Noisy A/C Compressor Clutch

On my 1999 LeSabre Limited, the A/C Compressor is quite noisy while the compressor is OFF. It makes a loud rattling sound. When you turn the A/C on, the noise immediately goes away as soon as the compressor clutch engages. Should I worry about this or should I go ahead and replace the clutch before it ruins the rest of the compressor. I can live with the noise, I would just rather replace a clutch now than the whole compressor later. Vehicle has 137k miles on it and it does have Auto Electronic CLimate Control. The A/C works great when on- blows real cold air and has never been charged.

Thanks for all your help!

I have a 99 also, and I dont think it is too noisy, maybe a little squeaking, but there is some rust dust accumulating on the front of the clutch. I have sprayed some WD40 in there, and it didnt have any ill effects.

Either the clutch air gap is out of adjustment or the clutch bearings are acting up. You could just replace the clutch or perform an adjustment. Look for any metal shavings to see if there is any damage. A special tool is needed to work on the clutch.