air con problems

[tortex53]

My air conditioning recently went out, and since southern California is still blazing hot I could use some relief. I had been noticing a grumble when using the air conditioner for quite a while. Sometimes this growl could be heard even when not using the air conditioning, but it was much more pronounced when the a/c button was pushed. Maybe a week or two before my a/c stopped cooling, the little green light on the button would intermittently go out, and then it went out all together although cold air would still be produced. One day I was going through the drive through at Taco Bell, and I turned off the a/c while idling. When I pushed the button again, it failed to produce cold air. What do you believe to be the problem? A/C parts are dang expensive. Do you think it is the compressor, the clutch, or just an electrical short? Due to the grumbling noise that it had been making, I figure that at least a bearing is bad, but is the bearing part of the clutch or the actual compressor? Thanks for you help!