Well I just recently corrected my "turn key, no start" issue...what a nightmare that was. But $500 later, three mechanics and this forum and it's no longer a problem.

Now, I have to deal with my A/C. It was working great until about three weeks ago. Cranked it when leaving work one day and the A/C button light began blinking and then cut off. It continued to do this for days, but every once in a while it would stay on and cool normally. Then one day I turned it on and it didn't blow as cold, and while at a red light this awful noise under the hood began to screech (not a slipping belt sound) but just a horrible sound like metal on metal, then I saw white smoke coming from under the hood right over the passenger tire. I immediately shut it off and the noise stopped as did the smoke. So, because I have somewhat of an extended warranty, I took it to the dealership who tells me that after adding coolant they determined i needed to replace both temperature actuators and that would be just over $1,300 + tax. Of course they said the actuators were not covered under the warranty. For me, the actuators do not explain the noise nor the smoke.

Now I come to you guys, BEGGING for answers. I am a do-it-yourselfer and somewhat mechanicaly inclined, but removing the dash is a bit intimidating. This is my first vette ever, just bought it about 4 months ago so I have no experience with them. I live in Mississippi...I HAVE to have the A/C working!! So what can I do?? I don't want to get ripped by the dealership or any other mechanic.

Codes Pulled:
99-HVAC B0361H and B0367H

 

It could be the AC compressor. Also if the freon or whatever the new stuff is, goes low, it will make the light blink.

Steve A.

 

That's what I was thinking, and if it were the compressor or if I had a leak, that would all be covered under the warranty.....but nooooo, the Chevrolet dealership says its the two actuators. I just don't see how the actuators would cause the loud, awful noise from under the hood, nor the smoke?????

 

SMOKE coming from the belts is NOT,,,,,,,,,,,,, caused by the temperature door actuators.

If you clear the codes correctly, the actuator issues will most likely return to normal.

The real issue lies somewhere under the hood and can be related to the compressor or the belt pulleys.

Turn the AC System OFF at the head unit OFF switch. Pull up the DTCs and CLEAR ALL The DTCs. If any come back, try several times.

Turn the HVAC System on AC off and see if any HVAC Codes come back. If they do clear them Do this until they stay cleared.

If they will not clear,, you need a new actuator.

You can do this job your self!

BC

 

Thanks Bill. I'll try it, but what do you think the horrible sound could be? I know what belts sound like, this is no belt, it sounds like metal grinding. Either way, this thing is blowing hot

 

Pull the belt for the AC compressor and see what seized up. The belt is what's fixn' to catch fire, something ain't turning. Might be the compressor, might be the clutch, might be the idler or tensioner pulleys. Any actuator door issue is secondary at this point. Forget them. If you need to drive the car, pull the AC belt off and let it off. Just don't turn on the AC then. Fix that, then report back.

 

Btw, actuators (if you actually need one) are about $100 each, there's two. And they're reasonably easy to replace, just hard to get your hands on. The compressor is a bit of a job, but it ain't the end of the world. If it comes to that, you need to just do a complete AC overhaul, which isn't much more money, and costs more in tools than it does in parts.

 

If the compressor is causing the issues, it still should be causing the the issue.

Is it cooling the car????? Is it making noise??

Run it continuously and see if it holds up...

BC

 

I'm not sure where the noise is coming from yet. But NO, it is not cooling at all, on either side. Blows hot only.

If I do have to replace the compressor/lines/etc....all of that is covered under my warranty. Electrical issues, as they consider the actuators to be, are not covered.

 

Well, the reason those two actuators are $1300 is because they need $1300 to fix the compressor "under warranty". Your under hood noise will magically go away as soon as those actuators are "fixed".

 

I'm sure you're right, and I'm sure the $1300 will ultimately be closer to $2000... Anyway, obviously I've got some troubleshooting to do. Guess I could run the AC til I see the flames....

 

this x2

 

I have a couple questions related to this topic. I inherited this C5 with no AC belt. I remember my brother mentioning at some point that the AC was making a weird noise and he cut the AC belt. If you turn the air on the blower motor makes a squelling noise. I figure it needs to be lubricated/replaced. My question is; is there any way to test whether the compressor is bad without putting a belt on it? I can spin the pulley freely by hand. Thanks.

 

You will have to hook it up and make sure the system is charged to do any testing. The squealing motor is just as you suggested. Sometimes lubricating the bearings will or work or will just have to replace it. It is easy to remove and replace if you can lay on your back in the floorboard.

 

If you run the AC compressor, open the hood and feel the large aluminum low pressure line. If the compressor is working, it will get COLD. If its cold, the compressor is working and you in fact have cooling.

The small high pressure line will be HOT if the compressor is working.

If the temp door is closed over the AC evaporator, you are just not allowing the air to blow over the cooling coils and its blowing over the heat coils.

You have to get the actuators to cycle and work again. Clear those DTCs and see what happens.

BC

 

When you spin that you're doing nothing other than spinning a pulley on a bearing. The clutch is not engaged. It won't 'spin' with that powered up. So no, you're not really checking anything. Now, you can spin the idler pulley and see if that spins nice and quiet. See if it has any wobble in it whatsoever. If that bearing feels like it's not 100%, it'll make a lot of noise and ruin belts.

The blower motor is easy to get to, might just have something in the way of the fan, whatever. That's in the passengers footwell, and takes just a few screws with a 7mm socket iirc. Pull it, lube it if needed, and stick it back. A Vette with no A/C is about one step above one with no engine.

 

Have someone turn the compressor on while looking at the clutch assembly... You should be able to tell if the clutch is engaging and if the noise is coming from the compressor...
Not sure if this clutch is the same design, but I had a compressor lock up on another car and the pulley separated from the clutch assembly.
Sounded like the whole thing was coming apart. It was smoking the belt until the pulley sheared off and started rattling around.

If the compressor is turning, you may want to just put freon gauges on it and check the high and low side pressures.. (or have a shop do that)