Need A/C help...

[99civichic]

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.

[superbluecivicsi]

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

[LancerZero]

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.

[superbluecivicsi]

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."

[99civichic]

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.

[superbluecivicsi]

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.

[sohcfreak97]

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

[sirius]

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?