So is it just coincidence or did I do something wrong when I charged my A/C? It now appears that the compressor is making a growling/grinding noise after I charged it up. Could I have over charged or put too much oil in? Or, did the pulley/bearing just happen to go bad at the same time?

 

Very possible. How much did you put in??

 

A can and a half. Too much??? Pressure checked out.

 

Attached the pressure gage again tonight and it checked out fine. Decided to pull the belt and the pulley is VERY hard to turn with the clutch disengaged, but I can spin the clutch freely. Bearing musta gone.

Now, the question is:
-Buy the bearing only? ($40ish)
-Buy the pulley with bearing ($90ish)
or
-Buy the whole clutch assembly ($125ish)

Prices are from one spot only - I'll do some shopping around to check others, but opinions on which to buy? Kinda thinking about doing the whole thing just so I don't have to worry about it any time soon, but not sure that's worth the extra $90.

 

An over pressure safety blow off valve makes that noise.

Any oil/dye sprayed around the compressor?

 

Nope - no oil anywhere that I can see.

 

Swapped the bearing today and the noise is gone! One surprise: I had no shims between the clutch and the pulley. No noise thus far, but may order some shims to be safe in case it starts.

Other than that, a great $15 fix!