New to the forum so be gentle please. I bought a used 98 eddie bauer edition with just under 200k on it. So the Ac was never working (knew this when I test drove it) So now is the time to figure out just what is happening.
I put the guages on it and bypassed the low pressure cutoff to get the compressor to turn. Had it on for about 10 seconds and came up with a reading of 30 lbs on low side and only 50 lbs on high side. Not sure if I have enough refridgerant in it or not. Am at a loss as what to do next.
How do I test the low pressure switch to see if it is ok?

 

The charge has mostly leaked out.

Without the system even operating, the gauges should read a pressure that roughly equal to the ambient system temperature in degrees F multiplied by 1.1 to 1.3 or so. This is called the "static" pressure. It's a quick check to even see if there's enough charge to trip the low pressure switch which usually takes 40-45 psi.

 

That is the same thing my mechanic buddy told me last night on the phone. Am taking it to the shop next saturday to do a draw down and diagnostic. Sounds like I have a leak somewhere so now will let the experts sniff that out and then fix it. thanks for your insight projectSHO089.