Hope this helps you to understand what happened: When the system starts leaking as you know the system will not cool effectively. On the low side there is a pressure sensor on most vehicles and on most vehicles it runs about 40psi. When the pressure drops to around say 25-30 psi the switch cuts power to the compressor. It may also be noted that some vehicles have the switch on the high side but it acts in the same manner for safety. When the compressor stops pressure begins to equalize. The sensor detects the increase in low side pressure and the cycle starts again. The less freon you have the switch will turn on/off/on/off to a point where the ac will not work at all. From what you indicated you probally started loosing freon at an early point (the on/off situation) and eventually the compressor overheated and let go. Hope you get up and running again!
