2000 Civic A/C problem
 

hello all...

I'm a brand new member looking for help, but I'm on my 3rd civic and plan to stay on this forum even after I get the answer, which I'm hoping someone can help me with...

I was driving a few weeks ago and my A/C went from cold, to warm, to hot. I turned it off and back on again, but it was still just hot (I live in Vegas, so the air wasn't really heated, it was just outside air, which was hot)

Anyway, I just figured I was out of refrigerant, but a few days later I started my car up and thought I'd doublecheck it. I turned the a/c on and it immediately killed the engine. I tried again with the same result. There is a loud squeek right as I turn the a/c on that sounds like a belt slipping.

Could this mean the compressor has seized? I didn't notice this sound or any sort of engine hindrance the day the air went from cold to warm, so I don't know what is going on.

Any theories would be appreciated. Thanks

update: I tried doing what mk378 suggested however I can't locate nor reach the clutch plate. What I did do however was instead of turning the a/c on while idling, which will kill the engine almost instantly (just as if you were to try to accelerate from first gear with the ebrake on), I revved it up to about 2.5K rpms and then turned the a/c on. Again the engine struggled as though it were put under a load and there was a loud screech which was definitely the sound of a belt and it smelled a bit like burnt rubber under the hood. I turned the a/c off almost immediately before the engine was killed or I toasted the belt or anything but based on this information, can I safely presume that the a/c compressor is seized?

It's a 2000 civic EX if that matters, thanks so much for any help

With the engine off, try to turn the clutch plate on the compressor that is next to the pulley. This plate drives the compressor mechanism thru the shaft in the center. If that won't turn, your compressor is seized.