Hey, I'm in a similar situation. I also have a 1996 Ranger with a 2.5 (I did the 2.3 to 2.5 swap). The a/c wasn't working when I bought mine either. I was able to jump the low pressure switch and charge the system. But then it leaked out. Much sadness. Since our trucks are getting some years on them, I purchased both hoses, the orifice tube, the accumulator/drier, an O ring kit, Pag 46 oil and 3 cans of 134a. I'm hoping that my condenser, compressor and evaporator are solid and don't leak. I didn't see any oily leaks on the old system. If your hoses are good, you could try re-using them, but you definitely have to replace the accumulator/drier. My plan is to take off the hose to the compressor, remove the compressor and drain it. The Pag 46 comes in a 7 oz bottle, which is the amount required for our Rangers. From what I've read, put 4 or 5 oz in the compressor and the rest in the accumulator/drier. Save a little for the O rings. After I have the compressor and hose hooked up, I'm going to change the other hose and install the orifice tube. I'll remove the old accumulator/drier at this time. I'm going to mount the new accumulator/drier, but I'm not going to remove the "seals" until I'm ready to attach the hoses. From what I've read, once you open the accumulator/drier, you have about 15 minutes before its full of water. So you want to connect the hoses as soon as possible. After it's all hooked up, I'm pulling a vacuum on the system and hope it holds. If it holds, I'm going to add the 1lb 9 oz of freon. If I've done my math correctly, 1lb 9 oz is equal to 25 oz. The cans come in 12 oz, so you have to get three to get that last ounce. Since your compressor was locked up, you might want to flush the system.
Hopefully some other Ranger owners will read over my post and add some comments.
Good luck!
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