My AC compressor seems to be inordinately noisy compared to every other car I have ever had. I have a 6000 range VIN, and saw the TSB on the AC noise. I took it into the dealer and complained about the "fluttering" sound which I think was from the air baffle inside the compressor. The tech agreed, and they already replaced the compressor for me. The new unit is just as noisy, but maybe in a little different way. Rather than the clearly mechanical grunt and flutter that was coming out of the AC whenever I would turn it on and off, there is now just a whine out of the thing whenever the outside temp is high and the unit is working hard.

Is this normal on the Z? I'm not shy about taking it back in, but I don't want to waste my time if they are all like this. The sound really seems like a turbine resonance problem or something like it.

 

Mine is very loud. My air is nice and cold though!

 

Your cooling fans have a high and low speed to them and when it is very hot outside and you are idling or in stop and go traffic they will run on the high setting and they make some noise. You may want to look at that, it could be what you are hearing.

 

It isn't the cooling fan. It cycles on and off as normal. The noise I am describing is above the cooling fan. It is sort of a loud whine. Not a bearing problem, but just an overall noisy compressor. It may very well be normal on the Z, but it isn't normal compared to everything else I have owned. I'm just trying to find out if other Z owners can hear their AC running over fan noise, engine noise, and road noise. AC works well - cools fine... it isn't a functionality problem, just irritating.

 

I called my tech concerning this TSB and he is saying that my Z doesn't fit the TSB because of my VIN. I told him it still doesn't change the fact that I'm having a WHINNING noise when the A/C is on. The noise is different from the actual A/C running. Those of you that experienced this problem, is the whinning noise consistent? Mine sort of comes and goes.

 

The noise seems to be tied directly to the load on the compressor. In other words the hotter it is outside, the noisier the compressor is. If it is less than 86 F or so, the level of noise is substantially lower. The noise that prompted me to take it in for the TSB swap, was a mechanical growl or flutter type of noise. Definitely a mechanical problem of some kind. What I still have with the new unit is the whine.

 

That was the same conclusion that I came out with. So a new compressor doesn't fix the noise, does a new A/C kit fix it just as the TSB suggests?

 

The parts kit refered to in the TSB, is actually a new compressor and full replacement. The text of the TSB is a procedure detailing removal and replacement of the compressor.

 

Thanks.