ewm

Hello,

I bought a Griffiths Kuehl compressor kit for a 1979 928 that came with a surprise can of ester oil not mentioned in the kit component list. The Griffiths web page advertises that the compressor is pre-filled with the correct ester oil for R-134a refrigerant. Griffiths answering machine plays an out of the office message.

The instructions in the kit require checking the oil level in the compressor. The only instructions on how to check compressor oil that I can find require that the compressor be drained and re-filled with the correct amount new oil. This seems rediculous and I don't know what the correct amount of oil might be anyway.

Does pre-filled means that the new oil in a new compressor has to be drained and more new oil poured in? Or this their some unmentioned way to check the oil level in a pre-filled new compressor?

Has anyone used one of these kit and know what the resolution might be? Can I install the compressor as is?

Thanks for any help.
ewm
79MY 928 5 speed with no rear a/c and no front a/c either at the moment

SeanR

I'm sure Griffiths will be in here to display his extraordinary customer service skills once again.

jeff spahn

The instructions that came with the kit tell you how to do it. Basically, you empty all of the oil out of the compressor per the included instructions, then you put in the whole can, 8oz, of oil that came with the kit. You have to be sure to tell the shop that is going to refill your compressor that you already have oil in the system or they'll add it, a bad thing.

Be sure to COMPLETELY flush your system of the old stuff for best performance. I also found the spacer on the front of the AC bracket (towards radiator) was not quite in line. I used washers to make my compressor track truer (also per instructions).

After all said and done it mine puts out 42 degrees at the center vent on an 85 or so day. I have front and rear air.

The instructions also give a 'basic' fill amount for R-134 but doing it by weight is the best way.

Get your hands on a bottle of NYLOG from a local AC shop, home or automotive should carry it. They have a specific kind for R-134. Blue bottle. Slather this stuff on every O ring. It will greatly help in prevention of leaks. Sean R turned me onto it. Amazing stuff!

ewm

Thank you Jeff Spahn.

Confidence that I'm not doing something unnecessary helps overcome the frustration of wondering what "pre-filled with oil" actually indicates.

ewm
70MY 928 5-speed

WallyP

The compressor has "some" lube from the factory, not from Griff.

That being said, the proper amount of oil might be a guessing game - you certainly wouldn't want to use the amount specified for your original compressor.

I would suggest that you put part of the oil in the compressor, and part in the receiver/dryer - which you must also replace.

Ed Scherer

I must have been lucky with Griffiths or something. A couple of years ago, I e-mailed them a few times to get some technical advice and to suggest a slight change on one of their hoses (IIRC, a slightly larger bend radius on their high-side hoses would make installation a little easier). Charlie was responsive and helpful. Ditto for when I snapped a bolt (my own fault for grossly over-torquing it when in a hurry to get the job done) and called him to get specs on that bolt. Maybe it's a different story when you're calling to try to get something replaced under warranty, but at least for me, I was actually really happy with the customer service I got (and, IIRC, I didn't even get my Kuehl stuff directly from him; I got it through 928 Specialists).



BTW, I don't think I saw it mentioned yet in this thread, but (especially if you dump all the oil in the compressor), make damn sure you slowly hand turn the compressor (see the instructions) after you've got everything reassembled so you don't kill the compressor when it's first used.

jeff spahn

Wally. They send along 8oz of oil and in the instructions they tell you to put 8 oz of oil back in the compressor after you drain the factory build oil remnants. Then they tell you how to slowly rotate the compressor a specified number of times to prime it. I thought the directions were pretty good!