Compressor noise 1990 Voyager 3.3L

Hi:

I'm getting what can only be described as a "growling" noise at RPMs
just above idle. I'm 95% sure it's coming from the air conditioner
compressor, likely a bearing. Is this a difficult thing to
disassemble? My shop manual doesn't seem to say much about this.

Dave

 

Do you have ABS? You may be hearing that.
Larry

 

Yes, and hygienically clean conditions are required to do it. Also special
tools. Also, legally the refrigerant CANNOT be vented, it MUST be captured
(and even if this weren't the law, it only makes good sense; R12 is very
expensive.)

 

The factory service manual contains full teardown and rebuild instructions
for the compressor.

 

Yeah, it might be easier to just find another compressor to use.
There isn't any refrigerant in the unit; hasn't had for years.
Basically, up here in Saskatchewan, you need heat more than cooling,
at least for most for most of the year. Anyway, the disassembly
pictures in the manual aren't all that encouraging. It might be a job
better suited for a professional. In any case, I have a stethoscope
that I can use to try and localize the source of the noise.

 

if you have no refrigerant as you state, then the compressor shouldn't be
engaging. What you might have then is a lose bracket or noisy idler
bearing, although I suppose it could be the clutch bearing. Use a piece of
heater hose up to your ear and with the engine running move the heater hose
around till you pinpoint the noise.