2001 Chevy Impala scratching sound only when AC is on

Tiny
MRS_LOPEZ23
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA
  • 6 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 120,000 MILES
I just bought this car 3 mths ago, I have given a tune up bout a month ago. Today I turned the ac on while driving and it started making this weird scratching sound only when I turn the ac on. Oh, and when I have the ac on it works like when I bought it, great! I have been having problems with the car turning off while im driving but it turns back on immediatly. I dont know whats going on and cant seem to find a honest mechanic. Please any advise. Thank you!
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 AT 10:29 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
  • 31,937 POSTS
Hi there,

This just may be a loose A/C drive belt, look at this first, if tight there may be a fault with one of the pulley bearings, but a belt will be my first thought, start here.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 AT 10:34 PM
Tiny
TAKECHARGESARGE
  • MECHANIC
  • 92 POSTS
Hi mrs_lopez23,

I agree it seems difficult to find an honest mechanic when your car is doing things that it shouldn't and it only seems to do those things when you are driving and not when the mechanic is checking it out.

For the turning off problem, if it is not giving any kind of check engine light when it turns off, then I believe it is probably caused by the Crankshaft Position Sensor. If the resistance thru the sensor falls outside the acceptible range, the power to the ignition circuit will shut down. These sensors have been known to cause intermittent shutdown of the engine only to allow the engine to be started again. It usually takes 5 to 15 minutes before it will restart.

Good luck to you. There are many more honest mechanics out there than most people think. Especially when you have a problem and they don't seem to have a clear procedure in their troubleshooting guide that pinpoints the part or parts that is the cause.

It only took me 1 1/2 years to get a correct diagnosis on my car's engine shutdown problem. The one thing I could always count on, "It would always start up for me within 5 to 10 minutes".

TakeChargeSarge
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Thursday, May 13th, 2010 AT 2:58 AM

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