A/C pump April fooling me.

[billschroeder5842]

So it is 90 in Texas today so I thought I'd flip on the factory A/C. I started the car, set the A/C and stepped away for a few minutes to move my wife's car. I came back and heard a weird noises and some burning rubber smells.

I did an inspection and found that the pump was "sticking" every couple of revolution causing the pump to freeze and belts to slide. The pump is about 7 years old and I did a "test" on it about 2 months ago running the system with no issues.

I put a wrench on the pump and it spins pretty freely but does catch, or stick (compression cycle??) but I can pull though it with a hard nudge.

So,
1) is this pump screwed?
2) is there any way to lubricate this pump without taking everything apart--it might help??
3) If I need a new pump is there any Sanden style pumps out there that use factory mounts, hoses and fittings? I just redid everything a couple of years about and it is all in great shape.

Any ideas?

[billschroeder5842]

Weird.

After a beer I went out to mess with it (I can't just leave it alone) and spun the compressor a few more times by hand. I started the car and flipped on the A/C and the compressor went on....and on.....and on.....and on. No issues.

I took the car for a drive (3 miles or so) with the A/C on...no issues worked just like it should.

Should i chalk the earlier catching  as a "gremlin of spring" figuring that once it ran a bit and lubed up it is fine. Or is a warning sign of something that is to go wrong?

Thanks!