[junkyardwarrior]

the evaporator has a temp switch probe on it. When the evap temp drops below I think 38 degrees it cuts the compressor off so that the evap doesn't freeze over. If it freezes, there is a chance that liquid refrigerant can be sent back to the compressor which can (and usually does) grenade the compressor.

if the evap temp is "that" low, it's possible that the system is undercharged. Possibly a leak, possibly someone working on it that didn't know exactly what they were doing, etc.

And if your vent temps are 44 deg, I will go out on a limb and say that the evap temp switch is cutting the compressor off which would be considered normal operation. The compressor will cut back in when evap temp increases to around 55 deg, IIRC.