SOLVED:

My AC has never worked so I decided to troubleshoot it.
The system has pressure in it (both sides), so I know there are no leaks. I topped it up from 28 PSI to 35 PSI with the Redtek refill kit while hot wiring the compressor so it would take the charge, and now the compressor engages without jumping it!

BUT the compressor does not cycle off and still blows hot air...???

I found it weird that when filling the system I read around 80 PSI, but when I disconnect, the system pressure sits normal around 35 PSI.

Maybe it's just the can pressure I'm getting, than when I remove it I get the system pressure?

Can anyone chime in and help me out? Thanks in advance!

 

Your car has a VDOT (variable displacement orifice tube) compressor and will never "cycle" off. It wasn't designed to do that. Take it to a shop and let the pros take care of it. These type compressors can be tricky to charge.

 

Thanks for the reply, good to know about the compressor cycling.
The AC lines don't seem to be condensating or getting remotely cold so
I'm going to test it again today and maybe bump it up to just under 40 PSI and see what happens from there.

Ill have her figured out soon.

 

Air temp door is not changing
Could be the door actuator has given up.

 

Your system was almost empty, you have a leak, You are hooked to the high side line which is al most useless. You need to see the low side. How much did you add? sounds to me like you are still very low.

FYI, So far you have done everything wrong. The reason the compressor did not run is because you did not have enough coolant in the system. There is a low pressure switch the turns off the compressor to protect it. When coolant levels are low the system can not oil itself. Forcing the compressor to run can and will damage it.

On a hot day with the car not running it is common to see 100 PSI in the lines. Once the cars starts the low side should drop to the 30's and the high side can be hard to predict but 120-160 PSI would be normal, higher if it is really hot and you are sitting still.

Most likely you leak is the compressor front seal. It only leaks as the compressor runs so as soon as your safety switch turns off the compressor the leaking stops. I said most likely I have seen high side O-rings that leak under high pressure. Both cause the system to never be empty but always low.

 

Well, I figured it out!
I was just reading can pressure as the adapters pin must be shallow and wasn't depressing the Schrader valve.
I had to press down the adapter from the recharge kit onto the schrader valve and hold it for the low side to make a good seal. This is a good tip for anyone using the Redtek or other recharge kits as a friend had the same problem.
My system had just enough pressure to turn on the compressor (around 20psi), but not enough to cool. It took 1 full recharge can, now sitting at 38psi and has still been blowing cold for the past 10 days. Its in the high 90s right now, so I'm really starting to appreciate it! The refill kit has the dye, so if anything leaks I'll be able to find where and what it is.

 

That's good information to know. Thanks for the followup.