Vehicle: 1997 civic dx. Stock.

I had the A/C system professionally charged a few months ago and now that the weather has gotten warmer I was going to use it. When I turn the A/C on the condenser fan comes on however I only get hot air from the vents. I noticed that the A/C compressor clutch is not engaging. Now I have taken it to be checked by two shops but I am getting conflicting results. One shop said to replace A/C compressor, the other said to replace A/C condenser. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to A/C system repair so my question is, does the A/C compressor clutch come on only when the system is charged? Or should it be engaging regardless? Any other things that I should be looking into?
Thanks in advance.

 

The clutch won't engage if the system has leaked out all of the refrigerant.

Did any shops check whether the system is empty?

 

yes, the shop that said to replace the condenser said it had leaked out.

 

If the condenser has a hole in it, then it definitely needs to be replaced. When done, replace the receiver/dryer, evacuate the system, and then check whether the vacuum holds overnight (=no leaks). Then add oil and recharge the system.

 

How is this done? How does one check to see whether the vacuum holds? Like I said I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to A/C systems. Thanks for the help by the way.

 

you can have it filled with dye....to check for the leaks. if no leaks show up under the black light, have it charged up, and enjoy the a/c again.