Originally Posted by rchase

Was the system working at all before you started on your adventure?

If not there are two directions you can go with your repairs. The cheap way would be to get a can of leak stop and put that into the system and see if your able to get it to hold a charge. The other way would be to see if there are any leaks in the system and to replace the reciever drier and to have the system flushed vacuumed and filled. If you have air in your system from it being open the second way is the only way your A/C is going to perform well.

If the system was working before there may be a problem with the pressure switch for the compressor. Someone suggested to check the pressure of the system with some guages which would be a great idea.