2004 Impreza AC whine at idle

[Craiger2]

Hi,

I have a 2004 Impreza TS and when the AC is on I get this whining noise when
stopped and idling while the car is in drive.
It's relatively loud since you can hear it with windows closed and radio on.
It comes and goes like it's associated with the compressor cycling. It seems
to only occur over a narrow range of RPM's since if you put it in park
(RPM's go up a bit) it does not do it.

Does anybody else have this or heard of it?

Thought I'd ask before I go to the dealer to have it checked.

Thanks,

 

[Edward Hayes]

Belt slipping??????????

 

[Michael Pardee]

Hi,

I have a 2004 Impreza TS and when the AC is on I get this whining noise
when stopped and idling while the car is in drive.
It's relatively loud since you can hear it with windows closed and radio
on. It comes and goes like it's associated with the compressor cycling. It
seems to only occur over a narrow range of RPM's since if you put it in
park (RPM's go up a bit) it does not do it.

Does anybody else have this or heard of it?

Thought I'd ask before I go to the dealer to have it checked.

Thanks,

I'm thinking the A/C belt is "whipping" - flopping at certain speeds. It's
visible if you open the hood and look at the belt when it's making noise.
Lots of A/C applications use special belts (like the Gates "green stripe")
to control the whip. Replacing the belt with OEM is likely to fix the
problem regardless of the exact cause. If not, you are still richer by one
new belt ;-)

Mike