Air conditioning squeaking

[bluegrommet]

It's getting warmer here in Melbourne, and I've had the air conditioning on a few times in my 2003 WG 2.7 CRD recently. I noticed the system was not really blowing cold air - shoot, gotta re-gas it I guess.

Last week though I noticed a faint intermittent squeaking when the system was running whilst driving. The squeaking was much louder when I got out of the car - clearly coming from the engine bay. It only squeaks when the AC is on - nothing when the heater is on.

It's not a screeching like a slipping belt on startup - it will squeak intermittently, sometimes not at all, sometimes a lot.

Any hints on what to do next?

[JeanLuke]

Check the idler pulleys, and the bearing on the viscous heater pulley (the thing that looks like a second water pump at the top of the engine). Take the serpentine belt off, then feel everything for play in the bearings. Nothing here is difficult to fix. Finding which one to fix can be hard. When the compressor is running, it loads everything up and can make a dodgy idler squeak.

The bearing on the viscous heater is (I think) identified in the "Everything CRD" thread, along with the idler pulleys. I would recommend getting metal ones if you are going to replace any.

EDIT: Before you take the serpentine belt off, take lots of pictures to help thread it back on... or get the manual with the diagramme.