Clicking sound when turning right + HVAC issue

[katariat]

Hi Guys

new to the forum and would greatly appreciate you help with some diagnosing. I did some good amount of research as well ...so just not coming in cold asking for help. I have a e46 (2003) almost done 181K miles

Issue#1: Clicking / Knocking sound when turning right
- only get it when turning right
- get the same / similar sound when the car is stationary, when i turn my steering wheel right
- do get it sometimes when i am driving too, i found that when i reverse its more prominent or gets activated
- so far from the research, i found that it could lose brake pad/ clip, tie rod or the control arm
- potentially could be other steering wheel issues
- is there a good way to pinpoint or identify the root cause especially if its a tie rod issue

Issue#2: Replacing Core valve for the low pressure valve for AC
- i lose freon (R134). Having potential other leak, i know that the low pressure value is leaking (put some soap water solution and saw bubbles)
- bought the Mastercool (81490) R134A Valve Core Remover tool but the tip of the tool to replace the core is smaller
- do the e46/ German cars use a different type of Schroeder valve or are there two types of Schroeder valves with different width
- it will lose freon over time, i saw in amazon two different removal tools but none that allowed for the valve core to be removed with R134 still in the car

Thanks

[MarcoZandrini]

The clicking noise could be caused by a myriad of things. Does the clicking noise increase as the car’s speed increases? Could be a bad left side wheel bearing. Turning right increases the load on the left side suspension and bearings. As far as the AC, you’ll loose the refrigerant (R134a) when your remove the valve. Try pushing in the central “needle” for a second (a bit of refrigerant will come out) to see if that reseats the valve. In the end you may have to have the AC system evacuated, replace both valves (they likely came from the same production run at the factory that supplies the AC system to BMW) and refilled with R134a and fresh compressor oil.

[katariat]

Thanks....i think i am going to jack up my car (both front wheels) and see if i can figure out the root cause of the steering noise. On the AC front - since i have been filling over time, i think the low pressure valve has given up and starting to leak more. Do i need to replace the Compressor oil (due to regular leak/refill) or is it only needed when you evacuate. Thanks

[MarcoZandrini]

You need to take the car to a reputable AC shop which will evacuate the system, perform a vacuum test (30 minutes minimum) and refill the system with the correct amount of R134a and compressor oil. These systems do not like to be under or overfilled with R134a or compressor oil.