97 Loyale AC problem

[Stray Catalyst]

I just bought a 97 Legacy that had sat for some time - half a year or more, the mechanic wasn't specific. It has the 4 cyl with AT. Pushing the AC button on the dash lights up the little blue light on the button but doesn't seem to have any effect on the temperature of the air coming out of the vents. I bought one of the recharge kits and followed its directions, but when I tried to charge the system, I noticed that the AC clutch doesn't engage. According to the directions of the kit, it will work correctly when I get some R134a into the low pressure port, but I've tried screwing on the can as recommended, and it doesn't show any pressure. There was about 10lbs pressure when I started - far below the recommended pressure, but not completely depressurized.

I've read a few other forums, specific to AC but not to the Loyale, that say my next step should be to bypass the high pressure switch to see if that engages the AC clutch, and if it does, my problem is probably that switch. I've tried tracing the high-pressure line, but haven't found anything that I recognize to be a pressure switch - and if I remove one to replace it, it would automatically vent the R134a into the atmosphere, right? I've already checked the AC fuse, which is fine, and all four of the relays are present - I haven't tested them electrically, but none are obviously melted or deformed.

I'm not sure how to proceed here, and I don't have the budget to bring it to a pro. I can follow directions, and am familiar with working on other vehicles - I've rebuilt VW motors in the past, but they're quite simple. Are there any other steps I can try on this?

 

 

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