Ford Repair: ford ranger ac compressor, compressor clutch, ac compressor

Question
I have a 1995 Ford Ranger, 4 cylinder, 2 wheel drive, manual transmission.

I had a smoking and burnt plastic smell coming from the AC compressor. The auto shop told me the AC compressor clutch had burned out. I was told  just the AC compressor clutch could not be replaced. The entire AC compressor needed to be replaced.

Is this correct?

Also can the AC compressor just be bypassed? In other words can the serpentine belt that runs the AC compressor and other parts be replaced with a shorter belt that "skips the AC compressor?  

Answer
Jay-

  Does that sound like an accurate assessment?  Yes.  Once the clutch burns up it's pretty much a replacement-only kind of deal.  You can bypass the compressor, but it's a bit tricky and may take a little trial and error to get the right shorter belt.  The best way is to take a piece of string and run it around the pulleys in the same route that the serpentine belt would take.  Once you finish the loop, measure the length of the string and ask for that length for a belt.  Sometimes this comes out a bit too long or a bit too short, so be ready to make another trip to the parts store if need be.  Hope this helps.

Steve