Hi all, sorry if this has been asked/answered many times but I just can't seem to find any solutions wherever I look.

So basically, I've had my 5 Speed MT 2009 Fit for about 3 and a half years now. Everything has been great and I absolutely love the car. Oil changed every 3-4k, overall take care of the car but haven't ever had to have it in the shop for any reason.

A few days ago now, I was driving about 35 miles round trip in 95 degree weather. Everything was going fine for the first 15 miles or so but all of a sudden the A/C completely quit working and the motor started making an ungodly squealing/sort of metallic-like grinding (more squealing though.) noise from the passenger side of the motor where the belt/pulleys are. I've tried checking belt tension and put a little bit of water on the belt to no avail so this leads me to believe it has something to do with the AC compressor, compressor clutch, pulleys, or bearings on the pulleys/compressor. The car also makes a "Pewshh" sound when you turn it off, almost like something is losing pressure/air? Not really sure how to describe that one.


Now, even with the AC completely turned off and recirculation etc all off, the noise still persists. The noise seems to get louder with my RPM's and then after driving for a mile or 2, the noise will reduce significantly every time I press the clutch in and put the car in neutral. Like I said, sorry if this has been asked/answered before but I'm just looking for other opinions. Thanks.

PS: want to also add that i've never had the manual transmission fluid checked/changed either at 105k miles. Could this add to the noise due to the noise itself reducing whenever I out the car into neutral and have the clutch pressed in?

PPS: In the past, every time I had the AC running for extended periods of time (20 minutes+) I would notice that pools/puddles of water would accumulate under my car like I had dumped a bottle of water on the ground underneath.

TL;DR AC quit working randomly on a very hot day with engine squealing/grinding happening at the same time. Noise persists whether or not the AC is turned on or off, any setting. Noise reduces significantly in neutral with the clutch pushed in but still persists.

 

Take the belt off and check the pulley bearings (including tensioner pulley)

 

So I had something similar happen, turns out the bearing in the ac compressor went bad, which caused the ac to stop working and the squealing. I was able to replace the bearing, and eventually got the ac to work again. Your situation sounds similar but it may not be. Worth checking that bearing, fairly easy job to press out the old and put in the new.

 

You can take the belt off then start the car. See if you hear any noise. Don't run the car for too long because the belt drives the water pump, and your engine will overheat. Also drives the alternator, so the battery won't charge.

 

Sounds like the clutch bearing possibly went out. Remove serpentine belt and check clutch pulley for play.