LR45

Yes it is that time of year for the air conditioning question. How does one check the oil in the compressor and what type of oil does it take and how much. It is a factory unit (R12).
Thanks
86 944 N/A

jim968

The compressor's oil is a part of the AC charge, goes in with the refrigerant. Since it's a sealed unit & system, there''s no way (ie, dipstick, etc.) to check it.

If the AC works, it's a pretty safe bet that you've got enough oil. Any leak that would have let the oil out would have let the freon out first. About the only maintenance you can do is to remember to run the system for ~10 minutes every month in the winter (oops! too late!8)) to circulate the oil.

Jim, embarrassed by our NASCAR governor....

Bri Bro

R12 uses mineral oil while R134A use PAG. The reason is that mineral oil will not mix with R134A, so they used Polyalkylene Glycol Oil (PAG). Most leaks are small enough that only gas comes out. Also, all rubber tube leak a small amount of gas over time. Sometime you can see a small amounts of oil but since most system start out with 5 to 8 oz, it would take a BIG leak to loose even 10% of this amount. The exact amount of oil is determined by the type of A/C compressor size, it changes from model to model.

BTW: PAG causes skin/eye/lung irritation, handle with care.

RussRPJ

I would recommend switching from the old R12 ASAP. Its getting to be a hassle to find and put in, plus its a lot more expensive nowdays.