Vehicle: 1985 GMC S-15 w/2.8L V6 engine
A couple of months ago after letting this vehicle sit for over a year, I went to have the A/C system recharged with refrigerant. Unfortunately on the way home from the shop I heard an awful noise coming from under the hood, turned the A/C off after about 4 minutes of hearing this noise, and upon arriving home found the clutch mounted on the front of the A/C compressor almost glowing hot. Apparently a seal somewhere in the system was not in good enough shape to withstand a recharge. My question is - what do I do at this point? Does this mean the compressor itself has been damaged or just the clutch? If just the clutch, can I replace it idependently of the compressor or do they come as a unit? The Haynes manual appears to show it as a unit. The clutch has a bolt in the center of it, is this what holds it onto the compressor? Will I have to get the system de-pressurized to fix this problem? What I am trying to decide here is whether this is something I can do on my own or if I have to take this to the professional again with more money.
Here's a link to a photo of what I have, showing the center bolt of the clutch:
Casey