'00 Grand Prix GT 3.8 no SC...

This past friday we had some major storms come through...and to cut to the point I had to drive through some moderate water to get home. Obviously with the water being somewhat high...the engine got fairly wet. That being said the car drove fine all day saturday and sunday. Come monday morning I leave for work and start the car. I hear a weird "grinding" noise coming from the front of the car. Pop the hood and the noise seems to be coming from the belt area.

First thought was the water may have caused the belt to loosen however its not. I then narrow down the noise to the compressor area on the bottom. Would the water from that night cause the compressor to go out or is it merely a lube problem?

Just so you know when I turn on the A/C the noise diminishes by 75-80% and then get noisy again when I turn it off.

Thanks for any help...

Sounds like the clutch is eating it's self. Mine is doing the same. I have an extra standing by waiting for install.

not to hijack this thread but i was just thinking of this!

mine did the same thing a few years ago. it was really squeaky and when i turned on the a/c it went away. my dad just sprayed some wd-40 on it and that worked. i imagine the clutch has eaten itself (much like Herc's) b/c i get no cold air when the a/c is on and when i tried to recharge it the guage said it was already full.i need to start using the a/c again b/c i got a dog in the car with me now. otherwise i wouldnt care.

my questions: if i got a used a/c compressor from ed morad would that most likely solve the problem and give me a/c again? and would it be considerably cheaper than going new?

Yes. Yes.

yes. Mine is still working and blowin good cold air. Every now and then the clutch starts making metal. I know cause I can see the metal shavings on the compressor.

just keep the AC running so its allways on then it shouldnt grind until you can find a comp. thats what i had to do

sounds like it rusted after it dried.

This is what I was thinking also...

The A/C still blows really cold air. I'll try to WD-40 it to see if it helps limit the noise but I'm afraid in due time I'll have to get a new one. Question here is how long should I go without changing it? Will it cause major problems if I run it until it fails?

thanks guys! looks like i will be making a combined trip to cleveland to pick up some stuff.