Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

Good Day All. This is my first post here and I hope I can find some guidance.
I have a 96 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon which I charged the system with autozone refrigerant. I did not use a manifold gauge set at first. AC blew pretty cold. I added a bit more freon a few days later. I turned the car off to go to post office and the compressor was froze. About two days later, I hopped in and turned on the ac. I had purchased a manifold gauge set and check pressures. Low side was about 40 and the High side was like 100. 80 degree day. I know the high side was low. So i pulled the O tbe out and it was clogged bad. No Metal Shavings Tho! Just gunked up oil (grey/black in color)
I have since changed the drier which had a bunch of oil in it ( I cut it open to see how it looked inside). I did screw up and poured the oil out thinking it should not be there DUH!!!!!!! I bought one of the Harbor Freight Pressure/Vacuum Pumps that uses air pressure. I am able to pull about 24 inches . Now, my questions are these: How much oil should go back into the drier and do the symptoms I Described Indicate a Failed Compressor?
Blessings To All And Thank you For This Forum!!!!

A gunked-up orifice tube like you described often means an internally disintegrating compressor. At this point, putting more oil (and refrigerant) in the system is futile if the compressor is already chewed up inside.

To get the A/C going again, you'll need to replace the compressor, condenser, accumulator, orifice tube, and o-rings with new parts, and thoroughly flush the evaporator and lines before reassembling everything. If the lines have mufflers in them, you'll have to replace the line assemblies as well as in-line mufflers can't be effectively flushed.

An air-operated vacuum pump that can pull only 24 inches of mercury won't be able to evacuate the system sufficiently. AutoZone usually offers professional-style vacuum pumps and other tools that you can borrow--sometimes for free--should you decide to do the job yourself.

Based on your wagon's overall condition and mileage, you'll have to determine whether it's worth it to spend some serious money on a car that's already around 22 years old.