On my way to work this morning, no issues no hint of a pending issue, then all the sudden a loud, jolting grinding noise with a hint of squeel to it I think, and the smell of burning rubber came in through my vent. I pulled over quickly, and assessed that this was directly tied to the A/C I had running on defrost. I made it to work, but I'm wondering if this is a failed A/C pump. The car is at 90k, a Hyundai Tiburon, and hardly worth salvaging if I can't fix this issue myself. I'm wondering if the burning smell was the belt. A quick test on my own, I see two fans near the radiator, both free to move, but only one was spinning when the A/C turned on and quickly back off. I will test more tonight after work. What should I test and what are your thoughts on the issue?
Update:I appreciate the feedback so far. I'm going to continue to drive with the A/C completely off. I'll check to see if the A/C spins with the belt off, but if the A/C seized up, I'm going to try to bypass using a mod I read about on the interior control knob. That and some Rain-X defogger on the interior will hopefully get me through winter and to tax return time for a new car. I've been pumping a lot of money into this car lately, and a new compressor is cost prohibitive. Any other ideas on how to assess without my mechanic are certainly appreciated. I'm just surprised there wasn't a warning squeel before this went horribly wrong.
Answers & Comments
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I would say you are on track with the belt theory...
Could be that your A/C compressor may have seized up causing the belt to squeal and burn. This does happen some times. in this case the way to check is remove the belt and with the key off, check to see if you can turn the compressor pulley by hand. It should move with a little effort but not too stiff. if it is very difficult or impossible to turn then you need to consider replacing it. Junk yard or rebuilt model would be fine.. then of course you will need to have the system charged again afterwards.
since the ac is cycling on and off, the issue is not belt related but a low charge can do that. if you are worried abotu the belt, look at both sides of it and see if they are looking glazed.
compressor works a/c from belt .but you can over ride with using eco .cuts clutch out on compressor ok .clutch would cut out if fault in system at all costs . check for use of eco or turn off switch inside car .all the best .something to do with the belt i think might be slipping or worn out .
It does sound like a fan belt. But since you were running your AC it could also be the heater coil. The AC is under high pressure. Do Not Loosen any Fittings or remove any components until after the system has been discharged. Take it to a mechanic if you don't have the manual. You can take it for an inspection just to find out for certain what needs changing.