Thanks for all the advice everyone! I was worried that my defrost would not work as well. Unlike other cars, there does not appear to be a way to switch to outside air when running the heat. I will have to leave the dogs at home until I replace the compressor. I live in a 4 season climate. It is very cold here with snow on the ground. In summer it can be 90 degrees with very high humidity.
I have not seen a rebuilt R4 unit in any of my catalogs, for perhaps the reason you state Larry. I will go with a new one.
I will replace the receiver drier with o-rings, and the expansion valve with o-rings.
When my tech evacuates the system, will he reuse the freon? That might help me decide whether to switch to R-134. I paid $30.00 a can for the previous fill.
If I replace the three items(compressor,receiver drier, expansion valve), and I want to switch, will the conversion kit be all I need? Or is there something else I have missed?
I just read, perhaps incorrectly, that a.c. compressors will lock up if the cooling fan is not working properly.

[Edited by patsy on 12-06-2000 at 05:50 PM]