Volvo Repair: 1990 Volvo 240 DL air conditioning problem, volvo 240 dl, clutch assembly

Question
Hello James, I have a 1990 Volvo 240 DL and it gave out on me. I have determined that the problem may be the AC compressor. The car will crank but the pulleys on the compressor will not turn and I have no power steering because the same pulley turns the PS pump. Is it possible that the pulley/clutch assembly on the compressor is bad or am I going to have to replace the comppressor? Is there a way to check and see if the pulley/clutch assembly could be the problem before I spend a lot of money on replacing the compressor?  If it is the clutch,  how complicated would it be to replace it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer
If the compressor pulley isn't turning at all (clutch engaged or disengaged) the pulley clutch bearing assembly may be able to be replaced seperatly.  But if it will won't with AC off but not when its engaged the compressor is most likely seized and it needs a whole new unit.  If that happened make sure you don't have a leak cause if you did and then had it recharged without adding more mineral oil (assuming this is an R-12 system) the compressor could have been under lubricated.  You'd have to have your local shop do a leak test.  You say the car cranks, does it start?  Does the belt bind on the pulley so the car won't run?  if you can be a little clearer on what you have done so far i can give you more details about the most likely cause.  Hope this helps.

James