Can the compressor make the car die?

[bmcreider]

So I was just driving along with my "rebuilt" AC compressor going to work, take a turn and as soon as I put in the clutch the car dies....wtf. It's done this once before but now the compressor is making a sound like it's going to rattle apart or explode, and the AC is now hot. Also there is smoke coming from under the hood but as soon as I turn the AC off it goes away...

So if the compressor gets jammed or whatever it can do, could it have killed the engine or do I have other problems?

 

[rangerj]

With the A/C off the A/c pulley simply "free wheels" and should not cause a stall.

Is the A/C compressor is about to sieze, and the A/C is on, the drag on the engine will slow the engine enough to stall it. The smoke you see may be the belt slipping and burning, or the A/C clutch face composits melting down.

If you installed a rebuilt compressor did you replace the oriface line, the accumulator/dryer (filter), and clean out the remaining components?
If not, the crap remaining in the system will eventually reach the compressor and it will self destruct. That sounds to me like what happened.

The other possibility was a lack of oil in the A/C system, or the failure was the clutch. Let us know what failed. rangerj