About 2 weeks ago, when I turned on my A/C, it would make a squealing noise. Then I got the belt tensioner replaced and it went away. Today it was 90 degrees out so I turned on my A/C and it made my car run weird. My compressor was on like the whole time since I am in the city and stop and go driving = hot car. Then when I was driving, at 1st and 2nd gear I would hear a whirring noise along with the regular engine noise. Then once I get to third gear (around 20 mph), the whirring goes away and I feel like the compressor turns off since the wind is doing its job and the noise goes away. The whirring noise gets louder as my rpms go up. But, I only hear it in 1st and 2nd gear and don't hear is when I rev my engine in Park. Kind of weird.

Then I opened my hood and to the left of the engine I hear a little whirring/squealing noise from one of the belts.

Now, I need to change my motor mounts, get this checked out, get my spark plugs checked out, and I have no idea if the timing belt/water pump was ever replaced and I'm at 122k miles.

I HATE USED CARS but at least I got a good deal on it ($5800). Got it for a month and I want something else already. Sorry for TL Lovers.

 

Im guessing the timing belt/ water pump was not done- or the plugs
you can remove a spark plug and tell if its recent or several years old
Many owners hear the dealer price for tbelt and sell the car to some unsuspecting person

that noise could be a t-belt coming apart or its tensioner or idler pulley bearing (replace all when apart)- ready to destroy the engine when it happens!
no kidding -exhaust valves hit pistons= needs new heads plus possible lower end and piston damage-
cheaper to replace with wrecker yard motor from good TL than try to fix

I know an old integra did that- made belt noise for a few miles as driver revved engine to see what was wrong,,, until BANG- interferance engine becomes a real term- new motor time

Motor mounts are critical- many years front/rear mounts are vac line connected to the engine so a bad mount causes engine miss

Sorry to say this,, but the TL may not be a good match for you--
If all your money went to getting the car-at 5800$ and looking at $1500 plus in mandatory maitenance and repairs right away,,
the need for 91 octane,, and other expensive things like brakes are probably ready too

Many people dont read owner book and understand to change certain fluids, the dealer or quick lube doesnt try to sell things like ps and brake fluid changes..owner doesnt know!
those can lead to steering rack failure, brake caliper fail- master cyl fail etc

5800 for a TL in decent condition is a steal- no wonder you are having strange problems
Was it salvage title too?
A honda of the same price range will be a solid car with reliable transmission

 

`the wind is doing its job`--what do you mean?
ac on means compressor is running most of the time and 38 degree air comes out the vents
car movement helps the cooling process better than stropped but the ac radiator fan/pass side fan stays on while compressor on

 

Maybe the 'whirring' is the a/c condenser fan. Not to question the master, but are we sure that fan stays on when the car is moving? I didn't think that was the case. It would explain why he hears the whirring at low speeds, then it stops when car is up to speed. The squealing might be that a/c fan as well from the fan motor. I hope it's not the tb.

 

engine miss? elaborate on that if you don't mind..

 

several years of TL (only a few dont) have a vacuum line from the engine direct to the front and rear (as you look at engine) mounts- thats why they are 120-150 bucks each!
hydraulic fluid filled and air suspension system that stiffens the mount on full throttle -by application of vac change the mount stiffens-
acura doing what they can to tighten the setup since we lack an upper torque bar to prevent motion
note gen3 motor mounts work opposite- softens engine vibration at idle

when the mount is broken- that vacuum is allowed to escape- same as pulling a vac line near the TB- will make car run funny
its going to lose vac the engine needs to suck air into the TB and manifold-(normal is 20+ inches of vac at idle measured at TB master vac port)
that makes car run bad as vac pressure is not on spec, and vac changing with throttle application is worse with a vac leak

We had a ziner last year couldnt figure out a slight engine miss had for several months- dealer said needs front mount-
he didnt want to believe them,, so for the next year he replaced several very expensive parts of his own guessing
Not one of them solved the problem until we hasseled him enough to replace the mount.

A sheepish post indicated problem was instantly solved with new mount!!!!
Who knew- the dealer might diagnose correctly
When you have to pay them 100-150 bucks to diagnose funky prob- take their advice

 

the pass side fan runs full time with the ac ON- when compressor is engaged the fan is there to pull extra air thru the condensor to extract hot air from it-- by pulling cooler air into it

the driver fan is radiator temp controlled and runs at will for a few minutes
The ac fan gets a few minutes rest now and then --if you dont set it at 60 and make it run for hours without a break

spin the fan- wiggle the fan- testing motor freeness and bearing condition
Ck ac belt tensioner- top pulley by alternator- mine made noise since 40 and went out at 80k miles on the '01
If its binding up from bad belt fit or is itself about to fail and the bearings are causing the belt to slip- noise will occur
The belt is under more load when ac is on

 

aww interesting & good to know.. thx

 

It is probably my A/C belt since the noise only happens when my A/C is on but I'll have to get it checked out. I told them to check my timing belt last time and they said it was okay and didn't need work but I heard that you can't really check timing belts cause they go without notice. But I trust that shop since my friend is really close with them and if they wanted my money, they woulda told me that tb needed to be replaced right away but they didn't.

And no, clean title and pretty clean car. Tranny changed 2 years ago. I really wanna sell the TL and get like a 02' Maxima.

And by the wind, I mean that since I have my A/C on, the car runs harder so more heat which = fan has to work harder to cool the car down. That's why once I get to like 20 mph, I feel the car run smoother and the sound goes away because maybe the fan is making my car funny?

 

So under normal a/c operation (not set at 60), the fan does not run full-time.

 

no the fan runs normal and the A/C is cold. I'm talking about the fan or w/e that cools the engine down to prevent it from overheating. It makes a loud noise when its noise.

 

yes it does, at least on the type-s it even has a medium speed to it

but to OP, i think you are just hearing the compressor running, mine sounds like it makes the exact same noise as yours when the compressor cycles on (but can't hear it though with the windows shut, so don't really mind it though), but anyways alot of cars make the same noise though, when the A/C cycles on, so i would not worry about it too much if it is indeed that

 

I don't know. This sound just came up yesterday. Like there is an extra sound and not just the "weeeeeee" (regular engine noise). Yeah I think the TL has a funny stock exhaust noise. Or at least when you are inside of the car accelerating. I hear the weeeee and a whirrrrrr. But the whirr is only in 1st and 2nd gears. Weird huh?

 

transmission pump maybe then , sometimes those get noisy on our cars

 

when the ac compressor cycles off- because its reached the temp you wanted and gets a few minutes break- then pass side fan at radiator will turn off with compressor, and back on with compressor--thats its purpose as a fan

We are not talking about the cabin fan itself which keeps running but lowers speed
Doesnt hurt to give it a break now and then when using on high speed for long periods- that power lead wire and connector under the glovebox for the blower motor have a failure problem already

there can be noise from the ac belt tensioner pulley- listen to the top pulley the ac belt is on, thats moving slightly and jumps with engine rev--the tensioner should move freely to take up slack in belt as engine load changes
A long screwdriver placed on non moving base part of tensioner and place your ear to it- or spend 2 to 5 bucks for a `mechanics stethascope` and be able to track down noises quickly--bad bearing will sound like gravel

Once over 20 mph the engine noise itself and outer noises would cover that- it did on my car--had to track down the noise
With hood open you can hear
Some brands of belt dont fit the TL pullies for the ac/ps very well- did you say that was recently done?

t belt was fine? nearly impossible to tell from outside- if less than 100kmiles they went off that- 105 is the recommended miles by acura in normal service

 

`no the fan runs normal and the A/C is cold. I'm talking about the fan or w/e that cools the engine down to prevent it from overheating. It makes a loud noise when its noise.`

what do you mean- the driver side fan is the one to prevent overheating

 

inside fan i just personally leave on auto, and btw 60 degrees is too cold for me, so it never goes on it, so no worries

but then also the t/belt also has a time based replacement interval though of like 7 years though

 

Yeah, i know the 105k/7 year service. I have 124k on my car that's why I told them to check it but I don't even know if they did. They might have checked it while doing the belt tensioner change?

I thought the loud noise that comes and goes in city driving is the compressor (or is it the fan) that cools the engine down? My A/C was on 72 degrees and level 2 fan so I don't think I put that much stress on it. I just hope I can get this fixed next week when it gets checked out and not for much. Thanks guys.

 

more then likely what you are hearing, but always better to have any unusual noises checked out before they do indeed cause you issues

 

The a/c compressor pump is the big can-shaped unit at the bottom front that is driven by the belt. It keeps the refrigerant under pressure so that the a/c system can work. The fans are mounted behind the radiator at the front of the engine bay. The a/c condenser is basically a radiator that is in front of the engine coolant radiator, and the fans blow on both of those to dissipate heat.

Please note the difference between refrigerant and coolant. Refrigerant (commonly called freon although that is old terminology) is what is inside the a/c system, and flows through the a/c compressor pump, condenser, receiver/drier, and back into the dash where it cools the cabin, obviously blown by a fan in there. Coolant (sometimes called antifreeze) is what is inside the engine block, driven by the water pump, and flows through the radiator.

It can get confusing when talking about coolant, refrigerant, pumps, radiator or condenser, different fans.