Need A/C help...

On a 450 mile road trip through West Texas (read: 105 degrees F), the A/C in my Civic stopped working. I had noticed it was barely blowing any colder for a while, but when I started smelling burning rubber I turned it off. Now, if I hit the A/C button at idle, the belt instantly squeals. I'm pretty sure this means the compressor is locked up. I've looked around for prices, and found some on the website of a Houston dealership that has a compressor for $365...but when I called the local dealership (who wanted $490 for said compressor), they said you have to replace the compressor, clutches ($130) and coils ($60), plus a new belt ($15).

Now...are they just milking me for money, or do I really need to drop over $500 just for parts? I was considering having the dealer do the install as well, but when they charge $70/hr, and with the cost of parts, that's out of the question. Speaking of questions...Has anyone else had to deal with this? Is there a cheaper place for parts? Should I look for parts at a junkyard, or is that not worth the risk?

I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty, I worked in a machine shop last summer. I just don't have anywhere to do it this summer, and after doing a transmission rebuild in my boyfriend's Camaro in the apartment parking lot, well that's just not a good idea.

squeeky belts? have ou checked the compressor and belt yet?

ebay.com for a compressor worked for me. do it yourself worked for me.

geico saved me $75 a month on car insurance today :)

The problem with e-bay is that they take time to deliver - and I used to live in Texas, and know just how hot it can get in a car with no A/C. Temp INSIDE the cabin can get close to 200 degrees fahrenheit, and even if you roll the windows down you're still looking at 120. Not fun; I've driven a car without A/C in that sort of weather.

well, if you wanna pay $500 instead of wait for your ebay compressor thats fine too. ive lived in the california desert for 15years and have survived without ac ;)

"if yang can cook, so can you."

It's not just the heat, it's also the humidity; without a working a/c I couldn't defog my windows this morning, which made driving down the interstate pretty interesting...not. It's dangerous.

Why eBay it when I can drive to a junkyard and have one today? My problem is, how do I know it won't fail like this one did? At least with a new one, I can expect another 80k miles, and I don't plan on having the car that long.

It'll be $360 for the compressor...but do I really need new clutches, coils etc? And it's not just a squeaky belt, when I hit the button it damn near stalls the car, which makes me think the compressor is frozen up.

www.ebay.com
www.honda-tech.com
www.clubsi.com

ive never had any problems with the two compressors i bought off ebay. maybe thats cause i buy from reputable sellers.

well take the belt off and try to spin the compressor...if the new compressor doesn't come w/ the clutches...you'll need to get those too...along with the belt...but i wouldn't be scared of ebay...just be careful

I was wondering if anyone knew what parts I would need to do a full installation of AC in a 1998 Civic DX. It's my girlfriends car and she's thinking of trading it in. I want to know if it will be worth the trouble for us to install AC rather than be saddled with a car payment.
Has anyone done this?