[mzdrati]

You can get a Denso compressor aftermarket too. Doesn't have to be OEM.

Though I will say that my Ody has an aftermarket non-Denso compressor in it (I don't know what brand) and it has been fine for over 3 years of Texas summers now.

Thanks so much for your input. According to their website- the Four Seasons compressors (both new and remanufactured) claim to be Nippon/Denso compressors.

 

[mzdrati]

My compressor made the same growling noise at about the same mileage. Took it to the stealer and they quoted $1500 for a new compressor. Took it to a local shop, they said it wasn’t too much of a growl and to not worry about it. Said when they start making a really loud noise or it stops working to bring it back. That was 4 years ago and I’m at about 201K now. Knock on wood, still works fine.

Wow. That's awesome- this car is my wife's DD, and she transports our two kids everywhere in it. I wonder what the failure mode of the compressor is... If we leave it hoping for a similar situation to yours, does the pulley seize and throw the belt and leave the driver (my wife and possibly kids) stranded wherever they are- or does the AC just no longer work?

Thanks SO much for taking the time to offer your feedback and experience.

 

[mzdrati]

I am not a mechanic…. Just a DIYer. But I would think the answer to that would be dependent on what failed in the compressor. If it is a seized bearing and the thing locks up, you may have a broken serp belt if you can’t get it shut off in time. Or maybe it’s a failure of just compressing and it is able to spin freely, just not doing its job. Or the clutch fails to where it fails engaged or disengaged. Maybe some of the experts here can chime in to tell us the common types of failures on these compressors once they get noisy.

Any and all comments and opinions are appreciated. I'm a DIYer (for most things, cars included) but I think I'll do more harm than good removing and replacing an AC compressor- not that I have the AC specific tools to do it properly anyway. I maintain my cars regularly whether there's a sign that something is needed or not, and my first thought is to always use OEM parts, because those parts lasted 140kmi, and I want the replacement parts to do the same. I'm in between jobs currently (I'm teaching tennis in the meantime- not a long-term solution for most) so money is a concern. I still would rather buy the OEM compressor if the consensus is that that's the only real long-term solution (buy one, cry once as they say), but if the knowledgeable and experienced folks here have used other sources successfully- that would also be good to know that there's an option that is equal or nearly equal in quality and longevity, but without the punitive price tag. I did spend $600+ on the proper Denso alternator earlier this year, despite many options being half that price. The evidence from folks on this fine forum and elsewhere was overwhelming, indicating that if you buy a non-Denso alternator (or a Denso alternator that wasn't remanufactured by Denso) that you'd end up with problems in the not too distant future. In my current situation with wife and kids- I'd rather be safe than sorry, so I don't regret spending more in that case. I'll do the same in this instance if that is what the consensus suggests.

 

[mzdrati]

Huh. Never attempted this. Off to YT to look up some tutorials...

 

[mzdrati]

I used a mechanic's stethoscope to try to pinpoint the sound and it appeared to be coming from the AC compressor, so I've been thinking that was the issue. Today I took the belt off and evaluated the AC pulley. It spins freely, and does not appear to be the problem. I started the engine without the belt to isolate whether an accessory is causing the odd noise, and the noise persisted, which tells me that the issue is not a belt-driven accessory. I had the timing belt replaced last year, but perhaps the timing cover has to come off to see if there's anything unusual going on. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[mzdrati]

I had to borrow a car since I'm away for the next week (Ugh. Going to the in-laws house for the holidays.) I don't want to risk damaging the car. I'll provide video when I return. Thank you for caring! Happy Holidays All!

 

[mzdrati]

To the OP, if your AC condenser has indeed gone south, try your local yards or car-part.com.

Don’t know if there’s a way to test it without installing it in the van.

Regarding the growling noise, there are threads in the 3rd gen forum reporting the cowl cover as the culprit for making certain whistling sound at certain speeds.

Don’t know if this is applicable to the 4th gen.

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the replies, all. Ultimately I did not replace the AC compressor, since running the engine with the accessory belt off did NOT make the concerning noise go away. I took it to a longtime mechanic friend of mine- and he thinks it is something inside the engine. When he listens closely (with the van on a lift) at startup- he thinks it is rod knock. If true- this sounds rather dire. Fortunately- we have NOT run the engine very much while it is making this sound, so hopefully there isn't any significant damage. My mechanic advised changing the oil refilling the engine with 0W30 oil to see if the noise goes away (and it did). I've spared no expense to maintain this car, as we wanted to keep it to 300Kmi and beyond, so it's disappointing to understand that this can happen to a heavily maintained engine.

 

[mzdrati]

You mentioned that new 0w30 oil eliminated the sound, and I am curious...was the oil full before you drained it or was it low?

I know this is a long reply, but:

The oil was full (I check it weekly, and change it regularly). I was away to visit family over the week, so I left the Ody with my very trusted mechanic. He's now away for the holiday, so I won't see the car until later this upcoming week. I could post a video, but the sound is subtle, but different than what it has been. It's somewhat of a "RRRRRRRRRRRR" tone when the engine is running (a little like the sound of a power steering pump that is low on fluid, but less prominent) that wasn't there previously (and it developed maybe 2 weeks ago). I thought initially it was the AC compressor, but it still makes the noise with the belt off. My mechanic (who I've known for 30 years) is very knowledgeable and trusted, and he changed the oil to the 0W30 and initially thought it made a difference, but as he drove the car for a few days while I was away, he thinks he still hears it, so even he isn't 100% sure what's going on. I am meeting with him in a few days because I have to decide whether to have him take the front of the engine apart to inspect the timing belt assembly (he performed the replacement last year) to see if the noise it coming from there (he does not think it is, he thinks it's coming from the bottom end, but is not certain). He started the car on a lift and used a stethoscope on the oil pan and told me that he is very familiar with the sound of "rod knock" and is fairly certain that is at least part of the issue in my case (hence the thicker oil). If this is something catastrophic I'm going to have to trade this car in and start over (before something lets go). I really and truly do not want to do this, as I am committed to this car (as previously stated, I recently installed new shocks, brakes, alternator, replaced a few leaky gaskets, changed the spark plugs, engine and trans mounts, trans and PS fluids and likely a lot more I'm forgetting) but at some point this is not going to make financial sense. I mentioned the VCM issues to my mechanic, but if I understand that correctly- it manifests itself in the upper engine (piston / rings) and not the bottom end.

I'm open to taking the car to another mechanic who might be particularly knowledgeable and experienced with this engine specifically (I'm in NJ). My wife is scouring local dealerships online for a CPO 5th Gen Ody- but I don't want to get rid of this car unless it's really something dire. I was hoping for suggestions that could perhaps help my mechanic focus his search for the cause.

Thank you to all of you who are trying to help me! Regardless- it's a silly car issue, and is a problem that money can solve- so not something important (in the grand scheme of things).

Happy New Year to ALL!!

 

[mzdrati]

Just to attempt to close the loop on this thread- I just got back from my mechanic's shop, and he lifted our Ody up on the hoist with the engine running. He was pointing out that the sound is 100% coming from inside the engine, and not from any accessory, one of the cats, or any of the engine or trans mounts. The consensus amongst the mechanics in the shop are that it's a rod (a stretched or otherwise loose rod bolt or a loose wrist pin). The sound (a low "rrrrr" hum or sorts) is not obvious, but if you know and love your car- you know when it sounds different than it usually does. The sound diminishes as the car warms up (presumably due to the heat expansion). We are researching engine replacement costs / sensibility, but are also considering trading it in while the problem is not obvious and starting over. We are "efficient" financially- by necessity- so buying new is usually not a consideration, but we are weighing all of our options. I think we are on borrowed time, unfortunately, so we should probably formulate a plan forward before fate decides for us.

 

[mzdrati]

due to the fact your engine and vcm is not muzzled, im hesitant to write this motor off short of an oil pressure light.

stuck piston rings due to carbon buildup can cause piston slap, which is a rattle/clacking sound as the piston flops around between the cylinder walls due to stuck rings.

a decent tech should be able to isolate the sound.

if you're convinced this engine is toast based on a single opinion, then dump it and move on.

No oil pressure light ever, and I check the oil at least once per week. A few mechanics that I have spoken with sounded concerned with the 0W20 Mobil One synthetic I run in the car, (which is what the factory calls for) and the roughly 7kmi interval that the Maintenance Minder suggests. I know many people who do the bare minimum to their cars, and do not have problems while we pay close attention to this car, and end up with this issue.

I have read about the VCM issues. Should I have had this VCM disabled, and is that a suspected cause of issues like mine?

Thank you for your input.