Noise on engine-AC clutch??? Pleeeease help!

[scott'srafro]

I've got a 94 Buick Lesabre 3.8 with a thumping knocking noise in the engine. If you put tension on the belt it goes away and it seems to be coming from the air conditioning area. Mechanic says it could be the water pump or the ac clutch bearing. Has anybody replaced the bearing on the ac clutch? Need some help...

[aldehorte]

im having the same type of problem on my 94. Sounds crazy but my mechanic grabbed a long screw driver & put the tip against every peice of equipment on that side of the eng., that has a pulley. After about the third one he called me over & had me put my ear on the handle of the screw driver while it was on the a/c compressor, was a very loud version of the same noise i was hearing. Then he tryed the water pump & power stearing. The only one that i heard the noise from was the a/c compressor. The a/c compressor clutch was the problem. He also said if i tryed that in the future to find noises to be carefull or i would have a screwdriver as a perminent part of my head due to moving eng. parts