Chrysler Repair: A/C- 2004 Sebring, electrical mechanic, chrysler cars

Question
Hi Roland,
I sure hope you can help me!  My A/C is working intermittently..cold, then warm... something under the hood is kicking on/off constantly (compressor?).  I tried your diagnostic test you listed for the other guy, but the light never blinks..however, on the odometer, is says "AC 00".  I took it to someone and they advised to take it to an A/C Electrical mechanic.. did that.. he acted like he didn't want to work on the car..put Chrysler cars down from the get go..left it with him, he told me that he was only able to replicate the problem once! Told me to wait until it was completely broken and bring it back! yea..right!  Well, took it to dealership.. they charged me $100 for "flashing"(something to do with reprogramming)?  Still does not work.  told me that it was 1/2lb low on freon, wanted to put dye in to detect a leak...i declined that.  brought it home, put a gauge on it(from store) and it indicated a mechanical problem and not to add any more freon. of course I'm trying to get by the with most inexpensive form of troubleshooting. I can't afford to keep taking this car back to the dealership. I have read many similar problems on the internet and can't believe that someone at a dealership would not recognize this problem right away since it seems to be very common...
Any suggestions?  Your response will be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Amanda,
If the refrigerant is 1/2 pound low then that could cause the type of intermittent cycling you describe. When you are near the point of too low existing pressure in the system the pressure sensor will start to oscillate the compressore that way, until the pressure finally is always too low and then the compressor never will fire up.
What kind of gauge did you put on the system and what units was it calibrated in, and what was the reading? On what basis did it conclude the problem was mechanical?
I have an '03 manual for the Sebring which describes the entire heating/ac system and covers 54 pages (including the wiring diagrams). I can get copies in bulk at about 5 cents each, and with postage it would cost about $4 to get these to you. Let me know using the "thank/rate" tab where there is a space for comments.
If you have not had to add any refrigerant yet since new, then I would not be surprised that you have lost 1/2 pound over that amount of time, so maybe just adding it would fix this.  
Roland