Yep!
Change the accumulator/receiver/drier, pull a vacuum on the system, and recharge the system.
Tester
Hose was jammed against O2 sensor on front manifold. About 6" from oil fill port. Why do some car owners ignore things they can see?
Because they are not mechanical minded and have no idea what those things under the hood are. It may have been that way when they bought it.
I would change the accumulator and also the orifice tube
its a new to me car so i have no history of a/c use/issues. i did a quick evac today and went from 0 to 28" in about 1 min. let pump run for 10 min or so and shut it off and after 5 min the needle had not moved. i wanted to see if there were any big holes in system besides bad hose i changed. i reused the metal sealing washers on manifold block and discharge line fittings. there are only 3 i touched. all are metal/rubber. no o-rings. i will change them and track down some nylog sealer.
At least 20 minutes on the evac.
Let it sit for 30 minutes to make sure there are no leaks.
Purge the recharging equipment of any air/moisture, and recharge the system.
Tester
does system need reset to make compressor work? i have no a/c codes
no, the compressor will come on as you add new refrigerants to the system. Keep in mind that just because the compressor starts to work it does not mean it has the appropriate amount of refrigerant. Follow the instructions for your car.
i am using 12oz cans of freon. i added a bit and compressor kicked on. no cycling. no cooling fan. got to about 9oz or so and fan started running. than compressor started cycling. stopped at 1 can and vent temps are not super cold as you would expect. there is no a/c decal under hood. i assume it is 1.5lbs or so?
Read the instructions in your car manual. Overfilling the AC is just as bad as not enough refrigerants.
There should be a decal somewhere in your engine compartment that states the amount of refrigerants your AC should need to run efficiently. Usually it’s specified in ounces. The decal is usually in the neighborhood of the decal that shows the routing for the belt.
The car is old, and the sticker you referred to probably peeled off . . . a very common scenario
yes and OP stated so. I missed it. Here is a link to a chart for different Saturn models (if we are talking about the OPs car) :
http://www.techchoiceparts.com/refrigerant-and-oil-capacities/saturn