No A/C problem

[Svaen]

Of course my A/C stopped working today. No difference in temperature with A/C turned on or off. Not sure if this has happened over time, or if it suddenly came to an end. Guess I have to get the system checked for leaks first of all.
Anyway, there’s a suction sound whenever I turn on the A/C, that disappears after about four seconds. Anyone experienced this before?

Video of the sound, where I turn the A/C on and off twice:

[yco]

looks like an ac compressor problem..

[Svaen]

Originally Posted by yco

looks like an ac compressor problem..

That sounds expensive.
But am I wrong if I think there shouldn’t be any reaction when turning on the AC, if there was a problem with f.ex the compressor clutch?
Anybody who can tell me where the AC compressor is located on the N57 engine, so I can have a look?

[yco]

Originally Posted by Svaen

That sounds expensive.
But am I wrong if I think there shouldn’t be any reaction when turning on the AC, if there was a problem with f.ex the compressor clutch?
Anybody who can tell me where the AC compressor is located on the N57 engine, so I can have a look?

there is a reaction on your car it makes noise as far as i ve seen from the video.. isnt it like that?

the best thing to do, if you re not already did refilling the refrigerant, cause if there is really low refrigerant comp. can get on and off.. if there is a leak gauge wont show any pressure building up as well.. then as you guess there can be a leak, though you can try to inspect the AC radiator.. its not hard to damage it.. but since you have diesel there ll be an intercooler that taken the best place for cooling, it may make things hard to inspect without tools..

clutch can engage since its magnetic if there is a leak or comp itself problem.. and for your question it has to be on front of the engine closer to radiators.. you can follow the belt and find it.. had an AC problem on my E46 M3.. problem was a bad AC radiator i replaced it and it solved.. comps dont die that easy but the noise on the video is a bit loud.. in the end im just guessing without even being near the car.. leak is a high possibility.. no worries good luck..

[Svaen]

Thanks for your input yco.
I’ve taken a look at my compressor now, and the clutch starts and stops when the ac is on or off. Anyhow, it should stop for a couple of seconds now and then when the ac is on, right? Which it doesn’t, so guess that means there’s no pressure in the system. No signs for leaks near the compressor.
Going to the dealer on friday, so we’ll see what’s what.

[Svaen]

The verdict - no signs for leaks at all, and no faults to the compressor. There was a little bit of gas left in the system - about 1/3, which they claim to be the reason for the sound on the video, so my dealer just refilled it. They concluded that the gas is used up over time, hopefully they’re right.