# Grinding pulsating noise!!



## Gritts (Jan 23, 2011)

Sounds like the ABS pump. It shouldn't make that noise that often. 

1. Check the brake fluid level and if low check for brake fluid leaks.
2. The pump could be bad or 
3. One of the wheel speed sensors could be bad causing the ABS pump to cycle.


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## 619CRUZN (Jul 18, 2011)

It sounds like if there was a cricket under the hood making a grinding noise that you can feel in the petal. 
Either when its in park or in gear it starts rumbling almost. 
I took it in to my dealer and got a call back saying that the problem was normal, when a couple days prior I took it for a ride with one of the techs and he said, "oh wow, yeah that is not normal, it should not be doing that". 
ERRR. :angry:
So I talked to the service manager and he had my compressor replaced, but a couple days later, the noise was back and in full force. 
It almost sounds like there is metal to metal grinding with a short break in between. 

To hear the noise loud and clear the radio must be off as well as the AC. The noise is most prevalent whehttp://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/#n on idle or going 5-10 mph.

Taking it in again for the 3rd time. I will let you guys know when I get my car back.


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

Did they tell you why the A/C compressor was replaced? Just curious on what diagnostics lead to it needing replaced. If a desiccant bag let go and the system wasn't completely cleaned it could lead to the second failing as well.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

Does the noise go away when you turn on the A/C (doesn't need to be on full blast)? I have a repetitive noise that's coming from the A/C system. The dealer replaced my compressor but it didn't fix the noise. They said they called GM but if the new compressor didn't solve it GM didn't have a solution.


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## 619CRUZN (Jul 18, 2011)

They said they honestly did not know what the problem was. I showed them a few other threads off this forum where others mentioned getting their compressors replaced and it it either fixed the problem or somewhat diminished the loudness, and because of that he said we could give it a shot. 
I simply was happy enough with them trying and not tell me it was normal. 
I just went out and put my ear by the AC vent inside the car as i accelerated and the screeching got faster, and as i took my foot off the pedal it went back to the repetitive pulsating grind. 
I can feel the vibration on the steering wheel and the pedal. 

I


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## 619CRUZN (Jul 18, 2011)

Its harder to tell if the pulsing vibration is there when the AC is on, i believe it is, but the AC makes its own separate noise.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...replacing the AC-compressor sounds like a _"...shotgun..."_ approach to the problem.


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## Gritts (Jan 23, 2011)

619CRUZN said:


> It sounds like if there was a cricket under the hood making a grinding noise that you can feel in the petal.
> Either when its in park or in gear it starts rumbling almost.
> I took it in to my dealer and got a call back saying that the problem was normal, when a couple days prior I took it for a ride with one of the techs and he said, "oh wow, yeah that is not normal, it should not be doing that".
> ERRR. :angry:
> ...


Once upon a time I would have assumed this noise would be caused by the serphentine belt. The Cruze has so many new innovations which translate into new things that can go wrong. This noise seems to be common to many threads on this forum.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

On my car, the sound is very noticeable when you place a large screwdriver as a stethoscope against any metal component in the refrigeration system. You can hear it as a loud rumbling, roaring sound. It doesn't do it on a cold start, but only happens when the engine area gets warmed up to operating temperature. If I turn on the A/C, even at the very lowest setting for the fan and a mild setting on the temperature dial, the sound stops almost instantly. The pulses are about 1/2 second apart at idle and are the loudest sound coming from the car - louder than the exhaust or valves or belt system. When they're at their worst (hotter under hood temps) they almost become a squeak. You can't hear it driving, only when stopped or almost stopped. It doesn't seem to affect A/C operation because the A/C cools adequately. 

At first I thought my car's A/C clutch might be defective because the central part of the A/C pulley spins all the time, even when the A/C isn't turned on, but the more I looked at it I decided the Cruze doesn't have a clutch on the A/C pulley. I looked at another 1.8 Cruze at the dealer and it seemed to operate the same way. It didn't make the noise, though. I was sure the A/C compressor was the culprit, that somehow the variable displacement system wasn't going to zero when the A/C is turned off. My theory was the compressor was working against a closed circuit and the pulse was some kind of internal relief valve. Apparently not, since the noise is exactly the same after the compressor was replaced.


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## 619CRUZN (Jul 18, 2011)

*K Guys I got the noise on Video*













 




​
I took 3 different video/ audio from my cell, cause i wasnt sure if it was going to work. You may need to put on headphones to distinctly hear the noise. In the background you will hear a grinding off balance noise that repeatedly comes in and out. 

I dropped off my car on Tuesday (2nd) time for the same problem.
First time they said they replaced the AC compressor, but as time went by the noise got louder and louder, and happened more consistently, till it did it every single time I drove the car. 

Dealership called me today and said the put in a new AC compressor again and that they think it took care of the problem. GM actually had an engineer come from Northern CA to come look at my car. (I live in San Diego)

So if you think these videos may be helpful please feel free to use them. Thankfully the manager at my dealership is cooperative and soooo helpful. He had done everything in his power to make this situation right. 

I cant wait to get my Cruze back and see if it fixed the problem.


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## A&J Cruzin (Aug 8, 2011)

i have heard the same thing a few times...only at idle...only inside the car...and in the garage....maybe ill take the belt off and see if it still does it...then that would tell me its a pulley or something driven by the belt...


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## cruzeman (Mar 13, 2011)

when i first saw you filming by the vent I thought it was going to be the tic tock sound that happens when the hvac gets jammed but I never heard the noise on your video, but im sure its coming!!!


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I could hear the sound very, very faintly in the second video. If they fix your car I'd like to know and especially if there's a way to put my dealership in touch with yours or with those engineers who are checking on it.

Also maybe I can take a video. My sound is much louder than yours and is most noticeable with the hood raised. I'm absolutely positive it's got something to do with the A/C because I can make my noise stop within 2 seconds by turning on the HVAC with the A/C mode engaged.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

I've tried to make a movie with the sound my car makes. The repetitve sound happens about once every 1/2 second. Towards the end of the video I turned on the A/C to show how the sound stops when the A/C is activated. The sound is actually louder than this in warmer weather.


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## 619CRUZN (Jul 18, 2011)

Dale, 
I got my car back on Friday after the shop had it 3 days. I did not go into details about what exactly was replaced, but all service manager could say was that they put in yet another AC compressor. I have only driven my car 20 miles or so since i picked it up, and so far the problem is gone. I dont know if its too soon to tell. 
This is the email I sent to my dealer:

_I wanted to report that the noise has gotten louder and I am starting to worry. It sounds like the problem is escalating and I am afraid the car (engine) may either break down, or me still driving it may be causing more of a problem.

I did as you told me, to turn on the AC while the noise is going, and it seems like the sound stops. As soon as I turn off the AC, the noise comes back. When I simply leave the air turned on (no AC), the grinding is still there.

I have uploaded three videos to youtube, as I had no other way to make sure you get the videos. Please hear all of them, you may need headphone to help hear well.

Also, I am soon due for my first service (oil change), and frankly I do not want to pay to get the service done, when there are still other issues happening. I was hoping that if the time comes that my first service arrives before the engineer can look at my car, that GM covers the cost of that service. I feel it is only fair, as I have to deal with the problem on the daily as I patiently wait for GM to respond.

I greatly appreciate everything you are doing with in your reach. I have attached the links below to the videos and hopefully this shines some light on the issue.

















Anxiously waiting,

Mai _

Dale, 

It was hard for me to get how loud the noise actually was in my car, but as soon as I dropped it off, they called and said, "oh we definitely hear the noise". 
I purchased my car at Jimmie Johnson of Kearny Mesa CA. 

I hope all of this information helps you, I know it is annoying.


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## R1XSTA (Aug 30, 2011)

I think i had a similar noise, Took it to holden. They took me Injectors/Injector Pump.

I listened to 3 other Cruze's with the 1.4T engine, all made the same noise. Made no other thought about it.


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## 619CRUZN (Jul 18, 2011)

listen at 3, 14, 18, 24, 27 seconds. This is what I have now.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

That new noise might be the HVAC door motor trying to move one of the air control doors. Does the air blow out the correct openings when you use each of the air control buttons? Do you hear the noise while the change from one outlet to the other is taking place? Or if that damper is working, maybe it's the temperature control damper. See if you can hear it when you change the temperature position. 

I've read some threads where folks with HVAC control issues made them go away by disconnecting the battery and then hooking it back up again. I've also read GM has a technical bulletin for poor control of the HVAC operation and it involves a reflash of the control module.


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## got_boost (Sep 29, 2011)

Dale_K said:


> I could hear the sound very, very faintly in the second video. If they fix your car I'd like to know and especially if there's a way to put my dealership in touch with yours or with those engineers who are checking on it.
> 
> Also maybe I can take a video. My sound is much louder than yours and is most noticeable with the hood raised. I'm absolutely positive it's got something to do with the A/C because I can make my noise stop within 2 seconds by turning on the HVAC with the A/C mode engaged.


DIDO. inforsolution


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## sellaan (Jun 6, 2011)

This post is very discouraging. Just took my 2011 cruze in and they said it is th a/c compressor which is on backorder. I have to wait for one. By the sounds of eveyone's experience this may be just the beginning of my troubles. :-(


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## Jaycruze (Jul 11, 2011)

I confirmed that turning ON the A/C does stop this sound/vibration in my 2011 Cruze LS.

Now I just hope that GM figures out what is causing it before my warrenty runs out ><


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

Jaycruze said:


> I confirmed that turning ON the A/C does stop this sound/vibration in my 2011 Cruze LS.
> 
> Now I just hope that GM figures out what is causing it before my warrenty runs out ><


Take it in and complain. They'll probably replace the compressor and that might fix it. It didn't for me but it worked for some other people. It's worth a shot. Let us know how it turns out.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

Update - they replaced my A/C compressor for the second time and it seems to have fixed the repetitive noise. 

I was in the service department a couple days ago in my GMC pickup and reminded the service writer that my Cruze was still making the noise. I asked him to call GM and see if they had any new info. He told me he didn't need to call GM because he already knew the answer, which was to replace the compressor again. Another Cruze owner had the same experience as me, and the first replacement didn't make any difference. They replaced it again and the second compressor did the trick. So today I took the Cruze in and they did the same thing for me. One thing I found interesting is that they now apparently stock the A/C compressor. The service writer said they've replaced quite a few of these compressors. 

I only got a chance to test if for a few minutes when I got home from dealer but there was no noise and under the same conditions I would have been hearing it pretty loud before so I think it's fixed.


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## sweetie6116 (Dec 31, 2011)

Well mine makes the grinding sound WITHOUT the AC or heater on.....I don't see how it relates to the AC at all. Also, my car has almost used a quart of oil with 5000 miles on it. Is that normal for a new car?!?!?!? Doesn't sound like it to me.


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## TR-6060 (Mar 17, 2011)

sweetie6116 said:


> Well mine makes the grinding sound WITHOUT the AC or heater on.....I don't see how it relates to the AC at all.


Since the grinding occurs in your case and others with the compressor clutch disengaged (AC off), it is most likely due to the AC clutch pulley bearing. With the AC clutch disengaged, the clutch pulley acts as an idler riding on this bearing. When the clutch engages (AC on) the pulley locks to the compressor shaft to turn it, and the pulley bearing itself no longer rotates, hence the noise disappears.


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## Dale_K (Jul 16, 2011)

sweetie6116 said:


> Well mine makes the grinding sound WITHOUT the AC or heater on.....I don't see how it relates to the AC at all. Also, my car has almost used a quart of oil with 5000 miles on it. Is that normal for a new car?!?!?!? Doesn't sound like it to me.


I'm guessing you have a different problem altogether. And about the A/C clutch - some Cruze models don't use a clutch. My LS doesn't have a clutch for the A/C. The shaft spins all the time and the A/C is regulated through the variable displacment system withing the compressor. The ECO models are equipped with an A/C clutch and I presume that's to improve fuel economy by eliminating the parasitic drag of spinning the A/C compressor (even when it's displacement system is set to zero). My theory is that the noisey cars have no clutchs and compressors that don't go all the way to zero when they're not being asked to provide A/C. That's just a theory.


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## A&J Cruzin (Aug 8, 2011)

well i dont have an eco...and i can hear the clutch engage when i turn the ac on...and the sound goes away when i turn mine on too...i figured out where it was comming from a while ago..just havnt been to service to have it replaced....


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

Dale_K said:


> I've tried to make a movie with the sound my car makes. The repetitve sound happens about once every 1/2 second. Towards the end of the video I turned on the A/C to show how the sound stops when the A/C is activated. The sound is actually louder than this in warmer weather.



Not to dig up an old thread but my 2011 Cruze did this from day one. It is only at idle and goes away when I turn the hvac on. I always thought it was normal because it didn't do it all the time only on warmer days and it never effected how the car ran or how the a/c cooled. 

Did GM ever come up with a solution or a fix besides maybe replacing the compressor that might fix it. I don't really want to mess with my compressor because my a/c works great and I would dread them opening it up and messing around with it.


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