00 Sub Forest AC making noise off [winter here, turn it on, same noise]

 

Sounds like a PS pump on a older GM car when its low on fluid, noise goes up n down with RPM, kinda tappers off once running for a while.

 

been doing it for quiet a while also but my Mom just drive things and ignores any noises.

 

[fixing the exhaust leak today made the noise stand out loud and clear]

 

Is this common, around 170,000 miles on the clock.

 

Is there an easy way out or $5-700 for a new AC unit?

 

What all cars can I get a unit from?

 

Could we go to a smaller belt maybe and ditch the AC?

You could just take the a/c belt off to see if that makes a difference. No need for a shorter belt, the a/c has it's own belt separate from the other belt for the alt and p/s. If you don't care about the belt you could just cut it to not have to remove the alt p/s belt to get the a/c belt off.

 

Sometimes it is the a/c belt idler pulley that goes faulty with age and will make a creaky squeaking noise. On the flip side of course if you get the a/c belt off and the noise persists that can be helpful in troubleshooting.

did this begin after any service to the A/C? maybe check the charge - someone posted a problem from an overchage condition. But there there 'should' be over and undercharge switches to keep it from self-destructing.

 

You could look in the power steering tank for bubbles if you're not sure where the noise is coming from. Seems like you only hear it when the A/C compressor is on?

 

good luck

Anyone got a real pic of the front of the engine to clue me in better on where IM looking for the idler n belt.

 

I can tell you the book isn't much help as on the real car you can't see much from the top, why I assumed it had just one belt for all.

dunno if a Forester is similar, but you might look at the top 3-4 pics here; http://lovehorsepower.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48:1995-subaru-legacy-outback-timing-belt-and-water-pump-replacement&catid=10:subaru-legacy&Itemid=64

 

(and , farther down that page, more pics after some re-assembly)

Thanks, I gotta do something about the noise n finish the exhaust.

 

ears for the pipe junction by the last cat totally rusted away and those two pipes at that junction fit like a square peg in a round hole, even the 02 sensor was gone, wire for it were there but porcine and metal socket, everything had rusted away. And its not like the wires broke lose, the 02 sensor disintegrated around them. Just a hole in the cat and the 2 wires.

Now that's some serious rust.

You can get a pretty good price on new catalytic converters from Rockauto.com if you want to go that route.

If you don't have emission testing in your area you could cut out the second cat, trick the rear O2 sensor with a non-fouler, and have momnpops exhaust shop make a new pipe from there back to the muffler.

trick the rear O2 sensor with a non-fouler

 

explain plz???

It's to keep the CEL gremlin P0420 DTC code away.

Put a spark plug non-fouler on the rear oxygen sensor and it pulls it back out of the exhaust stream. It reads that the exhaust is normal, rather than short the effects of one cat. This keeps the ECU happy, and the CEL off.

So I could just weld the F'ed up O2 hole in cat shut, then weld a non fouler to the section of new pipe and it will shut the CEL off

 

got a part number for said fouler adapter?

Edited February 8, 201214 yr by Buick350X

Don't have a part number off hand.

Advance Auto Parts sells them in the Help section for about $3 a piece. 14mm thread, washer type seat.