97nb@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
> Thanks
>[/color]

It is very difficult to diagnose a sound without actually hearing it. A
click when the compressor engages is normal. if you are hearing something
other than that, I recommend that you have the car looked at by a competent
technician for diagnosis.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c9fe72dq2ke65nvm0t5kogiqepfots97nb@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
> Thanks
>[/color]

What is bothering you? The sound or the rapid cycling?

In alt.autos.toyota RT <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote:[color=blue]
> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.[/color]

Check the sight glass on the AC system and see if you have the right amount
of refrigerent in the system. That seems like the most likely culprit to
me. Its also a cheap and easy fix.

"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c9fe72dq2ke65nvm0t5kogiqepfots97nb@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
> Thanks
>[/color]


compressors in auto's are big pumps. Maybe even bigger than the one in your home. Arizona is smoking HOT too.
When your system cycles on a 110f degree day it will be much more noticeable (probably feel it too) than it would if the ambient
temp was say 80f degree.

Imagine something like 6 - 10 cubic inch's worth of compressor and maybe 300 psi out there in that 120d desert heat and its easy to
see were the noise comes from.

some types of compressors are just noisy too like those 2 cylinder CCI pumps. (york)

On Fri, 26 May 2006 19:46:55 GMT, [email]someone@somewhere.org[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>In alt.autos.toyota RT <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote:[color=green]
>> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
>> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
>> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
>> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
>> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.[/color]
>
>Check the sight glass on the AC system and see if you have the right amount
>of refrigerent in the system. That seems like the most likely culprit to
>me. Its also a cheap and easy fix.[/color]

Where is the sight glass ? Never spotted one.
Does that mean a recharge ?

On Fri, 26 May 2006 19:03:25 GMT, "Truckdude" <notemail@cox.net>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:c9fe72dq2ke65nvm0t5kogiqepfots97nb@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
>> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
>> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
>> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
>> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
>> Thanks
>>[/color]
>
>What is bothering you? The sound or the rapid cycling?
>[/color]
The cycling I don't care about, I just want to know if it is normal to
cycle that often. The noise doesn't bother me either (this is a 10
year old car), I just would like to know if it means it's going to
fail soon or not.

"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:lp9n72pco1s0ogbdu2f41s44foalckjr3v@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Fri, 26 May 2006 19:46:55 GMT, [email]someone@somewhere.org[/email] wrote:
>[color=green]
>>In alt.autos.toyota RT <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote:[color=darkred]
>>> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
>>> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
>>> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
>>> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
>>> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.[/color]
>>
>>Check the sight glass on the AC system and see if you have the right
>>amount
>>of refrigerent in the system. That seems like the most likely culprit to
>>me. Its also a cheap and easy fix.[/color]
>
> Where is the sight glass ? Never spotted one.
> Does that mean a recharge ?[/color]

The sight glass is on top of the receiver/drier. The receiver/drier is a
cylindrical canister, usually silver or black mounted vertically in front of
the radiator. The receiver/drier will have metal refrigerant tubing going
into and out of the top, along with the sight glass, which is a small
circular glass window about the size of the nail on your little finger. If
you look at the sight glass when the AC in on, it should look like water is
flowing past the glass, with very few bubbles. If you can see what looks
like foam flowing past the sight glass, then there is air in the system and
so the refrigerant needs to be recharged.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message news:4cf1e$447bc36a$180fead6$3362@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:lp9n72pco1s0ogbdu2f41s44foalckjr3v@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> On Fri, 26 May 2006 19:46:55 GMT, [email]someone@somewhere.org[/email] wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>In alt.autos.toyota RT <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
>>>> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
>>>> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
>>>> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
>>>> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
>>>
>>>Check the sight glass on the AC system and see if you have the right amount
>>>of refrigerent in the system. That seems like the most likely culprit to
>>>me. Its also a cheap and easy fix.[/color]
>>
>> Where is the sight glass ? Never spotted one.
>> Does that mean a recharge ?[/color]
>
> The sight glass is on top of the receiver/drier. The receiver/drier is a cylindrical canister, usually silver or black mounted
> vertically in front of the radiator. The receiver/drier will have metal refrigerant tubing going into and out of the top, along
> with the sight glass, which is a small circular glass window about the size of the nail on your little finger. If you look at the
> sight glass when the AC in on, it should look like water is flowing past the glass, with very few bubbles. If you can see what
> looks like foam flowing past the sight glass, then there is air in the system and so the refrigerant needs to be recharged.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>[/color]

Might add that it is very important to see those bubbles when the compressor cycles off. If you don't it is overcharged.


Here is your answer though. "The ac works fairly well I have to say"
Don't fix something that's not broke. Just make sure nothings falling off or reducing the air flow to the coil in front of your
radiator.
A common problem is leaves and stuff building up between the radiator and condenser because its easy to miss.

"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:iq9n72hkem2jiofrhjgel1dtmfdonntcp6@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Fri, 26 May 2006 19:03:25 GMT, "Truckdude" <notemail@cox.net>
> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>
>>"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>news:c9fe72dq2ke65nvm0t5kogiqepfots97nb@4ax.com...[color=darkred]
>>> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
>>> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
>>> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
>>> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
>>> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
>>> Thanks
>>>[/color]
>>
>>What is bothering you? The sound or the rapid cycling?
>>[/color]
> The cycling I don't care about, I just want to know if it is normal to
> cycle that often. The noise doesn't bother me either (this is a 10
> year old car), I just would like to know if it means it's going to
> fail soon or not.[/color]

I was asking because my 95 Prizm was doing the same thing last summer after
a recharge. On-off-on-off about every 10 seconds or so. Turns out it had
been overcharged with refrigerant.

On Mon, 29 May 2006 23:00:40 -0500, "Ray O"
<rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"RT" <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:lp9n72pco1s0ogbdu2f41s44foalckjr3v@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> On Fri, 26 May 2006 19:46:55 GMT, [email]someone@somewhere.org[/email] wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>In alt.autos.toyota RT <noyabusiness@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>> The ac works fairly well I have to say. Gets the car cold in AZ heat.
>>>> I can clearly hear the compressor kick in and out, 10 seconds on, 10
>>>> seconds off. It sounds rather mechanical, could there be a bearing in
>>>> the compressor going south ? Is this fixable or does it need a new
>>>> compressor ? Car has 135K on it.
>>>
>>>Check the sight glass on the AC system and see if you have the right
>>>amount
>>>of refrigerent in the system. That seems like the most likely culprit to
>>>me. Its also a cheap and easy fix.[/color]
>>
>> Where is the sight glass ? Never spotted one.
>> Does that mean a recharge ?[/color]
>
>The sight glass is on top of the receiver/drier. The receiver/drier is a
>cylindrical canister, usually silver or black mounted vertically in front of
>the radiator. The receiver/drier will have metal refrigerant tubing going
>into and out of the top, along with the sight glass, which is a small
>circular glass window about the size of the nail on your little finger. If
>you look at the sight glass when the AC in on, it should look like water is
>flowing past the glass, with very few bubbles. If you can see what looks
>like foam flowing past the sight glass, then there is air in the system and
>so the refrigerant needs to be recharged.[/color]


Thanks guys. I will check it out. Those are some useful tips.