A/C compressor bearing sounds bad. Can bearing & pulley be replac

Turn your A/C off, the compressor can make noise if bearings are dry or system is low on compressor oil.
Remove your serpentine belt. Turn pulleys by hand to check for roughness. Bearings in those pulleys routinely go bad.
You may get computer warnings with the following test, but with serpentine belt removed, run engine for 2 or 3 minutes. Do this on a warm engine after serpentine belt is removed. The warm oil will not mask the problem like cold thick oil can. Noise generated means problem is internal.
If this is a stick shift transmission sometimes the clutch bearing can make noise and is a sign that bearing is bad.

There's probably no way to find a serpentine belt to by-pass the A/C compressor. However, the compressor only spins when the compressor clutch is engaged, and if you unplug the clutch the compressor pulley spins freely on its bearing without turning the compressor. The clutch wiring connector is usually on the compressor near the pulley.

Hi,

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What you are looking for is called an 'air conditioner compressor bypass pulley'. Most chain auto parts stores have them in stock.

All you do is install the bypass pulley and use a shorter belt.

The only downside is the cost of $25-$40. That's about one-third the cost of a remanufactured unit and the labor is compatible.

All the best

Ben

Check where your coolant leak is coming out of, could be water pump,coolant leaking on pulley and will cause belt to slip off of pulley.

I don't know of a practical way to get around this problem. If just the bearing inside of the clutch pulley is bad [which would first be noisy then might lock up and burn off the belt] then you may be able to have just that bearing replaced so your belt will work again. I've replaced several of these bearings over the years...they are pressed in place and do require a bit of skill and a good press to replace. Sometimes though the bearing will go bad and damaged the nose of the compressor badly enough that the only fix is to replace the compressor. The only real way to tell is to examine it all once the clutch pulley has been removed from the compressor. Hope this helps a bit!

How do you know the AC compressor is always on?
It is always supposed to spin you know.
It is just that there is a clutch that lets the pulley freewheel on the shaft, and the compressor does not then spin even though the pulley is spinning.
But if you were very low on freon, it would also engage the clutch all the time as well. You need to put a gauge on the high side of the pump.

Sounds like you and others are unsure of the source of the noise and until you have verification I would not be pulling the water pump off and hoping that is the problem. If it is a bearing noise it could be a pulley bearing elsewhere.

Make sure you have identified the problem before doing any work. Your car won't be the first that has developed the noise so check with a shop that works on this model vehicle and is familiar with their issues.

If it is the water pump that is faulty, clearly your best bet is to purchase a factory workshop manual for the car and use this to guide you through the process. You can then assess after reviewing the manual if this is something you would be comfortable doing yourself.

Most common situation is wheel(hub) bearing

buy yourself a remanufactured A/C compressor, as you need specialized tools to rebuild and old compressor as well as the seals.

sounds like the clutch disc on a/c compressor,rubbing on bearing/pulley. replace pulley and disc should solve your problem