AC Compressor Behavior: Suzuki Swift Beetle 2008 - Normal or Potential Issue?

[Tharindu Lakmal]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a Suzuki Swift Beetle 2008 car with 85,000 km on the odometer (I'm unsure if it has been reversed or not). The car has a really good interior and exterior condition.

However, after a few days, I noticed that the AC compressor of the car makes a whining noise after I turn off the engine for around 10 seconds. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that even though the outer pulley of the compressor stops, the inner pulley continues to rotate in reverse for a while before stopping.

I wasn't sure about this, so I went to A*W and asked for their opinion. They said that it's normal behaviour for this model of compressor and that it happens due to the pressure of the system trying to equalize.

The thing is, I checked it really closely and observed that when the engine is running and the AC is on, when the compressor clutch disengages, the inner pulley rotates in reverse until the next time the clutch engages. This seems like a bad and inefficient way of working because it has to stop something that rotates in reverse and then rotate in the correct direction.

I can't believe this is normal behaviour because none of the cars I've used before did this. I'm not a mechanic (but I'm a DIY guy with some knowledge of how stuff works), but it does seem like a bad non-return valve bleeding the pressure back into the compressor.

My questions are:

1. Is this normal behaviour?
2. What type of compressor does this car have (piston, scroll, vane, etc.)?
3. What do you think the issue is?
4. Can you recommend a good, trustworthy mechanic who can help resolve this issue?

Thank you in advance for your valuable replies.