E90 BMW N52 AC Compressor Failure Diagnosis Bad Knocking Sound

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In this video I show you what the failing air conditioning compressor unit sounds like on my 2007 328i with N52 engine. The knocking noise started rather suddenly one night when taking the car to dinner. The knocking is so bad it sounds almost like a rod knock in a severely damaged engine!
Simply use the T60 torx bit to release tension on the tensioner and slip off the serpentine belt from the crank pulley. I start the car and listen for knocking... totally gone! This confirms my suspicions that the AC compressor has gone bad after 269,XXX miles!
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of BIMMERZEIT, we cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. BIMMERZEIT assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. BIMMERZEIT recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of BIMMERZEIT no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not BIMMERZEIT. Video and Content is owned by BIMMERZEIT © 2019

[@BIMMERZEITT]

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[@exaltedb]

Had this happen today with my n55 335i e90. Also feared the worst (rod knock), took it in to the mechanic and right when I was pulling in the whole compressor seized in the mechanic’s parking lot. Before it seized, he determined it to be the compressor and when it failed, I was immediately relieved that my engine is just fine

[@samaitamutasa3837]

What you've narrated is exactly what just happened to me today..my 2005 bmw 325 is now on 168k km mileage. I was so relieved to know that it's the AC compressor not the engine..i was worried.

[@BMWDoctor]

yo bro if you need any help with this engine bro you know where I am

[@GTADR]

Help

[@Asserti]

This video made me so happy. My 2005 130i sounded exactly the same, I thought the engine was toast (rod knock). So happy the sound dissappeared with taking the belt off. Since it was winter time, I fixed it quickly with a shorter belt, excluding the AC Compressor

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Asserti that’s great news! So glad this helped you out. I knew it would eventually help someone!!

[@ethamagm]

If you dont mind me asking what size belt did you use I have the same 2005 model 130i and it just started making this noise finds do not permit a new compressor at this time so I'd rather exclude for now.

[@Asserti]

ethamagm 6pk1098 fitted perfectly

[@ethamagm]

@@Asserti thanks a bunch really appreciate that.

[@Asserti]

ethamagm you’re welcome! Its also not necessary to change the whole compressor. You can look for a new ‘clutch’ and install that

[@adecosa]

I'll be trying this the day after tomorrow, I have the same noise. Thanks for the video man! Greatly appreciated!

[@redvids555]

nice tractor man.

[@vincejones3381]

Definitely sounds like the AC compressor. The pulley from the AC compressor broke off and belt came off while I was troubleshooting my e92 328i @106k in my garage. I also have the same knocking sound right before the whole incident. The knocking sound was a sign that the AC compressor was about to go. Good video!

[@ezequielsanchez981]

Thank you a lot I check my car and it was the a/c compressor I thought at first it was a rod knock

[@BIMMERZEITT]

👏🏻👏🏻

[@sr20dett1000]

This happened to my e90 328i n51. You do not need to replace the compressor. I just replaced the pulley with new bearing it cost me $107 for the part. I did it myself. Compressor did not fail only pulley bearing. AC works blows cold air. At first I thought it was too the vanos gear nut backing off(known issue) because of the knocking noise it was making.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

sr20dett1000 wow that’s great news, thanks for sharing that info here. I paid a fortune to have a shop do the compressor due to needing an ac machine. Around $500. You did the pulley with the compressor left in place?

[@sr20dett1000]

@@BIMMERZEITT Yes. I just removed the radiator fan for more room.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

sr20dett1000 any chance you have the part number you bought? Post it here for others to see 😎 nice work!

[@sr20dett1000]

@@BIMMERZEITT On eBay KSBMW115. On Amazon KSBMW11523. The brand is PSC. It is the only place to find them.

[@josearteaga2946]

Thank you very much for the tip

[@Alpina19900]

Great video had the exact same issue and found it with your video thanks

[@udenspasaule]

I have same sound but only 2-3 minutes in cold start. When i accelerate it go faster bit after some minutes its gone. I think its AC compressor, but strange anyway. BMW f11 2.0.

[@juanjsalazar6842]

My 528 is doing the same noise just helped me thanks

[@anthonygill5648]

What i like about.your video is that you get into the details i figured the problem out right away i would like to see you the. Air compressor video

[@yourdealer42]

Thank you for posting this you might’ve just saved me a lot of trouble! I have the 06 330i manual and it randomly starting making this same noise today, gonna remove the belt tomorrow when I get home from work. Did you keep driving it while waiting for the part?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Brandon .rennie great! No I am not driving it, definitely don’t keep driving! If the compressor seizes the shared main drive belt will also seize and just cause more problems for you. Let us know if you had the same issue... keep us updated!

[@BIMMERZEITT]

any update?

[@simplelangperorock]

Amazing mileage. Great job.

[@johncoker-dm6tf]

It makes same noise but the AC works perfectly..is it advisable to still change the compressor??

[@jaimeareias8345]

Does it start the noise when cold or only after heating up?

[@LightsaberMaker]

Had the same issue the belt got thrown off the compressor noise gone good news thankfully.

[@FOD832]

same exact sound I heard my e90 325i 😉 👍

[@blindspy]

Can this happen gradually? I have this sound to a lesser degree. Wondering if it’s the beginning of this issue…?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

One way to find out…

[@dovydasjonkus1816]

i was search info how bypass AC for 2006 330d,no info found so im share for my experience i put 6sk 1685 belt fits good,maby for perfect fit would be good 1680.

[@adecosa]

How'd the 1685 work out? Did you switch to a 1680?

[@dovydasjonkus1816]

@@adecosa no, i drive with 1685 for 6 month till summer,all was fine

[@adecosa]

@@dovydasjonkus1816 awesome, thanks for the quick reply

[@raularias4520]

if it was A crankshaft pulley making the knocking noise, would it still make noise even with the belt off? or could the knocking be from somewhere else. ive taken my belt off but i still get a knocking sound

[@etienlemut1777]

Good video.

[@ryhu5642]

Same sound as mine n46 b20b engine

[@anthonygill5648]

Your the best

[@NotMe-bb5mm]

I had a bad o2 sensor I think bank one sensor 2 the one on the bottom cat and I drive like that for a while can the misfires make the Lilly go bad ?

[@alloutofdonuts3998]

Mine doesn’t make this noise but I’m wondering if my compressor is bad. I did the AC Pro recharge which lasted about a week. So I got some Freon w/dye but i don’t see any dye anywhere. I’m wondering if it wasn’t enough Freon to get the compressor to kick on. I read that there’s a low pressure switch that will keep the compressor from coming on if it’s low on Freon.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

so you charged it and it worked but then stopped again? If that’s the case then it sounds like the compressor is working. Then again the ac compressor failure seems to be common on this generation bmw and not others. Honestly I bring my ac work to a local shop as there isn’t really a safe way to recover refrigerant, diagnose and fill to correct pressures without a (very expensive) ac machine. Try a local shop you trust to have a look. May only be $99 ac service as a diagnosis fee to start

[@georgiuzunov4006]

Just curious, was the car doing the knocking all the time? AC on or off? Engine warm or cold?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Georgi Uzunov yes it was doing it all the time, ac on and off, engine hot or cold. Had to remove serpentine belt to diagnose, since the knocking was constant. Local shop said it sounded like rod knock lol. They were wrong, a used AC compressor resolved it.

[@georgiuzunov4006]

@@BIMMERZEITT I have a similar tick and my mechanics told me to change the hydraulic lifters (different car, same sound). You can imagine how pissed I was after throwing that money to something that didn't fix the tick/knock. On my end it's more pronounced on a cold engine, the warmer it gets, the better it gets overall to the point when you can barely hear it. I'll take off my belt on Tuesday with my new mechanic and I'll leave a comment if the noise was coming from AC/Alternator/PS pump.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

@@georgiuzunov4006 these N52 engines are known for lifter tick issues, there was some recall campaign years ago for some cylinder head replacements. Otherwise, its just a loss of oil pressure in some lifters while the car sits. Most of them will tick away for hundreds of thousands of miles (270,000 miles on this car) without issue. Annoying, but harmless in most cases. The knocking sound in this video is different than the lifter ticking. Hopefully this resolves your issue. Let us know!

[@keenanjeff]

I would try refilling the PAG oil and doing a back yard recharge first always works on my VW's

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Jeff Keenan hey Jeff thanks for the tip! I will definitely look into it. Did you pick up the new Corvette yet?

[@keenanjeff]

BIMMER ZEIT no new corvette yet waiting for the big dealers to get inventory and start discounting hopefully before spring.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

@@keenanjeff good call! Just had the compressor replaced locally $512. Almost what I paid for the car lol! Knocking is gone!

[@keenanjeff]

BIMMER ZEIT yea i try everything else first those all in one sealer / oil / refrigerant cans actually work i fixed a vw compressor for a few years with one but once they lock up a new compressor is the only choice and never cheap

[@Saywhatohno]

I have the same noise in my bmw323i 2010. I hope it’s my AC compressor.

[@johnwick239gh]

My car has the excat same noise but it doesn't persist. It only makes this noise when i accelerate hard and no noise at all when i decelerate. Any ideas? Do you have any videos on how to remove A/C compressor belt? Mine is N52 X1 2011 e84

[@Chris-co7yv]

Hey man did you ever resolve this, having the same issue now, sound a bit like the video but less noticeable on idle until I start accelerating

[@noceilings9394]

Do i take the belt off completely or do i need to have it s certain way when diagnosing the car ?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Take it off

[@shoponline831]

Same as my 07 328i

[@Goldilox328]

Hey did your AC still work even while making this noise?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Yes I recall that it did still blow cold. But YMMV and your refrigerant could be low anyway. These cars do leak over time.

[@Dylan.Jordan]

Did the ac compressor cause a code??

[@brandong2122]

Please help, currently an owner of an e92 M3 2008 and it is making the same noise, super loud, now the ac compressor was changed and noise remains, what do you suggest? What do you think it is? No mods have been done to engine just some cat back exhausts...

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Brandon Garcia I hate to say it but e92 m3 v8 known for rod bearing failure. Search e92 m3 Tedward he has a whole video on his m3 tear down.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZrNe5uDjMxmiLM

[@mlorenzo5972]

Hey quick question did u still drive it to the shop like that..?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

I drove it to the shop like that yes. But I put the belt back on first!!

[@TheMASDrummer]

This just literally happened to me 1h ago. I'm on the roadside waiting for a tow truck. I thought it was rod knock!

[@JoiceVaderd]

This just happened to me, after I left work. Had it towed back to work, thinking it was rod knock. Was gonna do a teardown until I heard a bunch of people to tell me to check the compressor. I decided to look up a video and found this. This is the exact noise.

[@rileymccoy2370]

Sorry if this is alittle late but when you start to accelerate does the noise go away

[@BIMMERZEITT]

riley mccoy no it gets worse/louder. It sounded very much like a rod knock. This car was repaired with a new AC compressor.

[@rileymccoy2370]

BIMMER ZEIT when I accelerate it gets faster but it seems to go away at a higher gear

[@BIMMERZEITT]

riley mccoy interesting. Your best bet is to remove the belt like I did here to check the compressor. Report back here what you find!

[@masonhilmo8461]

Did this make the car sluggish when you accelerated?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

I didn't notice. I'll let you know if it feels better once I replace the AC compressor! In a week or so

[@alejandroochoa3541]

Mine is!!

[@alejandroochoa3541]

Figure it out?

[@kylelevers5955]

Do you know if it’s safe to drive it. With it knocking?

[@jonathancontreras7878]

Can I still drive my 328 whilst it has this problem?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

I wouldn’t recommend it. What if the AC compressor seizes up... with the shared serpentine belt. Could cause a lot of additional problems.

[@trevorbressman6717]

Is this channel still live? I need the color code to re paint my car 😭😭😭

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Oh it’s alive alright. The code is A41 barrique rot metallic. Good luck!

[@cashtracka]

I have that color 325i 06

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Cash Tracka great color, very rare 😎

[@damontownsend92]

My e61 has stafted doing the same, can I take that belt off that powers my ac pump to see, and also can it be driven for a few days with it off?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

No because this N52 engine design has a single belt driving all of the components, unlike older motors such as the M54.

[@damontownsend92]

@@BIMMERZEITT I should have said my e61 has a 2.5 diesel with a twin belt system, I took it to a lad who worked at BMW and he took belt off for me.

[@chewaynemcfarlane6409]

Can it still drive. Mines making same sound

[@BIMMERZEITT]

Chewayne Mcfarlane I drove mine short trips for a while like that, but it is sketchy! I wouldn’t recommend it in case the compressor seizes and other engine damage occurs.

[@chewaynemcfarlane6409]

Jus change ac compress then but my ac still wrk

[@FOD832]

it’s drive able but wouldn’t do it at long days. It hasn’t effected the engine at this point yet.

[@louiecabadas812]

What code did you get for this on obd scanner ?

[@BIMMERZEITT]

No code, AC still worked great despite the noise.

[@louiecabadas812]

Thanks bro

[@srhabb]

That does not sound like rod knock for anyone wondering.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

It totally sounds like rod knock! My local indie shop agreed.

[@alexandert4252]

What knock? Don't hear any in video... It usualy is much more prominent. Just injectors clicking

[@alexandert4252]

@Colton Gichard I only listened to part with belt off by mistake. The knocking here is so obvious it's easy to find, thought the problem is more subtle

[@carterjortega]

Ok so I’m getting the same exact sound on my 2009 BMW 328Xi except I have violent shaking and extreme decrease of power as well as getting codes cylinder 3 and 4 misfire .

[@RuatyOG]

I have the same sorta problem, i changed the cylinders. Still the same sounds and misfire.. Mine is a e90 318i 2010... Im gonna do an enginge swap later on but i wanna fix it. Did u find out what it was? If it was the AC

[@carterjortega]

@@RuatyOG Nope was told that there was pieces of metal in the engine and that it will cost $5000 for a new engine. Car is now at a junkyard I’m sick of bmw and the cheap nonsense I’m switching to Mercedes it’s nothing but issues everyday I drive the car I’m afraid the engine is gonna blow of or something gonna happen and it does this is my second car in my life that happens to be a bmw by the way my previous bmw was just junked amd this newer one was from a reputable car dealer ship and I took an immediate 10K loss SELL AND RUNNNNNNNN. AND DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT AUDI THEY ARE NO BETTER

[@RuatyOG]

@@carterjortega Hahahha too shaye i have both an Audi A4 2TDI and a 318i😂 My audi is just fine but only driven 128k kilometres. Bmw is a project car so ima change engine after a while

[@gabrielkgamane1005]

Where is the oil cooler? cant see it by the filter???

[@cfworkers]

Had the same issue, to easily diagnose without taking off the belt, just turn off the aircon

[@Asserti]

doesn't help, the compressor doesn't have a classic magnetic switch but is constantly turning with the engine

[@cfworkers]

@@Asserti in the end it was two ignition coils or something, sort of like a bigger spark plug. Was cheap to replace them.

[@shoponline831]

That’s he mine sounds

[@Al.Get2It]

My car has the same knockin noise, a local shop is charging me 1500 for a replacement 🥺

[@XtaticVideo]

них..я себе (Wow)

[@johncoker-dm6tf]

It makes same noise but the AC works perfectly..is it advisable to still change the compressor??

[@johncoker-dm6tf]

It makes same noise but the AC works perfectly..is it advisable to still change the compressor??

[@BIMMERZEITT]

I would. Why wait for it to totally fail and potentially contaminate the entire AC system with ground metal. That would be a real headache.