The compressor will also not kick on if there is insufficient pressure in the system. Mine didn't kick in until I recharged it.

 

that's what I am hoping

 

$90, labor only. Vacuumed, added flourescent dye, leak tested, made sure it'd hold the vacuum for a few minutes, noticed I wasn't getting any low side pressure (clogged expansion valve), put a reverse flow on the system to try to unplug the expansion valve, recharged using the Freeze 12 I provided (was ~$50 shipped, but he said you could get it cheaper in LA). And if I do go back to get my expansion valve replaced, I'll get the $90 applied towards the $180 bill. The $180 would include the expansion valve, maybe a dryer receiver (might be $30 extra, I forget), an r134a conversion and a vacuum recharge. But like I said, it seems like my expansion valve went from partially unclogged to fully unclogged on the way home.