C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

C55 whine = A/C Compressor Pulley?

Old Apr 12, 2012 | 01:20 PM
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C55 AMG
C55 whine = A/C Compressor Pulley?

I have a 2006 c55 amg that I brought into Mercedes Benz because it died out when I was driving. When the dealership checked out the car, they said it was dying because of a solenoid that needed to be replaced, and quoted me around $700 for parts and labor on that.

Now, I've had the car for a little more than a year now, and it's made a whining noise from the engine compartment ever since I bought it. The noise is pretty high pitched, and it occurs from the second the car is started, growing more high in pitch as I increase the RPMs.

The mechanic at MB told me that the whining noise is unusually loud, that it's the result of a bad pulley inside the A/C compressor, and quoted me around $1800 to fix it. He also told me if I didn't take care of it now it could become a $3000-$4000 fix down the road.

I've spent quite a bit of time on this board, and I've found lots of people referencing a "whining" noise coming from their c55, but I've gotten mixed explanations, very few of which describe the A/C pulley as the culprit.

Does this sound right to you guys?
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Old Apr 12, 2012 | 07:00 PM
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Could be a/c, power steering, or idler pulley. On mine it was the idler pulley (about $15), and I think the other two make some noise but not enough where I can hear it on the stethoscope. The idler pulley definitely sounded like a bag of rocks with the stetho.
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Old Apr 13, 2012 | 12:37 PM
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Yeah, I've heard that it can be the idler pulley as well. Anyways, I did have the technician go ahead and do the work on the a/c compressor, and the whine is 100% gone. Ahhhh finally no more whining from my c55.

I've heard a lot of recordings of c55s that make a similar sound, so for anyone with a c55 who might be experiencing a whine that grows in pitch with the rpms, that pulley inside the a/c compressor could definitely be the culprit.

thanks!
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Old Apr 13, 2012 | 08:10 PM
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We'd really have to hear the noise to tell you if it's normal or not. All 55 AMGs make cold start whining noises from the AIR pump and oil pump.
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Old Apr 14, 2012 | 02:39 PM
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$1800 to replace the A/C pulley is crazy. The pulley cost around $350 list and its 2 hours labor iirc to replace it. I do them all the time and it takes 45 min on a 4 matic car and 20 min on the C55.
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Old Apr 18, 2012 | 05:19 PM
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I'm not sure exactly what it was they replaced. The dealer told me that "a pulley inside the A/C compressor" was causing the problem. I'm not an expert on the subject, so I honestly have no idea what they're specifically talking about. Maybe it was just the pulley that needed to be replaced, and I simply got ripped off. Maybe it was more than just the part you're citing or a different part all together. Like I said, I'm not an expert so I don't know.

All I know is whatever they did made the whining sound go away entirely. At high rpms it's ridiculous how much quieter it is inside the car, and I can hear the engine a lot more clearly now.
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