This board seems to have the most knowledgeable members so I thought I'd ask about this here even though it's not about a Camaro. Close though, it's a 97 Firebird 3.8, and it's my moms car. The engine has 201k on it and it runs great, but the AC hasn't been run in a long time and recently the front AC compressor bracket broke. After I replaced the bracket I tried the AC and not only did it not blow cold, the compressor seems to be making a knocking sound. With the compressor off, it's smooth and quiet. With the compressor on, there's a knock that gets faster as engine rpm increases. At first the compressor wouldn't turn on at all so I added a can of 134. It blew cold for about 10 or 15 minutes before it went warm again. It knocked the whole time the AC was on. I'm leaning heavily towards the compressor because I think if it were just the compressor clutch that it would be more of a rattle. What do you guys think?

If I do need to replace the compressor, I read that it's a good idea to replace the dryer too. No problem there, it's right on top. Some people also say that when replacing the compressor you need to flush out the rest of the system. However other people say that the condenser channels are to thin to flush properly so it needs to be replaced also. And another group of people say that if the compressor hasn't locked up or imploded, that the system doesn't need to be flushed and the condenser doesn't need to be replaced because the compressor hasn't blown any of its innards into the system yet. I'm hoping that this is the case and I'm able to get away with just replacing the compressor and dryer. I'd like to know the general consensus on this. Moms car used to be an ice box with the AC on full blast and I'd like to get it back that way since summer is just about in full swing down here in Florida.