A/C Lines Freezing Up, Clutch Burning Smell

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I've got another mystery for you guys lol. This time it's not on my Malibu, it's on my grandmothers 1995 Buick Lesabre. She was in town one day and the car started knocking really bad. The compressor was locking/locked up. She took it to a garage. They put a new compressor, and claimed to put a new drier and orfice tube. I have my doubts they replaced the drier because it still looked dirty. But anyway the car ran good for 16 days, and yesterday she and I rode out in it. When the compressor firsts turn on, it's locked up. The clutch slips and the engine bogs down, but eventually starts spinning and blowing cold air. We stopped and I smelled a burning smell, smelled just like burnt clutch. We got back home and i raised the hood. The clutch on the compressor looked white it was so hot!! And all the paint around it burned off, and the entire low side line had at least 1/4 inch of ice on it, even the line that is 2 inches away from the exhaust manifold! The high pressure side WAS frozen too near the firewall, which I thought was strange because that's the "hot line." After it cooled off, I tried to turn the front of the compressor, and I couldn't move it at all, it was Locked up tight, and I don't even know how the engine car turn it. Well we took it back and, naturally, they said that nothing was wrong with it. We thought we'd just drive it until it burned up completely that way there would be something obvious wrong with it. The repair costed right at $700.00 and it's crazy that it only lasted 16 days. If they flushed the lines and replaced all of that stuff they claimed to replace, along with the proper oil, then the compressor shouldn't of seized. They need to fix it regardless. I hated to see them take advantage of my grandma. They tried to tell her they were required the replace the alternator too, but I told her no way! I'm sorry this is such a long rant, and I hope you guys can shed some light on this situation! Thanks a lot!
 
I'd say you need a new mechanic. Compressors are supposed to start turning when they are engaged. If it's bogging down the engine and not turning when it's engaged, then something is seriously wrong, and they are trying to dance their way out of it. At a guess I'd say it's overcharged.
 
Sounds like new compressor is faulty or was contaminated by a dirty system. When doing a compressor doing the orifice tube and drier is a must and also doing the condensor is often necessary to as it gets clogged with debris internally.
 
There's too many possible problems not knowing exactly what & how the repairs were performed. No or low PAG oil damaged the new compressor, clutch gap, debris in system, did they recharge with clean R134. Find a new shop
 
$700 sounds like a low price to me for parts & labor.
Sounds like the reman compressor failed, you kept running it which put a lot of heat into it and the slipping clutch. You should get a new belt while you're at it.

BTW, wherever there's a restriction there will be ice right after the restriction. Probably as you grenaded the compressor it spit metal shavings out and formed restrictions along the lines. Wherever those piled up an ice bump appeared.

They could have done the job properly but (saying this as a shadetree mechanic) the reman compressor wasn't that great. The rebuild quality seems to be about the same as rebuilt alternators.
 
Well we kept running it because the jack leg that did it said there wasn't anything wrong with it. When they replaced the compressor, they should of flushed the lines and replaced all the parts, cleaning the system of metal. I hope I don't get in trouble or anything, but it was Eavers Tire and Auto Center. Don't you agree that they should of flushed the system if they knew what they were doing, ESPECIALLY after a compressor failure? Most replacement compressor companies won't honor the warranty unless you show proof the system was flushed and the Accumulator/Drier was replaced. I agree with you on rebuild quality, I always put new stuff on my Malibu, depending on the part.
 
It does eventually turn with the engine, but it slips for a good 3 seconds before is gets up to speed. The new compressor is so tight I can't turn it. You have to really mash on it to keep speed going uphill. When we took it back, they said it wasn't overcharged, but just as you said, they are trying to get out of it. Wonder how many days their "warranty" is good for? I took a video and pictures of the ice, and compressor moaning and slipping. Monday I'll show them the pictures. They can't say there's nothing wrong with it then!
 
I'm just saying they could have performed a flush when they replaced the compressor, then the replacement compressor failed and contaminated the system again.

Should they have flushed it? Yes, however, in my personal case I caught a compressor as it was first seizing and never engaged the clutch again, didn't see any metal bits in the high-side line, and decided I could get away without flushing the entire system. I did catch it early and I did look for contamination in what I did flush.
4 years later I'm still good.
 
An over charged system will be difficult to get the compressor going putting a strain on the clutch and belt.
 
I hate reading stories like this --- makes me mad. You're gonna have to take the car to a better shop and have them figure out what the tire shop did wrong, have them fix it, and then take the tire shop to small claims court to get your $700 back. The Better Business Bureau should be notified as well. I hope you learned your lesson: Never let a tire shop work on your car. There are shops that specialize in A/C.
 
As long as the system is functioning but low on refrigerant
you might as well try and top it off yourself so you can avoid the legion of incompetent hacks that are the majority of repair shops.

Study up on the internet and try topping off systems yourselves.
Remember as well under filling is better than over filling.
 
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