Community Forums

Flossy · 08-15-2009, 09:35 PM

Today I was driving into Denver on I76 and hit construction. Traffic stopped and then crawled for about an hour at 1 - 5 MPH. When I arrived at the campground in Denver and the engine dropped to an idle I got a growling sound from teh front of the engine like a bearing or pulley going bad. I parked and after everything had cooled off I restarted the engine and the growl was perceptible but much less than before. Any ideas on the cause? I changed my serpentine belt about 2000 miles ago on this prreswent trip but did not replace the idler pulley.

thanks

"007" · 08-15-2009, 09:50 PM

When your in traffic and AC is on the two fans in front of radiator are going to growl and loudly. Once the radiator is cooled noise should fade.
If it has a squeak also it could be your idling pulley

DriVer · 08-15-2009, 10:13 PM

Could be the compressor clutch on the A/C unit. Does the noise change when you engage and disengage the compressor.

Does the noise get any louder if you step on the brake?

sknight · 08-15-2009, 10:20 PM

Chances are you're hearing your fan moving a lot of air for the first time. The sound is comparable to a growl.

Flossy · 08-16-2009, 07:25 AM

Driver, I didn't check about the AC compressor. When we pull out on Tuesday I will check that. The growl was most noticeable at idle. As soon as the engine is reved up it diminishes. It's not the cooling fan, that's a different roar that I familiar with. I ran the steering wheel back and forth and the sound didn't change so I don't think it's the power steering pump.

There's a Workhorse service center in Colorado Springs which is only a few hours south of here. I think I will contact them on Monday and see if I can get it in on Tuesday or Wednesday for a checkup.

thanks

Oemtech · 08-16-2009, 09:56 AM

It could be the serpentine belt idler pulley. The xref part numbers are on my Free Web Site Engine Parts

Flossy · 08-16-2009, 05:30 PM

Thanks Oemy, I didn't change it with the serpentine belt so that may be the problem. Hopefully Workhorse Colorado Springs can pinpoint it and do the repairs.

DriVer · 08-16-2009, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flossy

Thanks Oemy, I didn't change it with the serpentine belt so that may be the problem.

Oemy knows!

Please let us know what the service center found out.

Flossy · 08-21-2009, 03:27 PM

Well Driver was right on the money. As soon as I got to Colorado Springs I stopped in at ATS, the Workhorse Service Center here. they said they could get it in the next morning so bright and early I was on their doorstep. Fortunately the engine was making the said noise when I arrived so I left it running and grabbed a mechanic. He popped the hood and said "your ac compressor is going south."

So we parked the rig, and they proceeded to order the part which had to come from Reno. I sprung for overnight express since it was already Thursday and I didn't want to enjoy their hospitality all weekend. This morning the compressor came in and just after noon they had it finished. In the meantime I had them check the brakes since one of my sets of duallys was running 10 - 15 degrees hotter than the other side. They pulled the wheels and the brakes were fine but they went ahead and lubed the slides, etc. All is now well.

To all, I would highly recommend ATS in Colorado Springs, CO. They got me in right away and had the rig fixed in one days time. The prices were fair and they allowed me to plug in for the night and also had water available if I needed it. They were very courteous and professional. I will also give them a high rating on teh Workhorse website.

Thanks to all for the advice.

mygrayhound · 08-21-2009, 04:26 PM

Flossy - Undergoing same problem right now. RV center said air cond compressor. Noise stops when air turned "on" - quits when off. Hoping to get 400 miles back home over the weekend.

Did they replace the clutch or the whole compressor??
Thanks

Gene

Bob (WA0MQE) · 08-21-2009, 05:15 PM

AC compressors can seize when they don't get used. Not to say this is why your's quit, but it's always a good idea to run the air conditioner even in the winter. Especially when sitting in storage, or during winter traveling when it doesn't get used that much.

DriVer · 08-21-2009, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flossy

Well Driver was right on the money.

... I only learn of these things when I can observe them first hand. Ed Gray had such a failure and he was parked next to me so I observed and learned.

Typically the clutches are not replaceable and they exchange the compressor as a complete unit -- to answer a follow on question.

Flossy · 08-21-2009, 07:42 PM

They replaced the compressor and dryer. I suppose you could just replace the clutch but we did the whole unit.

max49 · 08-23-2009, 07:31 AM

[quote=Flossy;

[/quote]

"To all, I would highly recommend ATS in Colorado Springs, CO."

Hey Flossy since good svc can be hard to find around here sometimes,
Do you have any more info on this 'ATS in Colorado Springs' ?