Air Conditioning - Contactor switch problem??

Have 24 volts to time delay switch and 240 volts on line side but not on load side. If I push what I think is the contactor switch, the unit starts and runs as long as I hold it in. Any suggestions as to how to repair? Thanks.
tc861

Check the voltage to the magnetic coil on the contactor. If you have 24 volts there and it won't pull, in replace the contactor. If you don't have 24 volts there, try bypassing the time delay and see if the contactor will pull in.

Thanks, bigjohn, for your helpful suggestions. I tried those ideas and did not have 24 v at coil, and bypassing time delay did not help (assuming I did it correctly). A check of the schematic suggested that it might be useful to check lines to coil for continuity. OK on one side but side that runs through hi pressure cutout was not continuous. Opened case, attempted to reset cutout manually but was unable to do so. Is this something or am I following a useless path? If this is an issue, how do I reset the high pressure cutout, or does it need to be replaced, etc.

Side note, please remind me how to drain a capacitor--got a jolt today.

Thanks.

Put all the wires back together with the exception of the time delay, bypass it. Turn the power on test ACROSS the high pressure control for 24 volts. If yes it's open. If no, then it's closed or you don't have a complete circuit. If it is open, turn the power off, bypass the high pressure control, turn the unit back on and see if it starts. It's possible that something else has gone wrong which tripped the high pressure control in the first place, so if the unit starts see if the fan comes on and also listen to the compressor to see if it sounds like it's laboring. If the unit doesn't start with the high pressure control and the time delay out of the circuit, then test for 24 volts at the contactor coil again. If yes, contactor is bad, If no, something else is keeping voltage from gettng to the coil- keep looking. Discharge a capacitor by shorting across the terminals with an old screwdriver- power off of course

Many thanks again, bigjohn, for your responses. A question to make sure I am bypassing the time delay correctly. There are two input conductors and one output conductor. The output conductor runs from the time delay to the high pressure control and then to the contactor coil. The two input conductors (R1 and R2) come, one each, from the two terminals (C and Y) that thermostat leads are connected to. Which of these conductors do I tie together to bypass the time delay? I'm assuming the output conductor and the Y input but I'm not sure.

Yes, to bypass the time delay, take the wires from Y and the one going to the high pressure control off of the time delay and put them together. The wire from C is the common side of the transformer and it's purpose is to complete the power supply to the timer delay circuitry. Just leave the C wire on the time delay by itself. The reason for taking the time delay out of the circuit is, every time you power up, you want to get on with the business of testing the circuits to locate the fault and not have to wait each time for the time delay to time out. When you get the testing and/or repairs completed, you want to retore the time delay to the circuitry.