AC compressor leaking oil
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Joined: Jun 2004
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If you identified the oil as "refrigerant oil", its time to remove the refrigerant, remove the compressor and decide if you want to attempt to re-seal it, or get something else; you could disassemble the compressor and inspect the pistons, bores, wobble plate, shaft area where nose seal contacts, the wobble plate, piston half bearings, reed valves and plates.
If you are seeing yellow,green, or orange dye in the oil, ditto.
If you want a 'rebuilt' compressor insure it is rebuilt by Denso.
There alternative bolt on compressors as well.
You might want to consider inspecting the two refrigerant lines attached to the compressor (from evaporator and to condenser)
as these tend to fail before others. You'll need a new receiver drier and you might as well replace all the system o-rings.
If the system was running R12 or if the service records for the a/c are not clear, you should considering liquid flushing
the refrigerant lines you do not replace, along with the condenser and evaporator(s); you'd need to remove the expansion
valve from the evap's and heads up that liquid flushing an entire system is tedious (you do not flush expansion valves, driers
or compressors). New refrigerant oil would be added back in at the time of charging the system with refrigerant.
AC Help
Shark AC components
If you are seeing yellow,green, or orange dye in the oil, ditto.
If you want a 'rebuilt' compressor insure it is rebuilt by Denso.
There alternative bolt on compressors as well.
You might want to consider inspecting the two refrigerant lines attached to the compressor (from evaporator and to condenser)
as these tend to fail before others. You'll need a new receiver drier and you might as well replace all the system o-rings.
If the system was running R12 or if the service records for the a/c are not clear, you should considering liquid flushing
the refrigerant lines you do not replace, along with the condenser and evaporator(s); you'd need to remove the expansion
valve from the evap's and heads up that liquid flushing an entire system is tedious (you do not flush expansion valves, driers
or compressors). New refrigerant oil would be added back in at the time of charging the system with refrigerant.
AC Help
Shark AC components
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 181
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From: Grand Rapids, MN
So step one is to remove the refrigerant. How do I do that?
The car is on jack stands now with the intake off so I can't drive it to a shop and I like to do my own work. I finished doing a WP/TB job about a month ago so I had the front and lower parts of the engine clean and new belts for everything. Now I looked under it and the front half of the compressor has oil on it. All the way out to the new belt. The oil does have an orange look to it. The AC worked the last time I drove the car but that was a couple of years ago. I have been chasing engine updates since then so it hasn't been run since then.
The car is on jack stands now with the intake off so I can't drive it to a shop and I like to do my own work. I finished doing a WP/TB job about a month ago so I had the front and lower parts of the engine clean and new belts for everything. Now I looked under it and the front half of the compressor has oil on it. All the way out to the new belt. The oil does have an orange look to it. The AC worked the last time I drove the car but that was a couple of years ago. I have been chasing engine updates since then so it hasn't been run since then.
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From: Oman
The socially responsible way is to capture the refrigerant using the appropriate kit as used in an a/c shop. This means the car has to be on their premises or they come to you. The alternative is to vent it to atmosphere, break a zillion laws and have Green peace down your neck.
Maybe someone has a novel way of doing this without breaking any laws but that is quite a volume of gas at atmospheric conditions.
Rgds
Fred
Maybe someone has a novel way of doing this without breaking any laws but that is quite a volume of gas at atmospheric conditions.
Rgds
Fred
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Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Ball Ground, GA
There are two ways to remove the refrigerant:
The legal way. Use a refrigerant recovery/recycling system, a machine that connects to the car AC, pumps the refrigerant into a storage tank, cleans it and puts it back into the car system.
The illegal way. Crack a line fitting and let it seep into the air.
Servicing your AC requires some fairly expensive equipment. Things like a vacuum pump aren't "nice to have", they are "must have". Your choices at this stage appear to be:
- Leave the AC alone, get it fixed by an AC shop. Not many AC shops are familiar with the 928, so there may be some problems there.
- Bleed the system down, learn how to repair your AC (quite a bit of learning involved), then have an AC shop pump down, test and fill the system when the car is mobile.
- Buy the equipment needed, become an AC expert, and do it all yourself.
The legal way. Use a refrigerant recovery/recycling system, a machine that connects to the car AC, pumps the refrigerant into a storage tank, cleans it and puts it back into the car system.
The illegal way. Crack a line fitting and let it seep into the air.
Servicing your AC requires some fairly expensive equipment. Things like a vacuum pump aren't "nice to have", they are "must have". Your choices at this stage appear to be:
- Leave the AC alone, get it fixed by an AC shop. Not many AC shops are familiar with the 928, so there may be some problems there.
- Bleed the system down, learn how to repair your AC (quite a bit of learning involved), then have an AC shop pump down, test and fill the system when the car is mobile.
- Buy the equipment needed, become an AC expert, and do it all yourself.
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,480
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From: Adirondack Mountains, New York
I'm in the same boat. I've read up on rebuilt units (mostly available for John Deere equipment), but the cheap units have a bad reputation. Roger sells a rebuilt unit that's 2X the price, but peace of mind demands it, I'd say.
Roger doesn't think attempting to just replace the front seal is a worthy project.
Given the leak in my system, I doubt there is much refrigerant (the less harmful R134). I'm thinking of removing my compressor and drier, and then taking the car to an AC shop with the parts they'll need (compressor, drier, belt). Alternatively, I could re-install these parts, and they could just do the charging. Or something in between. I'll ask them. I want to minimize the amount of wrenching they do since it will a strange beast to them. Strange to me, too, but I'll be slow, careful, and do my homework.
If this is a goofy plan, let me know!
Roger doesn't think attempting to just replace the front seal is a worthy project.
Given the leak in my system, I doubt there is much refrigerant (the less harmful R134). I'm thinking of removing my compressor and drier, and then taking the car to an AC shop with the parts they'll need (compressor, drier, belt). Alternatively, I could re-install these parts, and they could just do the charging. Or something in between. I'll ask them. I want to minimize the amount of wrenching they do since it will a strange beast to them. Strange to me, too, but I'll be slow, careful, and do my homework.
If this is a goofy plan, let me know!
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From: Oman
If my experience was anything to go by servicing these units is not a difficult task for someone who knows what they are doing. In my case I had a body seal leak so I had the agents remove the R134a and then the compressor and took it to my local a/c shop. I watched them strip the unit and clean everything, nothig appeared to be significantly worn [at about 90k miles] and they rebuilt the unit with new body seals and a new dynamic seal. Took the unit back to the agents, they fitted and gassed it - has held gas well ever since. Nowadays I would have someone remove the gas and then remove the compressor myself.
As with most things, if the compressor has seen a high mileage then new internals would be required and then the cost goes up. Removing the compressor is not too difficult but it is a bit fiddly especially if you are on jack stands working flat on your back.
Rgds
Fred
As with most things, if the compressor has seen a high mileage then new internals would be required and then the cost goes up. Removing the compressor is not too difficult but it is a bit fiddly especially if you are on jack stands working flat on your back.
Rgds
Fred
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Pokeman,
Usually when you see refrigerant oil you have lost some refrigerant, so.... possibly there is little if any refrigerant left in the system. You could toss on a set of gauges to check how much pressure is in the system.
Or,
You could drive the vehicle to a repair facility that can recover the type of refrigerant that is in the system now. If it has R12 refrigerant you would need to find a repair shop that has either a dedicated R12 recovery machine or a "trash" bottle (one that is used for mixed refrigerants). Most repair shops today have R134a recovery machines.
Since many shops don't like doing half a job you'd have to discuss the costs up front. For example, say you called "Josh" at Tuffy's and explained you wanted to recover the refrigerant in the car. You are working on the system because its a "Porsche" and you are particular, however you also wanted them to do the recharge when you are done, maybe they might charge you when you go back to do that. I'm not promoting "Tuffy's" nor am I negotiating ... but that is a scenario.
Usually when you see refrigerant oil you have lost some refrigerant, so.... possibly there is little if any refrigerant left in the system. You could toss on a set of gauges to check how much pressure is in the system.
Or,
You could drive the vehicle to a repair facility that can recover the type of refrigerant that is in the system now. If it has R12 refrigerant you would need to find a repair shop that has either a dedicated R12 recovery machine or a "trash" bottle (one that is used for mixed refrigerants). Most repair shops today have R134a recovery machines.
Since many shops don't like doing half a job you'd have to discuss the costs up front. For example, say you called "Josh" at Tuffy's and explained you wanted to recover the refrigerant in the car. You are working on the system because its a "Porsche" and you are particular, however you also wanted them to do the recharge when you are done, maybe they might charge you when you go back to do that. I'm not promoting "Tuffy's" nor am I negotiating ... but that is a scenario.