A/C system noise/whistling - lets sum all the information pals

repeet

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47,000 miles on my Si and it still makes the same noise. You can leave your heater fan on, just turn off the "A/C" in the infotainment screen and the sound goes away. It's definitely related to the compressor.

I'm so tempted to leave the compressor off for the winter, but I know that it's designed to run all the time to keep the seals working. My last car I left the compressor running all year long for 9 years and 220,000 miles, and I still had cold A/C with zero servicing to the A/C system.

I think that part of our problem is that the compressor is a load variable system. So that as the compressor turns it varies the output according to the need. That's the part that I think is making the noise. So until they can redesign the compressor to remove the noise, we're stuck with the whine. AND I HATE IT!
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collinor84

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The noise was so anoyying. I went to the dealer to check up and the technician told me it’s normal. All the civic hatchbacks have the same noise. Can other HB owners confirm, please??
 

WVUGuy275

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The noise was so anoyying. I went to the dealer to check up and the technician told me it’s normal. All the civic hatchbacks have the same noise. Can other HB owners confirm, please??
I believe it is sufficiently frequently occurring to be "normal", in that you should probably expect it if you buy a 10th gen civic HB. I bristle at the implication that "normal" = "acceptable".
 

Starion

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Let's keep this thread going. I've taken it in twice now and have documentation of what you are referring to. Other brand new same vehicles are also showing the symptoms. My AC whine is getting worse I swear!



The next and final opportunity for them to addres it is apparently a Honda Field Tech, who they refer to as their "guru" and highest level of support. I've been told "there is nothing else we can do at this point". This tech is hard to schedule and I'm told "it can take weeks".

If this is a significant enough problem to annoy the hell out of multiple customers, they should make it right or risk lost customers and a bad rep.

I got the same response for increased shifter resistance on my manual. It's getting increasingly more "crunchy" and hard to get it into gears. Can't be good for synchros, and will lead to early failure and decreased drivability which is already the case, but that's a different thread. PLEASE keep the comments rolling here AND on my recently posted YouTube video above. Don't give up and accept this.
 
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penguin

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My 2016 Civic does the exact same thing. Thought I was getting tinnitus at first. When I turn off the AC, the noise stops instantly. I didn’t notice it when I test drove the car but now it’s slowly driving me insane. It’s disappointing to see so many people with the same problem who are just getting the runaround from their dealer.
 

parshisa

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Not only it whistles on my but also makes some sort of intermittent gurgling sound which last 3-4 seconds at a time and then goes away. It’s been douing that for a while now, maybe from day 1, not sure. Anyone else noticing the sound as well?
 
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Not only it whistles on my but also makes some sort of intermittent gurgling sound which last 3-4 seconds at a time and then goes away. It’s been douing that for a while now, maybe from day 1, not sure. Anyone else noticing the sound as well?
Yup, mine has a chirping/gurgling sound as well.
 

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Bumping this thread in dire hopes there's an answer here from one of you!?

Just picked up my new 2018 and this is driving me nuts. Had a slight headache already and this made it worse. Such a annoying high-pitched whine. Not happy & concerned that I've yet to hear of a cause and solution.

Per my other post it sounds VERY much like on older car stereos when a crappy AUX input cable picks up ignition interference and it comes through the stereo....remember those cassette tape adapters for portable CD walkmans? Yeah, dating myself, but this sounds very similar. I'd swear it STILL is coming from the speakers except turning the stereo off makes no diff, but the AC/fans off does stop it!

I've heard bad dash fans. It's not that. This is clearly rpm related as you all said too. I'll be forwarding this thread and a few others to my dealer rep for review. Please update us.
Any chance that you also recently upgraded your lights to LEDs or HIDs?

Anyone else only start hearing this sound after upgrading their bulbs?

I can't be 100% sure but I don't remember it being this bad until recently, and the only thing I did was add a set of resistors to remove turn marker hyperblinking. Chances are it's not related, but still worth a question - anyone here notice this sound getting worse AFTER doing something with their electricals? Or conversely, did you start hearing this sound even though you haven't touched the lights? That data would also help.
 

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Purchased my Si in June 2017.... Currently at 17,500 miles.

I first noticed the AC whine/whistle about 2 months into ownership. I ignored it because I do not trust the local Honda service departments. Despite this, I eventually took it in December 2017 for another reason and asked them to check the AC system.

They said everything was working properly and the sound was normal - nothing wrong with the AC system. I was disappointed to hear this but not surprised with how they treated me (I have no proof but I know whoever test drove my Si beat on it since the MPG's shot down to 21 MPG (my driving style keeps in the high 20's - low 30's) but thats beside the topic of this thread.

I have learned to live with the sound and manage it by manually toggling off the AC when it bothers me.

@DyM, that is an interesting theory regarding the electrical cause. But I had the whine/whistle prior to installing my HID kit... and it remained after.

To me the sound, sounds like a ground loop which is common in audio equipment where there are multiple grounds/power sources. Next time I remove my under tray, I want to see how the AC compressor is grounded - maybe try grounding the existing ground cable in a different spot.
 


powow66

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Hey guys,

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one with this issue. I own a 2017 Civic Si and currently it has 31,000 miles on it. This A/C sound for me started around 3500 miles and has gotten worse ever since. I experience the same symptoms as many of you have stated with the whine/whistle and refrigerant gurgle behind the dashboard. I plan to bring my car to a local Honda dealer to see if there are any updates on the issue at hand. It's very frustrating to hear that Honda hasn't found a solution yet to this issue, especially after hearing about other A/C problems from early 2016 civic models. I've been tempted to make a Youtube video on the whole situation depending on how my dealer visit goes to make others aware...I'm just afraid that my warranty will expire during the cold season where A/C in a car isn't a priority. So hopefully it ends up being a recall rather than an out-of-pocket expense if and when they find a solution.

For me the noise is most noticeable upon a cold start. The colder the weather, the more audible the whine is from 2000-4000 RPMs. Indeed, shutting the A/C off through the climate control system is the only way the noise stops for me as well. After about 15 minutes of driving the sounds subside to a faint whine and whistle, to a point where it can be unnoticeable to the average driver, but still turning off the A/C eliminates it completely.
 

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Hey guys,

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one with this issue. I own a 2017 Civic Si and currently it has 31,000 miles on it. This A/C sound for me started around 3500 miles and has gotten worse ever since. I experience the same symptoms as many of you have stated with the whine/whistle and refrigerant gurgle behind the dashboard. I plan to bring my car to a local Honda dealer to see if there are any updates on the issue at hand. It's very frustrating to hear that Honda hasn't found a solution yet to this issue, especially after hearing about other A/C problems from early 2016 civic models. I've been tempted to make a Youtube video on the whole situation depending on how my dealer visit goes to make others aware...I'm just afraid that my warranty will expire during the cold season where A/C in a car isn't a priority. So hopefully it ends up being a recall rather than an out-of-pocket expense if and when they find a solution.

For me the noise is most noticeable upon a cold start. The colder the weather, the more audible the whine is from 2000-4000 RPMs. Indeed, shutting the A/C off through the climate control system is the only way the noise stops for me as well. After about 15 minutes of driving the sounds subside to a faint whine and whistle, to a point where it can be unnoticeable to the average driver, but still turning off the A/C eliminates it completely.
Keep us posted buddy. I really don't feel like taking it to the dealer unless I absolutely have to...
 

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The noise was so anoyying. I went to the dealer to check up and the technician told me it’s normal. All the civic hatchbacks have the same noise. Can other HB owners confirm, please??
I have a Sedan and mine makes the same noise. It happens with AC, heat and defrost on. Only time it goes away is when I turn fan off
 

Eppy9

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My 2016 Civic does the exact same thing. Thought I was getting tinnitus at first. When I turn off the AC, the noise stops instantly. I didn’t notice it when I test drove the car but now it’s slowly driving me insane. It’s disappointing to see so many people with the same problem who are just getting the runaround from their dealer.
I have a Sedan and mine makes the same noise. It happens with AC, heat and defrost on. Only time it goes away is when I turn fan off
 

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My 2016 Civic does the exact same thing. Thought I was getting tinnitus at first. When I turn off the AC, the noise stops instantly. I didn’t notice it when I test drove the car but now it’s slowly driving me insane. It’s disappointing to see so many people with the same problem who are just getting the runaround from their dealer.
EXACTLY !!

Car Owner = :doh:

Dealer = :dance:



Dealer's Mechanic =
Honda Civic 10th gen A/C system noise/whistling - lets sum all the information pals cartoon-fixing_car-animated


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