Hit ac button, immediate squealing

Dont turn it on. Leave the AC off. Yes it’s fucked. I had a long day in traffic last summer. Compressor went out a week later randomly. Tensioner & clutch was gone too. If it’s squealing like a banshee & you smelled it = fried. Sorry man. Mine was $1,500 @ the dealership. AC shops wanted $2,000. Hammered my funds that summer. I was able to drive around & shit but I got it fixed ASAP. The dealer quoted me $1,500 & it should have been $1,700 probably. Good Luck - lots of broken AC coming - it’s going to be hot

 

Is there any hope it’s just the clutch? I literally just finished doing new rotors, brake pads, calipers, and lines today, went for my test drive and ac shit the bed. I’d honestly rather do it myself to save some money, but I’m not sure how doable that is...

 

Tech guy told me they thought it was just the compressor & when they got in there it was all 3. Won’t know till it’s assessed really

 

Damn... last time I called a place for a diagnosis quote they quoted me $120 for diagnosis alone...

 

Anyone have the part number for the clutch hub and/or know if its the same part for a 3rd gen? Appears to be the same assembly but unconfirmed.

 

Not sure but I logged into my owners account & pulled the paperwork. Hope this helps - not entirely sure about the clutch p/n or whatever because they did that for free & stayed monetary close to my quote, but here’s some screen shots.

 

So wait, I’m not fully grasping as I’ve never messed with the ac system. Are the compressor and the clutch one system together or is the clutch separate from the compressor?

 

I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the belt in this thread. An old dried out belt that has loosened up over the years can cause a similar squeal and compressor load will be too much for the belt.

The clutch is the pulley and guts inside the pulley that lock the grooved outer pulley to the compressor shaft. It’s an electromagnetically applied clutch and they do wear out. Either by slipping and not allowing full engagement ( squeal coming from slipping clutch) or by jamming up solid and forcing the belt to slip and eventually fail.
If you can turn the compressor shaft without any evil noises or grinding chances are the clutch is the issue. With the price being a tenth of a compressor it may be worth removing the clutch, checking for bad noises from the compressor, and putting a new clutch in if the compressor is ok. Once you break the system to replace the compressor itself you get into pumping the system out to a full vacuum and replacing refrigerant which isn’t cheap. You can change the ac clutch without breaking the system or refilling.

 

The issue I’m facing is my belt is 2 years old max. My ac light is blinking too. The compressor doesn’t even attempt to turn on. I’m assuming that the compressor is the issue in this scenario?