On 21 Jul 2005 10:57:31 -0700, "John Manner" >
wrote:

>I thought about that about just letting it fail, but I always heard
>that waiting can cause more damage to the other A/C components? Is that
>not the case? A/C work is about the only thing on a vehicle that I
>don't want to tackle, so I'm taking it into the shop for an estimate
>tomorrow. I'll post what I hear back for sticker-shock enjoyment.


When the compressor fails it can send schrapnel throughout the system
causing you to need to replace the dryer and expansion device and
thoroughly flush the system.

In this case your compressor is already knocking so there is a good
chance scrapnel has already entered the system requiring a flush. The
expnasion device and dryer are "must change" devices anyway so I don't
really see any harm in waiting until it croaks. Other opinions may
vary and four out of five dentist agree.

Steve B.