Ac compressor not engaging
The most common problem is low Freon levels. There is a low pressure switch which can be bypassed for testing, to see if the compressor clutch will engage or not.
You will need a pressure gauge later on, and some refill cans have built in gauges which come with them. The better way to do this is using proper gauges called "Manifold" gauges. Some may be borrowed from major autoparts stores.
The rule of thumb is that the system should not be contaminated with outside air containing moisture. A low pressure condition may be Restored by adding Freon with leak stop. But an empty system needs to be Vacuum pumped to eliminate moisture. A badly drained system may need compressor oil too.
Leak stop can help some systems, especially if the leak is on the low pressure side. There are gauges called sniffers, which can detect a leak. There are also chemical leak detectors for about $20 having ultraviolet light and glowing detector dye.
While this all may sound vague, it amounts to having a small leak that can be helped with leak stop and catching the problem before the system is completely drained. Every case is different.
Figure that you do not know when the leak started. If it was 5 years ago to run empty is different than 5 weeks or 5 days to lose all the Freon. The smaller the leak, the better chance that stop leak will repair it.
There are some CD's at Autoparts stores which will explain the repair process.
Also take into account that some techniques discussed in earlier times used $3 cans of Freon for testing. Today each can costs $7 to $17 and a car uses 3 or more cans for a refill.
So bypass the low pressure switch with a wire loop, then use leak detector with a leak stop before topping off the system. Look for leaks. If none are found, use the gauges and add Freon.
If you suspect the Low pressure switch is bad, then it is easily replaced without discharging the system.
I hope my info helps you.
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