Replacing A/c accumulator

L

License2Bill

New member
Last summer I paid to have my a/c system refilled with the correct amount of refrigerant. The system worked fine for a couple days, then the air started becoming hotter out of the vents. I knew I had a massive leak somewhere. Fast forward a few months to when I'm installing my headers, just for kicks I give the foam insulation around the accumulator a squeeze. Low and behold green stuff starts oozing out. It appears as though it rusted through as many others have done on this vehicle platform.

I'm trying to find out how much oil goes into the accumulator when it gets changed out. I know the refrigerant is 38oz.

Thanks in advance!
 
The machine at the service garage will automatically add oil when charging the system.
 
License2Bill said:
Last summer I paid to have my a/c system refilled with the correct amount of refrigerant. The system worked fine for a couple days, then the air started becoming hotter out of the vents. I knew I had a massive leak somewhere. Fast forward a few months to when I'm installing my headers, just for kicks I give the foam insulation around the accumulator a squeeze. Low and behold green stuff starts oozing out. It appears as though it rusted through as many others have done on this vehicle platform.

I'm trying to find out how much oil goes into the accumulator when it gets changed out. I know the refrigerant is 38oz.

Thanks in advance!
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The problem is that the oil circulates with the refrigerant and when you have a leak that allows both to escape it is hard to say just how much has leaked out.

The general rule of thumb is to put about 1/4 of the total oil capacity in the accumulator when it is being replaced. Since more than that may have leaked out then I'd go with aprox 1/3 of the total system capacity which is listed on the sticker that lists the refrigerant amount.

Zack said:
The machine at the service garage will automatically add oil when charging the system.
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NO, the machine does not automatically add oil. The machine is not smart enough to know whether a component was replaced or how much came out when the system was evacuated. The catch bottle is graduated so that the operator can see if oil came out and how much. The machine can be used to add oil but it is up to the operator to determine if that is appropriate and exactly how much is appropriate.
 
License2Bill said:
Could I just have them pull a vacuum for 15-20 minutes, then add 100% of both the oil and r134a?
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The should pull a vacuum for at least 30 minutes if not an hour when the system has been open for so long.

However the oil won't boil and thus what ever is still in there will remain. Overfilling the oil will reduce efficiency but unless it is really significant it won't cause damage.

Plus the preference is to add the oil directly to the component that is being replaced.
 
fixing A/C is normally not that pricey if you fix all the leaks your self. they will know what to do when its time to have it recharged. spend the 200$ and have it fixed right. trust me.
 
Don't forget to let the system sit for at least 30 min minimum after vacuuming it out with the gauge connected to verify no leaks before recharging. No sense wasting refrigerant if you don't have to!

Wags
 
EMAS said:
NO, the machine does not automatically add oil. The machine is not smart enough to know whether a component was replaced or how much came out when the system was evacuated. The catch bottle is graduated so that the operator can see if oil came out and how much. The machine can be used to add oil but it is up to the operator to determine if that is appropriate and exactly how much is appropriate.
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Actually the machine we have does measure the amount of oil drained during evacuation, and will automatically add that amount upon charging. When you set up the machine in automatic mode you literally connect it, set the charge level and vacuum times, if you want to add additional oil, then walk away until it's done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
rauder88 said:
Actually the machine we have does measure the amount of oil drained during evacuation, and will automatically add that amount upon charging. When you set up the machine in automatic mode you literally connect it, set the charge level and vacuum times, if you want to add additional oil, then walk away until it's done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Cool, haven't seen one of those yet.
 
EMAS said:
NO, the machine does not automatically add oil. The machine is not smart enough to know whether a component was replaced or how much came out when the system was evacuated. The catch bottle is graduated so that the operator can see if oil came out and how much. The machine can be used to add oil but it is up to the operator to determine if that is appropriate and exactly how much is appropriate.
Click to expand...


Yeah I knew that. I left all that out as not to confuse the OP.
 
I just added some oil to the new accumulator, installed it and added 38 oz of refrigerant. Works like a champ and the savings are spectacular.
 
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