So...looks like everything is working.

I had a shop evacuate the system, then I replaced the compressor and drier. Shop said they took out a little under a lb of refrigerant. The A/C hadn’t been run in a while, so there wasn’t much oil in the drier or compressor when I removed them. I measured out less than 1.5oz. So I added back in 2 oz of oil. I pulled a vacuum for 2 hrs and it held for an hour. Then I added in ~22oz of r-134a.

seems to be blowing nice and cold, though it is mid 50’s here so I can’t really tell lol.

is there any guidance on low and high side pressure? Good news is the crazy intermittent whining noise from the expansion valve is gone now

 

Moving forward, make sure you "exercise" the system to keep everything lubricated and contacts working. I do that on all my cars every now and then irregardless of the weather.

 

That definitely won’t be a problem in Houston lol!

 

Glad to know it worked out.

Honda A/C compressors will not engage below a certain temperature so the system doesn't over pressurize. Typically anything below -5c/20f the A/C clutch will not kick on, even if you press the A/C button on the dash.