Hello - What a wonderful forum. I wish I had come here a year ago when I bought my 04 HCH with 150K miles. Since then, I had to replace the transmission, but otherwise am happy with the car. (Got such a good deal that the new transmission still brings my total cost to less than blue book.) My wife hates it, though, because she's still mad at me for needing to buy it in the first place, but that's another story for another time...

There is this little problem with what sounds kind of like a grinding noise, or like a chain rattling. At first, we were really scared by it, but now it's just annoying.

It only happens at low RPMs, and only while the A/C is on. Problem solved simply by shutting off the A/C, but who wants to drive like that in July?

It started about two months ago, and I know I should just have the dealer look at it, but who has the time. Anyone else experienced this? Should I really be worried? I've looked up and down the forum and don't see anything that rings a bell.

Michael

Hi Michael, just out of curiousity what was wrong with the transmission? I'm guessing it was a CVT? did the belt and/or clutch start slipping?

The AC sound could be a bad bearing perhaps or something wrong with the belt tensioner, it could also be something inside the AC unit itself.

Have a close listen with the hood up and see if its coming from the compressor itself or the other belt hardware.

It turned out to be a bad A/C compressor: $895
Plus, a couple other parts that go with it to ensure the new warranty, plus labor = $1700
Plus, three days of driving the Sienna to the train at 18 MPG, plus the wife already hated that this wasn't the car she would have chosen in the first place.

I have now put as much into repairs over the year I have owned it as I paid for it in the first place. My total cost is now just below blue book, so I still got a great deal.

But, since the insurance only paid the original cost, what I have done is doubled the value of the '00 Accord that was stolen by moving cash out of my pocket and into the car. In other words, now I'm driving a better car that I didn't deserve because the extra cost wasn't in the budget. Thus the wife hates it, and I guess I can't blame her.