Cadillac Repair: ac replacement, cadillac deville, screen filter

Question
The compressor in my 1997 Cadillac DeVille seems to be locked up. Smoked my belt when it tried to kick in. A message also came up on info center saying there was a sucirity problem and car may not restart (but it does). Are these problems related, and is the replacement of the compressor something that I can do, or will it require going to the dealer? thanks for any help you can give.

Answer
Hi John, The 2 problems are unrelated. The security light turning on means that the computor isn't able to read the chip in the ignition key. The key could be dirty, wires starting to flex in half or the message might be faulty but without further testing you won't know for sure and a shop will need to do the testing once the key is cleaned with a mild cleaner.
  
As for the a/c compressor replacement it is a job that is best done by a shop too because the freon needs to get recovered/removed by a machine. Then the compressor removed and a special screen/filter installed to trap any debris from damageing the new compressor and then the system pulled into a vacuum and freon reinstalled. Haveing replaced a couple of compressors on Northstar engines I can say first hand that the job is a charactor builder/tough job and is best done on a hoist or at lest 2 feet off the ground.

I suppose if you didn't care about a big fine from the EPA if caught you could crack the line at the rear of the compressor and wait for all the freon to leak out. Then replace the compressor and install the filter. At that point you would need to take the car to the shop to add freon and oil because if you just added freon to the system without removeing all the air and moisture then the system won't cool properly and be overfilled. But take one look at where the compressor is and how hard it would be to replace and that might be enough to take it to the shop for the whole job. Hope that clears things up. Bill