Air Conditioning - Central ac not Working

I'm trying to get my AC working. When I turn the thermostat on the contactor goes on and off like its trying to start. If I hold in the contactor the fan runs and I think the compressor goes on. I replaced the contactor thinking it was the problem. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
David

did you replace the thermo? if not what type do you have a mercury bubble type or digital? are the thermo wires going to the outdoor unit totally intact? Please let us help you by supplying as much info as possible. but at least it is a broken control wire and at most could be a compressor going to overload.

Barry

Beer 4U2

since the contactor was replaced, what is happening now?

The thermastat (Honeywell) was put in in the winter time. I thought maybe it wasn't jumped from r to rc but I saw it had a bar connecting them. After I replaced the contactor it tries to start but goes on and off very quickly. There is a green wire at the outside unit that is bare and not connected. I measured 12 or 14 amps on some outside wires. Only two other components on the outside unit... a square short cycle limiter? and a cylindrical part (probably a relay).
I want to think that it is a simple problem that I could fix if I could figure it out!

What tries to start? The fan on the outdoor unit? The compressor? Both? Does the contactor pull in and stay pulled in? does the fan blade spin freely? The cylincrical device sounds like the capacitor, The short cycle limiter is a time delay relay. The unit has to be grounded.

The contactor goes in and out and the unit tries to start. If I push in the contactor the unit goes on ( fan runs nicely and I think I hear the compressor running) The unit is grounded with a bare copper wire.

You replaced the contactor, it pulls in on it's own when the thermostat calls for cooling yet the unit will not start unless you push in on the contactor when the thermostat is calling for cooling? Is that accurate?