[Digieditny]

Hello everyone! So my wife has been driving the smart. She came home today and said the car is making a weird noise when she turns on the AC. Here's a youtube video of the noise.

It comes in cycles. Off and on. I have not verified if the AC is cold. The noise stops when I turn off the AC button. I'm hoping it may be a loose belt? Hoping... What else can it be? Please dont tell me that the compressor is going... I'm sure that'll be costly and summer is just around the corner here in Los Angeles...

Any guess??

 

[jsenka]

That's the radiator fan. Unfortunately, it sounds like it has reached the end of it's life.
The fan runs when the engine temp gets up to around 210 degrees or so (somebody chime in with the actual temp) and it runs constantly when the A/C is on.
It's a pretty big job to DIY. +/- $700 to have it done.
There is a post by Jimvw57 about replacing it with an aftermarket fan that doesn't require major disassembly.

 

[Digieditny]

That's the radiator fan. Unfortunately, it sounds like it has reached the end of it's life.
The fan runs when the engine temp gets up to around 210 degrees or so (somebody chime in with the actual temp) and it runs constantly when the A/C is on.
It's a pretty big job to DIY. +/- $700 to have it done.
There is a post by Jimvw57 about replacing it with an aftermarket fan that doesn't require major disassembly.

That sucks . I don't have the space for any big jobs... Just changing the speakers took up most of my shared drive way. I'll look for Jimvs57 post.

So now I have to fear the car overheating? Man it doesn't even have 15k miles yet. Can anyone recommend a mechanic in Los Angeles?

 

[jsenka]

I did one of mine and it took around 7 hours working alone, including a couple of parts runs. You have to drain the cooling system, discharge the A/C, remove the front clip, headlights, crash bar and the core support. Not really THAT bad, but bad enough. Jim's method is a lot easier, but I wasn't able to do it that way due to my intercooler. http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f181/oh-sh-bang-update-126289/index4.html#post1406001

The fan may work for a while, but you're risking engine damage if the engine gets hot and the fan decides to die completely.
Without the A/C on, the fan doesn't run that often unless the outside air temperature is high (like 80+), and you're not moving much. Like getting stuck in slow traffic. That never happens in SoCal, does it?

The above link shows how far I disassembled mine, plus I think Jim's stuff is there too.

 

[jimvw57]

I posted the pictures on Photobucket before they got greedy so they probably won't show up on the original post.

http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f353/noise-front-end-ac-43949/index4.html

Sounds like either a broken fan blades or a broken fan mount. either way, the whole front end has to come off... OR you can leave it n there and add an auxiliary fan in front of the radiator that will blow air back through the radiator. much cheaper and a lot less work.

 

[Digieditny]

I posted the pictures on Photobucket before they got greedy so they probably won't show up on the original post.

http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f353/noise-front-end-ac-43949/index4.html

Sounds like either a broken fan blades or a broken fan mount. either way, the whole front end has to come off... OR you can leave it n there and add an auxiliary fan in front of the radiator that will blow air back through the radiator. much cheaper and a lot less work.

Wow that seems like a neat solution! But I don't have the space or time to do it. I will find a repair show to do it. Hopefully it's not going to be tooooooo expensive...

 

[jimvw57]

I did this in my neighbor's driveway in about 3 hours. Biggest problem was getting the radio antenna off. You won't drain any fluids, but the skirt clips might break. Good to have extras or just replace them (5 on each side)

If it looks like this, you took too much off

(Picture from front end replacement after hitting a deer)

 

[oldgeezer]

Hello everyone! So my wife has been driving the smart. She came home today and said the car is making a weird noise when she turns on the AC. Here's a youtube video of the noise. Smart car AC noise - YouTube It comes in cycles. Off and on. I have not verified if the AC is cold. The noise stops when I turn off the AC button. I'm hoping it may be a loose belt? Hoping... What else can it be? Please dont tell me that the compressor is going... I'm sure that'll be costly and summer is just around the corner here in Los Angeles...

Any guess??

Mine did the exact same thing. It's definitely the radiator fan. Had mine done at the MB dealer. Right about $900.00. It's definitely a lot of money but as others have posted.... it's a big job.

 

[Smart Bob]

Here are 3 independent shops that work on smart Cars. First is Smartmadness is Signal Hill. Phone # is: (562) 981-6800. Next is Stepke Imports in Culver City. Phone # (310) 397-9744. Next is Boulevard Auto Repair in the Valley. Phone # is: (818) 989-6028.

 

[Digieditny]

Here are 3 independent shops that work on smart Cars. First is Smartmadness is Signal Hill. Phone # is: (562) 981-6800. Next is Stepke Imports in Culver City. Phone # (310) 397-9744. Next is Boulevard Auto Repair in the Valley. Phone # is: (818) 989-6028.

Thanks so much Bob! Stepke Imports is just a mile away. I left them a message. Should hear back tomorrow. I can let you folks know what quote I get.

 

[Digieditny]

Stepke Imports can have the job done out the door for $450. It seems like a great price to me and manageable. So i'm having them do it next Thursday. I'll update when I get it fixed. Thanks everyone.

 

[jimvw57]

the important thing is to get it fixed.

 

[jsenka]

Stepke Imports can have the job done out the door for $450. It seems like a great price to me and manageable. So i'm having them do it next Thursday. I'll update when I get it fixed. Thanks everyone.

That's a very good price!