Does anyone know if I need to remove the entire compressor to remove the a/c clutch?
My friend at his shop told me he could do it quick and easy, but he's unavailable for about a week, so I called Car-X nearby and they told me the entire compressor needed to be removed and the refrigerant recharged afterward. The quote was around $250. The only reason I wanted to replace the clutch is because a grinding noise is annoying me. Everything seems to be working fine besides that and I'm not willing to pay that right now. Anyone?

 

Ok, so I'm pretty sure I don't need to have the whole compressor removed. Nobody is going to warranty the work in this manner, but I don't care I just wanted to make sure it was possible before having my friend's shop do it. If he were to mess up, I wouldn't feel right taking his money anyways, so since I'm not willing to pay full price I guess a little risk is involved.

 

While I haven't worked on a 99 I know that you don't have to pull the compressor to replace the clutch on slightly earlier cars (GM products).
You remove the 13mm nut on the front of the compressor and then use a special puller to remove the driven plate from the crankshaft. Then you remove a snap ring and pull the clutch pulley and bearing off the compressor housing nose. At tht point you can remove/replace the clutch coil from the front face of the compressor if necessary.
The Car-X place may know that the compressor is located in a spot where access is so tight that you can't get the necessary tools in there to do the job.

 

to remove the compressor is actually not that hard. You should try to do it yourself. if i remember correctly it is 3 bolts in the front and 2 in the back.