I have a 2000 cavalier. The a/c hasnt worked since we owned the car. We bought last april with 160,000 miles on it. I know its winter and cold outside. But the a/c compressor is making a rattling sound when idling. And the a/c doesnt work. I have been told not to recharge the a/c system because it could cause the compressor to lock up. Is this true? Does the compressor need to be replaced? If so, is it difficult to replace? I just want fix it before summer comes next year.

Sound like the the clutch is bad to me....

Yep, bad clutch. Best bet, replace the compressor, drier, and orifice tube. If it hasn't worked in as long as you say, there's bound to be a dried out seal, allowing atmosphere into the system, ruining the drier. And the amount of work to change just the clutch doesn't justify the price difference.



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Has anyone done this replacement? If it didnt get so hot here in the summer I would just delete the a/c. But with a wife and 2 young kids that really isnt an option.

The compressor is pretty much straight foreward. Just remove the belt, the 1 or 2 bolts that hold the lines in the top, and the 3 or 4 bolts that hold the compressor to the motor. The dryer is the big round thingy in the back of the engine bay on the passenger side. Thats just 1 nut holding with two lines on it, and the orfice tube, well, thats IDK where that is. But the rest is pretty simple.

Don't forget, you'll have to vacuum the system out to get all the moisture and crud out of the system. Just replacing the parts won't work. You'll just have a new a/c system that doesn't work. Replace the parts, vacuum out system, then install the R-134A and the correct amount of oil for the compressor and it should work for a long time.