Help! Clicking Noise With AC Turned On

[timmer]

Help,

I just started hearing a "clicking" noise coming from the right-front of the Jeep. The sound reminds me of a twig caught in your bicycle spokes, where the faster the wheels turn, the faster the clicking.

I was parking when I first heard it (today) and at first I thought it was a wheel bearing but the noise stops when I turn the AC controls off.

Crap! I just got paged again so I have to go to work. Any ideas on what this could be would be appreciated, I'll check back here when I return.

Cheers,

Tim

Edited to add: Would this be an expensive noise?

 

[kb0nly]

Only with the AC on? Is the AC blowing nice and cold and steady temp? Could be a bad clutch on the compressor, or even a failing belt tensioner thats jumping with the added load of the ac compressor.

 

[timmer]

Only with the AC on? Is the AC blowing nice and cold and steady temp? Could be a bad clutch on the compressor, or even a failing belt tensioner thats jumping with the added load of the ac compressor.

Yes, only with the AC\vent\heat on - just got back home!

I just had the AC clutch and serpentine belt replaced - maybe 2 months ago.

I'll probably just drop it off at my mechanic's place tomorrow morning and take the day off.

Thanks man...

Edited to add: Oh, forgot to add that the AC seems to work great but I can't figure out the relationship to wheel speed thing. If I'm at a stop the noise stops. When I move again the "clicking" speeds up in relation to my vehicle speed. I even put it on vent for a while and the sound was still there. Thankfully, it was only 90 degrees out with just 89 percent humidity when I went to work at the beginning of this post...ugggg.

Again, it sounds like it is coming from the right-front vent area.

Edited again to add: please don't say the "C" word. I opened the hood earlier when I first noticed the sound and I saw some frost on a hose under the hood but seeing as I never open the hood I didn't know if it was normal or not.

Thanks...

 

[tjkj2002]

The belt tensioner is going bad.

 

[timmer]

The belt tensioner is going bad.

Thanks for responding TJ, serpentine belt tensioner?

 

[kb0nly]

Thanks for responding TJ, serpentine belt tensioner?

Yep.. Thats what i was thinking to.