Ok, my wife cavalier had great A/C until the end of last summer. It just stopped working. the engine doesn't bog when I turn it on, all the fuses are good. It has a full charge of R14 or which ever it was, its been months since I did it. So how do I check if the compressor is bad or is there something else going on.

 

check to see if the fan motor spins when turning the AC on

 

The fan motor will spin no matter what. Even if your compressor is fried. Its a totally different curcuit. You need to have someone lean over under your hood and listen to the compressor as someone else turns the ac on. If the compressor works you will hear a clicking noise then your engine idol will drop slightly.