Hi and thanks!

Took the car to the shop for a for a AC diag and they stated no power getting to compressor, had 13 ounces of refrigerant and passed leak test.

I checked the 10a ac fuse and AC relay (swapped the fog relay to test). No change

I got the car this past fall and the AC never worked then either. i will say prior i added a bit of refrigerant (1/2 can) with gauge and the level was low. it worked for a bit during a test ride then stopped. When i tested again (clutch not engaged) the high pressure level was maxed red.

I'm not very knowledgeable but willing to try to find the issue to hopefully save $$ at the shop.

 

13oz is way low. Anyway, it should be enough to get the compressor to kick on to fill the system. It sounds like you're using one of those kits with the useless little gauge on it. You really need to get a set of ac manifold gauges to see what's going on with both the high and low side of the system.

 

Right, I am. I see I can get the kit for 33, is this a good kit? - http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-HVAC-R12...8AAOSwzrxUv4SF

But what about the fact that the compressor is not getting power. I do follow the importance of the low and high pressure systems mostly.

 

That one doesn't mention r134a, nor does it look like it has the temp markings on the gauges for it. Now it should still read the pressures fine, but the temp readings might be nice to have. I think this is the same set I have: http://www.ebay.com/itm/R134a-R12-R2...oAAOSwHnFVuULc You'll also need a set of quick-connector couplings to go onto the a/c lines: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-AC-R134a...OTv-jQ&vxp=mtr

If this is your first time doing anything like this, I strongly suggest you do some reading/research before you dive into things. EricTheCarGuy has some good videos on dealing with a/c:

 

Fro... the compressor doesn't get power if the Freon pressure is low.

 

Thanks all.

Added a bit more refrigerant and low and behold the clutch did kick in. 87F today and with the can I had (1/2 full) it got up to 25psi on the low side then while running the AC on high it settled down to about 20psi. AC was still warm.

When I turned the air off the clutch would not engage again, assume the pressure was too low. Shop said it passed the leak test. I think a proper vacuum might be in order but for right now can i add another can to see if I can get the pressure up to let's say 45 psi?

 

A general rule of thumb is that the high side pressure will be around double the ambient temperature (in °F), so on a 70° day, you'd expect around 140 psi on the high side. That said, the proper thing to do would be to vacuum the system down and add the proper amount of refrigerant.

 

thanks, will work toward that this week as I don't have the time or tools for this one.

I ended up adding a bit more refrigerant getting to what amounts to be about 28 oz. What happens now is on a cold start things are fine but after driving for 10 minute the air gets warm (clutch stops). when i test the low pressure when this happens it's in the red.

When i was first adding a bit more this weekend the clutch also never really cycled down.

 

the compressor doesn't get power if the Freon pressure is low.

 

What's the pressure? After the system sits off for a wile the pressures are going to equalize between the low and high sides until the compressor starts running again.