In this case I would say that you have purchased a non returnable compressor so your options are that you have to work with what you have shelled out the cash for already. I phoned my friend at Austin Baker Sales (
www.austinbakersales.com) in Denton TX (re-mans compressors) and he gave me the latest low down on what the options are (educating myself too).
- under no circumstances should a compressor be flushed (flushing causes the bearings to be dried out and will cause premature failure)
- the modern POE oils (poly ester oils) will mix with the old mineral oil and today’s common procedure is to flush the rest of the system of oil and add 4-6 oz of POE oil, with the assumption that 2 oz of a previous oil (POE or mineral) is remaining in the compressor
- (correction of previous post: it was the first oil for 134 that came out, the PAG series oils that caused problems when mixed with the old mineral oil, so you are OK mixing POE oils with small amounts of mineral oil, per AustinBakerSales)
- if there is a drain plug on the compressor, then you can remove a lot of the oil out here, but measure the oil that comes out and if you get the expected 2 oz to drain, when you add POE oil to the system you add an additional 2 oz for a total of 8 oz of oil that you have added to a flushed system (other components flushed, drier replaced)
- there is no way to clean out this compressor with any flush method without leaving it bone dry and exposed to being run dry long enough to burn up (before the oil can start to circulate) so you would have to have it rebuilt if you want it pristine clean
- AustinBaker says that even compressors that are shipped “dry” have a small amount of (usually) mineral oil on the bearings to keep them from burning up during the early stages of oil filling
So in your particular case, it appears that all you can do is to use the
ebay compressor as it is, ensure you have a new drier and hope that the drier catches any debris in the compressor that accumulated there while it was open. You might try checking for a drain plug, drain out all the oil and pour that much POE oil in the vacuum side of it before installing. Note that you add 2 oz of oil to the compressor by pouring it in the intake port and (if system was flushed) either distribute the remaining 4-6 oz throughout the system if you have multiple connections open (i.e. replacing o-rings) or simply pour the rest in any other open port. You may have to rotate the clutch of the compressor to get it to ‘drink’ the 2 oz oil fill if you are adding to system that is open. As an alternative, if you are adding a full oil charge, use one of the cans of refrigerant that contains the 8 oz of oil and use it as the first can of additive to a vacuumed system. The vacuum pulled on the system should suck enough oil out of the can and into the compressor before you jumper the pressure switch to cause the clutch engaged.
I also asked my friend what the going rate for work on the nipanzo (sp?) compressor. He says they will go through your compressor, adding seals and o-rings for around $95 and will do R&Rs where you ship your compressor to them, they try to fix your existing compressor and if they can’t, they put your old clutch and pully on a remaned one and that generally costs $175 - $225.
I have been using them for years and have been very happy with their work. They always try to fix the old compressor for me first and never blanketly try to sell me a re-man’ed one if I don’t need it. The phone number is 940-382-3281 if you have any questions or want to do a R&R on a future compressor rebuild.
Note: This information is being shared as hear say and only by word of mouth. No accuracy or liability is invoked or implied. Working with A/C systems requires training and certification and no one should work on an A/C system without completing both.
