On to more boring things. I have a 2008 Toyota Sequoia 5.7L. It started making a odd a/c noise a month ago, but we were in the middle of moving, etc so I didn't fix it yet. It makes the noise, a squeak, when the a/c is on. Friday I'm driving the kids to school and there is a weird smell and my a/c goes out with. blinking light. Now, if I try and run the car with the a/c off it makes a sort of grinding, but more metal rubbing sound. These have a magnetic clutch and they are known to fail so I'm wondering if that's the issue. The system has the correct amount of freonish stuff, and was working perfectly fine other than the noise when this happened. I can purchase a factory clutch for $175 at the dealer. Known new factory unit. The compressor at the dealer is $700!!! I can get the new factory compressor at rock auto for $400ish (hooray sponsor!) but I'm wondering how long it will take to get it.
Advice? I'm not confident in my ability to diagnose a clutch vs compressor failure although this does seem different than a normal compressor failure.
If it was the clutch hub bearing, it SHOULD make noise all the time. If it was the clutch bearing, it would only make noise with the A/C off.
Sounds a lot like the compressor digested itself.
I'd like to be wrong, and it isn't it front of me so I could be, but it doesn't look good. If it was indeed the compressor then expect to replace the condensor at a minimum, preferably also the expansion valve and backflush the hell out of the evaporator and lines. If it's been making noise a while then the evaporator should really also be replaced, as well as any lines that have mufflers in them.
Berck
Reader
1/25/22 7:33 p.m.
I think you're correct that the clutch is bad. It's probably bad because the compressor went kaboom and froze solid, and the clutch went out trying to turn a now-frozen compressor. If the compressor turns freely, you could try just replacing the clutch, but I bet it doesn't:)
It's making noise all the time at this point and I'm not running it because it seems to give off an electrical smell if the a/c is on. I'm fine doing it all- just didn't want to do it needlessly. Agree that it needs expansion valve and condenser. What is the preferred method of flushing?
The clutch failed on my 2005 Tacoma, but I don't remember any funny noises or smells, it just stopped engaging. I replaced just the clutch because replacing the compressor looked like a nightmare.
That truck did make some horrible sounds as the bearings in the alternator were beginning to fail, and I never suspected the alternator.
Finally got the time to thrash on this tonight after the parts arrived from rock auto (I always forget to use the coupon code!). I'm not sure the clutch could have been replaced with the melty stuff going on. 
no Freon tonight. Seems I left my vacuum pump and manifold gauges at dads. I'll do that, the new discecant pack and expansion block tomorrow if I can find a location for the expansion block.
grover said:
I'll do that, the new discecant pack and expansion block tomorrow if I can find a location for the expansion block.
The expansion valve bolts to the side of the evaporator core. Dash has to come out to get to it.
LuigiAndretti said:
grover said:
I'll do that, the new discecant pack and expansion block tomorrow if I can find a location for the expansion block.
The expansion valve bolts to the side of the evaporator core. Dash has to come out to get to it.
In other news a new expansion valve is NOT going in.....it's also pretty obvious to me they the compressor didn't fail catastrophically and so hopefully all is good. Will replace drier stuff.
Thanks for the tip Luigi!
Thing have not gone as planned.
I went to the hammer store for a new vacuum pump and manifold gauges. Of course the old $75 2 stage pump was out of stock but they have several $150 3 stage pumps in stock! I have a decent air compressor so I went for the compressor fed $20 pump to try again. It uses 4.5g @90psi and was a bit over my compressors weight class but it worked great and pulled the low side to -15psi fairly quickly.
I also purchased 3 cans of 143 and their can tap because I couldn't find mine...I have moved a few times since the start of the pandemic and had to pack my shop at the beginning of all the moves in a haphazard way. I hated it, but we had to pack the house in about 36 hours and the shop was low on the list of priorities. I gave away a ton of stuff as well.
things started well with the recharge and the low side jumped to 50psi in good time and sort of stalled out. I figured the first 330g can was empty and took it off. It did still have some in it but I already had the tap off.
the second can didn't seem to do much at all and I determined after trying many things that the tap was probably plugged. Sure enough, it wouldn't vent even with the valve fully open. I exchanged it and two cans at the hammer store and came home. The first of the replacement cans got the psi to 75 on the low side (about 80* outside) and the compressor still wouldn't kick on. The can was mostly empty though and I went on to my last can. Well, I couldn't get it to do anything. Finally found a different style tap and it didn't work well either.
so: I've now somehow killed two hammer store taps, my low side is at 75psi and won't trip the compressor and the tap I did find isn't working.
Now I need to figure out if the hammer store Freon with cold blast is bad- I would have much preferred regular 134 or if I need to get an auto zone tap. At this point I may get a new tap, vacuum all the hammer store juice out and replace with regular 134 without any additives. I'm a little concerned that the expansion block may have been clogged, but high and low side seem to rise in tandem.
I also switched relays to confirm the magnetic clutch relay is good and checked the compressor plugs are good. Also made sure new compressor turns freely and it does.
thoughts??
Because it's annoying to search the internet for an issue, find a thread, and there is no closure--- I learned a few things today.
1. a couple of years ago, the cans of R-134a went to self sealing....which means you need an adaptor for your self tap. I did not know this and the nice guy at O'Rielly's let me know when I went to buy another tap because I was sure the ones I got from the hammer store were bad.....except they weren't. I know have two taps.
2. The 2nd Gen (because we have 3 generations now) sequoia has 2!!! fuses that operate the a/c clutch, etc...plus a relay. It turned out that it wasn't taking more gas because a 10amp fuse was blown for "ac i/c". I'm not sure exactly what this does, but I think that it powers the a/c computer which I believe is in the dash in these cars. As soon as I changed this, the compressor kicked in and I got the requisite .9ish Kg of gas loaded.
She's blowing mighty cold now. This is a great summary of how my car projects normally go. If there is a tiny pebble that can destroy a project that mostly goes right, I will find it.
Also just another note that the 2nd gen Sequoia's are really highly underrated. I now have 235k miles on mine or something and you can't feel the thing idle at a stop, it has effortless power from the 5.7 and it rides so smooth and quite. Highly suggested.
Bookmarking this to my Sequoia folder just in case I ever need to reference it :)
Happy you resolved the issue without too much drama. My '10 Sequioa has around 170k on it at the moment.
Side note: what is "Hammer Store?" Is that the actual name of a business, or is that just a colloquialism for a hardware store in general?
In reply to irish44j (Forum Supporter) :
It was my impression that we referred to harbor freight in that way- but I'm probably wrong.
I can't remember- did you end up getting 4wd? The only things I would change on mine are 4wd and cooled seats. I've got the jbl on dash cd no screen system- and I'm considering an aftermarket apple car play system.
Mine is paid off though and I don't anticipate trading it in anytime soon. I got the oil changed yesterday and the mileage is actually 226k.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
If it was the clutch hub bearing, it SHOULD make noise all the time. If it was the clutch bearing, it would only make noise with the A/C off.
THANK YOU
For years my car has been making this weird rhythmic scraping noise when the A/C is off. I'm in the south so the A/C is almost always on so I only think about it for a couple of months out of the year and had decided to leave well enough alone since it still performs as it should.
