ac problem

i've been hearing a noise coming from under the hood lately, and i figured out that it's the ac compressor pully and there are metal shavings around it. the noise is intermittent and when i turn on the ac it makes that noise every couple of seconds. can i just replace the pully or is the whole compressor bad ... what are my options and if i don't do anything will it seize up and be a problem thanks 95 s10 blazer 127000 miles

You did not mention your engine size....thr V-6 used an H-6, the L-4 cyl engine used the V-5 compressor-- V-5 are known for loss of air gap- as in this cut and paste (below) I often use...

This sounds like classic v-5 clutch drag- the air gap has tightened and needs to be adjusted back to .020" . I have answered this several times- and usually see about 1 a week during the hot season. The noise is a scrapping/rattle only with a/c off- should see signs of metal shavings about the clutch hub. The fix is to borrow the installer/removal tool from autozone and back off the air gap a tad. This can be done on car, without removing compressor or refrigerant, and can even be done without removing the shaft nut since the nut does not bottom on the clutch drive.

Do the metal shavings look like this??? if so you are confirmed in the above is true.

http://idle-hourranch.com/V5ClassicClutchDragMetalFragments.JPG

But, if you have the H-6 (or V-5) compressor- then you may have a pulley bearing wearing out-- which is also serviceable separate from the compressor

sorry i didn't say it earlier but i have the v-6 4.3 and the metal shavings look the same. do you think it's a bearing or needs more space, cause i have the shavings and also have the 6 cyl.. also is this an urgent problem, will it lock up and cause a bigger problem. thanks for your help

Does the a/c clutch engage when a/c is requested? If so does it make noise with a/c off only? Does noise stop with a/c on? If noise stops with a/c on and clutch is spinning, then yes regapping will probably fix it- borrow the tool from Autozone. If noise is present at all times, even with clutch spinning and a/c working, then you are in need of a new pulley bearing....

sorry for the delay, today i was checking out what was going on and left the truck ideling for about 15- 20 mins and the noise was consistant. when i turned on the ac (max and norm) it looked like the pully was triing to pull in and was moving very very slow, like it wasn't engageing all the way. hopefully this gives you enough info... thanks for all your help

Okay- terminology:

The pulley is the round object the belt runs on- the clutch driver is the metal element out front that pulls in against the face of the pulley to turn the compressor when commanded.

So if the clutch driver pulls in and turns only slightly- it probably is slipping due to a seizing compressor--

With engine off can you rotate the clutch by hand? - does it turn smoothly, or is it very hard to turn?

Noise may be due to slipping clutch that is now warped and rubs all the time-

If compressor does not turn smoothly by hand it is now toast....

the clutch turns by hand, and I checked it against my wife's car and they both turn with about the same resistance , but mine when you turn it you can hear it rubbing against something. so I'm not sure if it has a bad clutch or an air gap issue? thanks for all your help.