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A/c oil question

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by moysiuan, Jun 10, 2012.

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  1. moysiuan

    moysiuan F1 Rookie
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    #1 moysiuan, Jun 10, 2012
    A fitting at my 1988 Mondial compressor worked loose, and leaked some of the refrigerant, but also sprayed out quite a bit of the pag oil. Not all refrigerant leaked, so I did not have to open up the system, just tightened things up and added a can of refrigerant. But, The amount of oil leaked was not trivial based on the rag soaked clean up required. How do I know if there is enough oil left in there, is it a problem if I put too much oil in? Better too much than not enough?
     
  2. pippo

    pippo Formula 3

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    #2 pippo, Jun 10, 2012
    Well, to answer your question, yes, better too much than too little. Why? Obvious- too much means lower cooling, but still plenty of lubrication for comp. Too little will give you more cooler air, but comp will become worn sooner/failure looming.

    Oil quantity is one of the most difficult guessing in auto ac, unfortunately. Much "dark art", the way I understand it.

    Ohhh, of course, the spec will say how much oil a system is supposed to have but geez, what does one do AFTER years of usage at which time who knows what happened to the original amount.
     
  3. pippo

    pippo Formula 3

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    #3 pippo, Jun 10, 2012
    What kind of refrigerant is in there? Just curious.

    One oz of oil can be pretty messy. Perhaps thats all you spilled? If only an oz, maybe not a disaster for your system. Me, I also would be scratching my head. I would leave it alone, if it was me. Just keep an eye on it. Worst case, you get a new/reman comp, and replace TEV . But lets be hopeful.
     
  4. moysiuan

    moysiuan F1 Rookie
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    #4 moysiuan, Jun 11, 2012
    I converted to R134, and at that time 5,000km ago put in a new Sanden compressor unit (and clutch, condensor, dryer, etc.) I think what happened is the new o rings that I replaced at the Sanden unit high and low pressure fittings were a bit thicker than optimal, such that even when tightening the fitting nuts as hard as practical, the fitting could be "moved" or slided back and forth a bit. Seemed to seal, so that was that. But some vibration must have lossened things up, was almost finger tight where the leak occurred, and oil sprayed around and dripped down the line into one of the body uinderpanels, some old insulation in there and was quite the mess. Not all the R134 leaked, as it appears once the pressure lowered from the leak and the compressor stopped, the remaining system pressure appeared to was held in despite the loose o ring fitting, thereby retaining some of the R134, it was not an empty, atospheric pressure situation. Hence I thought my dryer would be ok, and a recharge would be ok. I locktighed the fitting this time, so should hold. Probably should have disconnected and put in a thinner o ring, but when I released the nut a bit, there was still some residual pressure in there.

    I will also share a photo of the extensions to the high and low service ports that I put on, so I could deal with servicing from above the car, pretty darn handy for both testing and filling, and really helpful in dealing with the problem noted. Any reason why the factory wouldn't have done something like this, these hose extensions cost me 10 bucks? I mean really, access only with the wheel and well liner removed??
     
  5. pippo

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    #5 pippo, Jun 11, 2012
    Andy,

    Man, I feel your pain. Also, I think you neglected to appreciate how much O rings are critical to size 100% the same as OEM. There is no room for error with the EXACT o ring thickness, OD, and ID. Once, on one of my cars I was redoing the entire ac system, I couldnt match up an o ring from a "box" of assorted rings from AZ. I had to go to dealer for a dumb o ring. Dumb, all right, had I not gone there and pay the $1 for it- it HAD to be exact.

    Man, I think you have to bite the bullet and redo those joints. Oh, about those "extensions"- I know it seems liike its the thing to do, but they come at a cost- Most involve yet, another O ring to seal the joint of the extension, and of course, another sourse for a leak. Its OK provided you verify with soap bubbles if they do not leak. Did you do that on those Thick o rings you mentioned? Did you check the whole system's joints for leaks (soap is good, dye/uv light is another way, after driving it for a week)?
     
  6. moysiuan

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    #6 moysiuan, Jun 11, 2012
    Soap bubbled all fittings, no leaks, for now! Will redo the offending o rings as/when a leak develops, maybe will be okay. Will check more frequently as well.
     
  7. pippo

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    #7 pippo, Jun 12, 2012
    OK, Andy, let me know!! I'll do what I can! Keep cool, Man.
     

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