How to check if I have metal in the AC system?

[Redland1]

Hi all. I was driving and the AC got warm and I started to hear a squeal when I got it the next light. Pulled over and opened the hood and I could see smoke coming from the AC clutch. Tried to get the belt off but motor was so hot I just cut it. Turned the AC on yesterday and verified that the clutch enhanced and was able to turn the pulley by hand. It would catch and get rough every few turns.
How do I check if their is metal in the system?

[Rawze]

Maybe open it up and drain it thru a thick rag? ... see if there are metal flakes?.

[Redland1]

Currently draining out the Freon and the oil looks to be clean so far.

[Konstantin]

When something fails in AC system you can't check if it was contaminated or not. But what you could do is connect nitrogen tank and purge the system. I work on my thermoking reefer quite a bit and I did it couple of times, not because of metal shavings, but because that is what you have to do if ac system was opened for a while. After you evacuate and charge.

[walterk]

Purging with Nitrogen is done on a clean system after a pressure test when you evacuate Nitrogen through the suction line, but flushing with an AC solution is a bit tricky as all the lines have to be removed to avoid pushing contaminants down to other components, and each component is flushed individually. Considering the scope of this job, I would do it only if there is a clear indication that the system is contaminated with impurities/solids. So first, I would see how contaminated is the oil coming out of the compressor when you remove it. Then, you can cut the filter-dryer open and see how bad it is inside if you want to confirm that the system is contaminated. Based on these, you will know how serious the problem is and if you need to flush or just purge. Please post the pictures if it is really bad for educational purposes.

[snailexpress]

It's unclear what is fail clutch or compressor. If compressor produced shaving it will be trapped in dryer filter. At least most of shaving. Replace it. To clean evaporator and pipes you can use AC cleaner or acetone. Purging is mandatory after using liquid cleaner.
If clutch fail don't worry about metal shavings inside the system.