first question: when i turn the ac on, (push the switch), and turn on the fan, the fuse shorts out. when i checked under the hood i discovered that the fan belt is missing. could this be the problem? while inspecting under the hood i noticed that the compressor is pretty shabby looking. the pulley wheel is wobbly and loose when i turn it. luckily for me, i have a spare e28 w/a working, (at the time it was anyway) ac compressor.

2nd question: how difficult is it to remove the compressor and transfer it to my running veh. i realize that i don't have a recovery station in my driveway for the freon. everywhere i read says to be real careful not to allow air into the hoses or it will cause moisture. anybody r&r their ac compressor lately?

thanks for looking

I do not know much about the ac system but it seems like your issue is in the compressor itself. Maybe you could try and rebuild the unit? You might also have an electrical issue with the ac related controls and switches?

I restored my ac system last summer and I needed a heater dryer and an expansion valve plys recharge. The compressor is loud but blows cold. I also just changed the blower motor so no more noise. I seem to think replacing the two aforementioned parts is rather standard when restoring the ac system. Good luck. Hope this helps a little bit.

I doubt the compressor has anything to do with the fuse blowing, and having no belt on it should not effect it. Most likely your a/c blower fan is locked up or somethin. If your compressor is banged up like that, most likely your system doesnt have any freon in it anyway, you can poke one of the valves real quick to see if you have any pressure. If you got nothin, sway the compressers than drive to an A/C shop for a vac/recharge

thanks for the suggestions. i'll probably just switch everything from one car to another. i know the other one was working.