AC noises mazda 3 hatchback

S

smnelsxw

Member
:
mazda 3 hatchback
So I am new to this forum and forums in general so I am sorry in advance if this has already been answered
But i just purchased my first ever Mazda. It is a mazda 3 with a hatchbafk body style. And that is literally all i know about it so far. Anyways after purchasing it i noticed it makes a strange sound when the AC is on. I have googled this issue and i hear its normal for the most part for there to be a sound when the AC cycles. However my concern is with how loud this sound is. Sorry if i sound ridiculous here but is there a certain threshold of loudness i should be worried about with this sound. My AC blows nice cold air so its in good working order. It just makes this strange louder than usual sound when it is cycling. This noise stops as soon as i turn it off and it doesnt happen on heat or anything. ... my question is ... if its too loud should i be concerned the compressor is going out .... orrrrr is this perfectly normal. Also is there any other tell tale signs of a bad compressor i can look out for to see if this is my issue. ???
 
Oh i forgot to mention its a 2008 incase that info is necessary in helping me diagnosis this potential issue.
 
is it a grinding or just a click on noise? if grinding compressor maybe failing if just clicking on thats normal but it could be that the belt is too loose or tight or that it just needs a little freon. my 08 hatch has a loud a/c, i think its because of where the compressor is on the car. it clicks on loud but not loud while running. the 08s (1st gens) have stretch belts on the a/c and the easiest way to change it if its bad is to cut the old one and use a loaner stretch tool (autozone napa etc rent this tool) or unbolt the compressor and carefully move it until you can get the belt on then bolt it back on. the haynes manual has a good write up on this and i think theres actually a how to on this site for that belt, i would go ahead and change both belts if you do the a/c one. check your freon first though and if it needs filling fill it to see if that helps
 
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i would also suggest popping you hood and leave the car idling without the a/c on look at the belts, have someone then turn on the a/c and see if you see/hear anything odd. then have them give it some gas and see if the sound changes pitch or gets louder with throttle input. its probably belts if its getting cold enough and all seems to be working but its squeaking. definitely loose belt if it gets louder as you give it gas.
 
kms1990 said:
is it a grinding or just a click on noise? if grinding compressor maybe failing if just clicking on thats normal but it could be that the belt is too loose or tight or that it just needs a little freon. my 08 hatch has a loud a/c, i think its because of where the compressor is on the car. it clicks on loud but not loud while running. the 08s (1st gens) have stretch belts on the a/c and the easiest way to change it if its bad is to cut the old one and use a loaner stretch tool (autozone napa etc rent this tool) or unbolt the compressor and carefully move it until you can get the belt on then bolt it back on. the haynes manual has a good write up on this and i think theres actually a how to on this site for that belt, i would go ahead and change both belts if you do the a/c one. check your freon first though and if it needs filling fill it to see if that helps
Click to expand...


It is almost like a rumble noise ?!?!?! Its intermittent so it only happens when the AC clicks on. It is almost like a rumble/hum ... deff a hard sound to explain.
 
like a click vrum? if so thats normal mine does that as well and its actually fairly loud from all the other cars i have owned but its really not loud outside/
 
Maybe it is also worth noting this sound seems super loud when it is silent in my car. Buttt is almost inaudible when the stereo is on at a fairly low level. So i suppose it isnt extremely loud. It just a little unsettling.
 
Yes exactly !!! I hear the click and then yeah like a rumble typre vrooom and then it shuts off after awhile. I know i all the cars i have owned i have heard the AC kick in and off before but not quite to this extent or loudness. Being its my first Mazda. And i kinda rushed right into the purchase ... i think i am being overly cautious and skeptical. I listened to a few videos online of bad AC compressor sounds and so far the noise i am hearing doesnt at all sound as unhealthy as the ones in these videos
 
i think your ok man. mines the same way. my old 03 mazda protege5 had a much quieter a/c kick on than this car even with 2x as many miles on it. however they are 2 different cars and i really do think its just where they put the compressor and the type of "stretch belt" that is used on the a/c and the fact the glove box is so huge a hole in the dash it just lets the noise in better. but i wouldnt worry about it unless it makes noise all the time or doesnt blow cold air. get a video of it doing it i can tell you for sure at that point.

on a side note since you just got it if yours needs tires check out the bfgoodrich g force comp 2 a/s (summer tires since your in WA and get snow) ive had them on my car over a year now and they grip amazingly well in wet and dry and are wearing amazingly well.

keep an eye on your tire pressures as well keep them between 31-33psi if your on stock 17" "snowflake" rims as i have had 3 bent in construction due to tire shop over inflating my tires. (minor bends easy fixes but annoying)

post up a few pics of your ride as well let us see it
 
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is your sound more like 1:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoRw9a9-dTo maybe quieter but same type of noise or just a very quick click vroom if its only a few quick seconds of noise its normal if its more than 3 seconds have your compressor looked at it maybe going the way the one in that video was.

the a/c compressor is at the bottom of the belts on the passenger side use a flashlight and watch the triangular part on the pulley if it moves while the a/c is off thats not good. if it looks good past that, then have someone turn the a/c on while you keep watching it it should make a little noise when the clutch(triangular part of the pulley) kicks on and the a/c starts working.
 
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kms1990 said:
i think your ok man. mines the same way. my old 03 mazda protege5 had a much quieter a/c kick on than this car even with 2x as many miles on it. however they are 2 different cars and i really do think its just where they put the compressor and the type of "stretch belt" that is used on the a/c and the fact the glove box is so huge a hole in the dash it just lets the noise in better. but i wouldnt worry about it unless it makes noise all the time or doesnt blow cold air. get a video of it doing it i can tell you for sure at that point.

on a side note since you just got it if yours needs tires check out the bfgoodrich g force comp 2 a/s (summer tires since your in WA and get snow) ive had them on my car over a year now and they grip amazingly well in wet and dry and are wearing amazingly well.

keep an eye on your tire pressures as well keep them between 31-33psi if your on stock 17" "snowflake" rims as i have had 3 bent in construction due to tire shop over inflating my tires. (minor bends easy fixes but annoying)

post up a few pics of your ride as well let us see it
Click to expand...


Awesome i will deff keep that in mind ... luckily i live in the very southern end of WA so our snowall is minimal. Buttttt i am hoping to get some good tires so i can take it up to mount hood for some cosmic tubing haha. Overall tho i think you are right. If anything comes of it tho ill deff post an update ... i just get really skeptical when i rush into purchases like this lol
 
So I am concerned by this noise again. Aftwr a few days of driving it i did notice now that when i accelerate with my hear or air on it make a kind of vroom noise. The noise itself wouldnt have me too worried since it almost sounds like a race car type noise but the fact it only happens when i am blowing air and it started happening a few days after i got it has me a bit concerned. Still blow cold and hot ... could it be a fan issue ??? If so how bad is continueing to drive with this going on. I dont know much about cars aside from the basics and noyhing about mazdas so it has me a little nervous. This was suppose to be a reliable ride with no issues.
 
kms1990 said:
is your sound more like 1:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoRw9a9-dTo maybe quieter but same type of noise or just a very quick click vroom if its only a few quick seconds of noise its normal if its more than 3 seconds have your compressor looked at it maybe going the way the one in that video was.

the a/c compressor is at the bottom of the belts on the passenger side use a flashlight and watch the triangular part on the pulley if it moves while the a/c is off thats not good. if it looks good past that, then have someone turn the a/c on while you keep watching it it should make a little noise when the clutch(triangular part of the pulley) kicks on and the a/c starts working.
Click to expand...

I tried doing this. Butttttttt i am not exactly sure what i am looking at. It seems everything attached to that belt is spinning constantly.
 
smnelsxw said:
I tried doing this. Butttttttt i am not exactly sure what i am looking at. It seems everything attached to that belt is spinning constantly.
Click to expand...

Watched the video and my sound doesnt sound that bad or constant it is only when the air is blowing. But it does seem to be getting louder and it also makes a different noise when i accelerate with any sort of air hot or cold blowing then the car makes without any air on.
 
kms1990 said:
that sounds fun, texas gets almost no frozen anything
Click to expand...

Oh yeah that is no fun at all lol. I love the PNW i feel like all our seasons are pretty amazing ... its only a short drive to play in the snow on the mountains. We have the coast super close too anddddd summer is the best with all of our rivers and lakes ... i really couldnt imagine living anywhere else ... it is truly paradise here i love it lol.
 
How many miles are on your odometer? That would help determine whether your compressor bearing is starting to go.
 
smnelsxw said:
https://youtu.be/BFQqVM-sSKc

https://youtu.be/oWmwJd5YaHw

https://youtu.be/8bgYi680n-M




Here are links to my sound i recorded
Click to expand...

that sounds like a compressor bearing starting to fail. mine is just click on click off no grinding. that growl yours is making is almost a sure fire you need a new compressor noise. a/c is not something you want to skimp on either, if its done wrong your in for more headaches and more money out of your pocket then if you just have it done right the first time. do you have a shop or handy friend that can do the work or help you do the work that you can trust to take on an a/c job? if you replace the compressor spend the money and replace the condenser, receiver/drier and evaporator, when the compressor starts failing it can and usually does send tiny metal fragments into the whole a/c system and they lodge into these other components and can ruin your new compressor again if they arent all gone and the only way to get them all out is to replace these parts and flush the lines completely usually flushing these components wont get all the pieces. it does cost more initially however it will pay and save you in the long run. if you do the work yourself you will need about 18oz of r134a freon and 5oz of pag46 a/c oil
 
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