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Noisy a/c compressor engagement/disengagement?

10K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  jang859 
#1 ·
I'm not sure if this is because the engine is so smooth itself that other ancillary noises are more noticeable, but not having another 08 EX-L V6 to compare to, I'm wondering if this is normal. If I have the climate control set to Auto and set at a particular temperature, and sitting idle, I can feel/hear the A/C compressor cycling on/off as well as the engine fan. I can understand the fan being noisy, but the compressor sounds a bit out of place. When engaging, there is a barely audible screatching noise that goes away pretty quickly.

Is this normal?
 
#3 ·
What a shame. Such a quiet motor ruined by A/C noises. The ironic thing is the various American cars I've owned had noisy engines but quite A/C compressors. Or, was it that the motors were so noisy it masked the A/C noises?? ;-)
 
#4 ·
Yes! i complained and went to the dealer, its a constant sound like a hampster running on a wheel, sounds squeaky. Anyway i got in other new cars, they all have the same problem!

so it's everyone's car apparently.

my girlfriends 6th generation accord does not do this.

such a shame.
 
#14 ·
Well my 02 will lurch forward a bit if the compressor kicks on and I'm at a stop with my foot on the brake. If it cycles off, the brake pedal looses and travels inward. Weird to say the least. The Passat I have also has auto climate control and while it doesn't do this, it is extremely loud from the outside. When you turn the car off and exit, it sounds like a jet engine powering down, no joke.
 
#5 ·
wow, that sucks. considering that I have the climate control on 99% of the time, my car sounds like ass 99% of the time... Funny thing is, I didn't notice this during the test drive. You think its possible if enough people complain they will issue a TSB fix for this?
 
#6 ·
I and other's have noticed the HVAC blower motor is noisy especially on low, mine makes a sort of "chirping" sound - but only on the lowest fan speed.

The second issue has to do with how the engine feels when the AC compressor kicks in, on my I4 I can really feel the drag on the engine and even see the RPM's drop for a fraction of a second until the idle stabilizes, then the engine feels "rough" at idle any time the AC compressor is on.

I went back to my Honda dealer and complained, the tech can see and feel what my complaint is but said it was "normal" and to prove her point we went out to three brand new Accords sitting on the lot and started the motor and cycled the AC on/off. Sure enough the "roughness" and "draw" on the motor was plainly evident.

So I have to believe it's a common design trait of Honda's.
 
#9 ·
Keep in mind that AC's are drags to any car engine and that's normal for just about every car on the road that uses AC.

Plain and simple, if the AC's on then your car (engine) has to work a little hard because of the extra load. I also believe that the less powerful of the engine the more you'll feel the drag of the extra load.
 
#7 ·
I don't know, maybe the manual AC on LX is different than the4 auto on the EXL but I checked out mine yesterday even out of car next to hood and I don't hear anything strange, it all totally normal air-compressor/cooling fan sounds (in car with radio off I really only hear the fans, other than the "click" when AC starts).
the interior fan is loud on high/max but I rarely use more than 2/3 of max.

Yes, with the AC on the 2.4 does get slightly rougher (you can notice ac is on) and it does affect power, but this happens on all cars even V6 and V8, you just notice it less as they have more torque as engine displacement goes up
 
#8 ·
I don't hear any of these strange anomalies either. ? If I'm in the garage, I can hear the radiator fans kick on, but that's about it.

I must be one lucky b*****d, because all I read on this board all day long is complaints about squeaks, rattles, groans, noisy this and that. I've yet to be plagued by any of them :notworthy
 
#10 ·
My 1992 Camry 4cyl with 280,000 miles on it has a MUCH quieter A/C compressor than my 08 Accord. My other two cars were American with V8 engines. They were much quieter as well. When moving, it's fine. But when stationary and having the climate control set to Auto and it cycles on and off, it is very apparent and annoying. It just makes it feel like a much cheaper car.
 
#15 ·
its not the ac compressor i am talking about its part of the hvac. even if the heat is on or if the system is running at all (anything but if you hit the OFF switch) you can hear hampsters running in their squeaky cages-part of the hvac motor.

it was dead silent in the 6th gen in my experience.
 
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