Hey everyone. I am getting a chirping noise when the ac is running. It is about 2 feet in front of the drivers seat and low. Is there a way I can fix this?

 

Sounds like a belt. Gie a look and see if they're tight. If it's more than a "chirp" than it's probably something else, lol...

 

See thread https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ith-video.html

There is an AC expansion valve in the area behind the brake pedal. Low refrigerant likely causes the noise. The reported fix is to add a bit more refrigerant.

I have the same noise also but only hear it when all 4 of these conditions are satisfied: windows are up, vent fans set to low, driving at low speed, and no music playing. Usually at least 1 of the 4 conditions is not met, so I don't hear it that often.

 

I actually have the same issue with the 2004 LS I just purchased.

The AC seems to cool fine, but I did think it was odd that there seemed to be a constant "slurping" noise when the AC is on, it's not loud, but it's clearly there. All cars with AC have this same noise from time to time, but it's usually a cycle that only lasts a few seconds. On this LS, it was continuous. It seemed out of character for a "flagship" car.

I remember my wifes GX was doing this, and it did turn out to be low on refrigerant, but the dealer couldn't find the leak. FWIW, I would recommend not taking your car to the dealer for an AC issue. They basically charged me $300 to top off it off, an independent AC specialist would have probably been about $80. This stuff isn't rocket science for a person with the right equipment.

So for those that had it refilled, the noise did go away? Did the AC cool "better."

 

Could I top it off with some AC from the store? I didn't know there was a belt there. I'll check it out.

 

You can, but I wouldn't recommend it.

To really get the best performance out of your ac system, the refrigerant has to be completely evacuated, then the right amount of refrigerant weighed to the car manufacturers specs, then that precise amount put back in. Most ac shops have a machine that can accurately do this. R-134 systems are much more "sensitive" to having the right amount than r-12 freon.

But you can just top it off with a cheap "can meter" , but it's not going to be precise.

If you are going to do it yourself, make sure you get the cans with the STRAIGHT R-134, NOT the r-134 with the "sealer" in it.