Yes it is . Ask the mechanic if the compressor can be bypassed since the AC does not work . Sometimes it requires a pulley kit but they are not expensive.
See if your AC compressor is driven by its own separate belt. If so that belt can be removed. There may be a tensioner/adjuster pulley also driven by that belt. As long as there’s nothing something necessary like alternator or water pump or power steering power, etc. driven by the AC belt, it can come off. Then the AC compressor would not affect the engine at all.
Very unlikely this problem , in your original post, would be solved by isolating the AC compressor.
It will turn over after the car cools down. Do you think that it’s the compressor because it does sound like a grinding noise coming from the engine.
Yes! He is going to look into it. I don’t know why he didn’t consider this. Thanks so much. I was about to junk the car. Ugh!
Just for the record, had belt bypass compressor with a shorter belt and it eliminated the noisy engine but did not stop car from stalling out. I found out from a different mechanic that the hose for the ventilation crankcase valve came loose. Problem solved!