My wife's 2011 HHR 1LT makes a very irritating whirring noise when the a/c is on. This noise gets louder when accelerating and disappears if you turn the a/c off, but returns if you put a/c back on. She has taken it to local Chevy dealer twice and they shrug shoulders and say nothings wrong with it. This car is almost out of warranty and she is scared to keep the car because she figures the a/c will quit as soon as the warranty expires. HELP please. This noise can't be normal, it only started recently.

 

My best guess is that the noise is the alternator. Sounds silly, and your alternator may seem fine if they test it at an auto parts store. The problem is that the connections corrode. The first thing I would do is disconnect my alternator wires and battery cables, and clean them all with electrical cleaning solvent, the terminals too...

Hope it helps.

 

Hi yumasal,

You could also try taking it to a different dealership while you are still in warranty. Maybe they'd be able to see what the other dealer didn't-- a fresh pair of eyes never hurts. Hope you're able to get this fixed! Keep us posted.

Regards

Amber N.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

yumasal......

In Yuma, AZ so I suppose only one Chevrolet dealer for probably 100 miles. Maybe the other GM dealership....I think it's Cadillac, which could get you better results, because of the prestige car.

But here's a thought, look in the phone book for the GM Yuma Proving Ground phone number (it's a 20-30 miles north on 95.....at the military reservation). See if you can connect with a Chevrolet Engineer....which might be difficult. Explain your difficulty and ask if he/she can assist in any way.....especially with interaction with the dealer. They probably can't work on your car personally, but they can inquire with the dealer and stir the pot a little.

By the way, to me it sounds like your a/c clutch is going out.

GM Customer Service.....why can't you step into this and assist his inquiry with the dealer? The guys over 100 miles from the next closest dealer. He lives in a city (?) that is in the middle of nowhere.......it's the boonies!! Look it up....unless of course, he goes across the border to Mexico.....and that ain't gonna happen.

 

Nearest "other" dealer is 100's of miles away. Local service manager heard the noise, kept the car all day, put 30+ miles on it and said it's fine, just because it blows cold does NOT mean there isn't a problem.

 

I think it is something like the clutch. She'd trade it in on something new, but can't find another car that "fits" her, she has Parkinson's disease and needs a car that is easy for her to get in and out of.

 

Thanks, I will try this, IF I can find the alternator, lol

 

It's on the front of the block, right above the A/C compressor. I'd bet its probably the compressor clutch, but a bad alternator bearing can start complaining when the belt is under the extra load imposed by the compressor.

 

I'm going to do further research on this issue. Could you please private message me your name, address, vehicle identification number, and current mileage? Also the name of the Chevrolet dealership you have been working it.

Thanks,

Jessica L.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

Thanks for responding, Jessica.

It's up to you now, yumasal !!!!!