[quote="riggler"]So if I saw the elevated pressure on the low side after the vehicle hadnt been started in 3 hours, is it possible that the pressure i saw represented both sides of the system ?[/quote
Yes, the pressure will equalize after a period of time. This number is essentially meaningless. The only things that matter are the pressures when the system is running.
It is unreliable and potentially dangerous to fill only reading the low side port which is how all these parts store "kits" work. You really need to see both sides to get anywhere, and even that's not as good as the proper method of filling by weight. Don't get me wrong - filling by pressure is basically what you're limited to as DIY, and it's how I do it, but, seriously, you can't do anything useful with those parts store kits.
If you want this to work and be right, my advice is to have the system vacuumed out and refilled and replace the receiver/drier at the same time. Some of this you can do at home with about $150-$200 in tools. Most places it seems the going rate for a vacuum/recharge is about $250-$300 ... which IMO is short money for another 10 years of AC. Still, it's one of those things that first time you do it the parts cost puts you in the negative, but the second time you break even.
Of course, you're always going to be paying someone $50-$100 to recover the existing refrigerant... *that* tool is a grand.