Loud AC sound from outside (video)

[mknox]

Toyota did a better job in the Rav4EV IMO with the air conditioning. It really blasts cold better than the MS, and has 1/2 the noise outside at full blast.

I notice a HUGE drop in airflow when I switch from recirculate to outside air. I'll have to try cracking a window to see if it has to do with how the car is sealed, but most car cabins do vent to the outside, usually from the rear.

 

[Todd Burch]

My car sounds like this too.

I remember reading--perhaps 2 years ago or so--that the Model S has the same heat pump/compressor system as the Prius. Can anyone confirm?

 

[notailpipe2112]

I have this issue too. I would also describe it as kind of embarrassing when it happens. Like the car has indigestion.

 

[Martini]

Just to bump this thread so others might see it....I get this exact noise as well. Tesla should really look into finding a quieter AC unit, otherwise everyone will think we're a 50cc scooter going by at full throttle.

But isn't the fix posted by gtimbers demonstrating that it is not the A/C unit itself, but rather it vibrating against other parts? This indicates it is an installation problem, not a problem with the compressor itself.

 

[danwat1234]

Oh, weird. That sounds awful. I don't have that whirring, grinding, buzzing sound.

But I do have a very deep, rumbling, bassy vibration that sounds like a helicopter flying overhead, or a large truck driving by. Only audible inside the car, which had me a bit puzzled. I discovered that the plastic frunk liner back in the "microwave oven" nook was acting as a big bass drum, amplifying the vibration of the A/C compressor below it. I lined the nook with some dynamat and it muffled it down a bit. Still there, but not as loud.

I heard a quiet bassy noise whenever the AC was turned on in the Model S at the Tesla store that I was messing with. It makes sense that it was the microwave nook causing that. The vibration wasn't really heard outside the car.
I liked the noise.
Did anybody notice a lead acid accessory battery while investigating the AC issue?

 

[znino]

I have found that if I have the climate control set for ECO (range mode) the AC compressor is much quieter and doesn't rev up so fast. It limits the output of the AC though, but it might be worth a try to eliminate some of the high speed compressor noise.

I will give that a try. We have had quite a few really hot days and that sound is quite loud. Tesla techs tell me it's normal when i describe it

 

[gtimbers]

My initial problem regarding mechanical contact helped the steering wheel vibration. There is still a rather loud noise made by the compressor. From the outside of the car it is not too dissimilar to what traditional cars make which is usually masked by engine noise. From the inside, it is a pure tone which changes frequency with temperature and load. It starts around 30 Hz and goes as high as 200 Hz. It does not become noticeable in the cab until it reaches 100 Hz - 200 Hz. It will only do it for the first 5 or 10 minutes that the AC is engaged on a hot day (80 deg F or more). I took out the front tub and heavily damped it using asphalt roofing material. This helped somewhat.

I now have a microphone mounted under the front bucket and I am monitoring the loudness and frequency of the offending sound. I am convinced that the variable tone can be minimized by using a microphone, speaker and DSP to create a sound canceling system. Unfortunately, I am not a DSP guy so I will not pursue this method now. Secondly, it might be possible to use 2 Helmholtz resonance traps to take care of the noise. That is what I am currently working towards. My guess is that this technique would consume about half of the front tub. (I am talking about the section between the main Frunk section and the firewall.) Since I have not noticed the tones outside of the car, I am starting to think that they are actually set up by the front tub. I hope to do some experiments this weekend to verify. This cause would be great as it would be the easiest to cure. It hasn't been very hot here this summer so I have trouble getting the car to make the noise long enough to make some of my tests. Come Sept/Oct, I'm sure I won't have that problem.

 

[lloyds]

I will give that a try. We have had quite a few really hot days and that sound is quite loud. Tesla techs tell me it's normal when i describe it

It's normal. With ICE, you don't notice it because of the engine sound. With EVs they are extremely quiet, so you hear just about everything on the car.

 

[mknox]

It's normal. With ICE, you don't notice it because of the engine sound. With EVs they are extremely quiet, so you hear just about everything on the car.

I dunno. My Tesla's a/c roars a lot louder than the whole ICE and a/c system on my previous Cadillac CTS did. (To be fair, the Cadillac had a lot of sound deadening material in the engine compartment and actually on the engine itself). I was in the driveway cleaning the car recently with the doors open and someone walking by actually asked me why I had the car running.

 

[brianstorms]

The Model S "A/C roaring" issue has me concerned simply because I live in a condo and my car, which will be delivered soon, will be going in a condo garage which just so happens to amplify every mouse squeak into a loud echoy noise. Neighbors won't be happy (nor will I) if my car is roaring away in the garage.

 

[Jayb737]

I was at the service center yesterday and talking to the tech. I was told they are working on a fix for the loud AC. He said it was being tested at the factory now, so hopefully we'll hear something soon.
I agree the AC is way too loud.

 

[mark]

I sent an email to Jerome about this and got a call from the regional service manager who informed me that they were taking this issue seriously and have engineers working on a solution so I think they are no longer passing it off as normal.

 

[trils0n]

I took my car to the service center in Menlo Park a month ago for unusually loud AC sounds that produced serious vibrations in the steering wheel, brake pedal, and through the floor of the car. Louder and more vibration than ICE+AC of previous cars. They told me it was normal operation, and that they get a dozen calls about AC noise and vibration whenever there is a hot day. I was told they are looking into sourcing a new AC compressor to fix this issue.

 

[gtimbers]

The noise is normal, vibrations are not. Mine vibrated and I was able to cure that problem by moving the freon lines under the frunk slightly. The line was resting directly against the steering column. Tesla service should be able to fix the vibration if you can't do it yourself.

 

[jak]

Perhaps next year, we will see some Model S's with newer AC units.... what kind of problems we'll see coming out of the new ones remain to be seen, but I'm hopeful.

 

[cinergi]

I took my car to the service center in Menlo Park a month ago for unusually loud AC sounds that produced serious vibrations in the steering wheel, brake pedal, and through the floor of the car. Louder and more vibration than ICE+AC of previous cars. They told me it was normal operation, and that they get a dozen calls about AC noise and vibration whenever there is a hot day. I was told they are looking into sourcing a new AC compressor to fix this issue.

Like gtimbers said, vibrations aren't normal. You shouldn't *feel* the A/C -- just hear it. See what they did to my car when it went in for it's 12k service -- specifically items 9 and 11:

My 12,500 service

 

[Mr X]

Same with my smart ED, I tried out the climate control from the smart app and when i went outside to check the car was incredibly loud ...but when driving and having it on the lowest ac preset its not that loud and with just the fan on its not loud at all