How much r12 and compressor oil do I need? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Clack
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assuming no oil or gas in the system What is refrigerant and oil volume for Fj60 (134a)
If you are just topping up the gas, you shouldn't need to add oil.
Unless you have a bad leak, then you have bigger problems.
If you are just topping up the gas, you shouldn't need to add oil.
Unless you have a bad leak, then you have bigger problems.
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Well, not necessarily. It might only need a small topup.
Add a small amount at a time, wait a minute or two and look at the sight glass in the drier. If there's still bubbles, add a little more. Once there's no bubbles, it's full.
Another way to tell if the system is full is if your center vent temps are in the mid 40s (degrees F). If that's the case, don't add any more. My sight glass shows a few bubbles every time the compressor cycles, but they go away. That is normal. Continuous bubbles when the compressor is engaged is an indication of too little refrigerant.
Have it evacuated and leak checked if it's been that long since anything's been done. The leak may have been gradual, or an O-ring or other component may have developed a leak recently that will lead to you wasting your money on a top off (and R12 is ridiculously expensive). Adding TOO much oil will cause too much pressure against the dryer in your system and cause it to blow the safety valve (little brass looking bolt between the fittings) slowly venting your whole system to atmosphere. I figured that out when I ended up flushing a TON of oil from the evaporator and condenser in my system. With no good way to measure the current quantity of oil in your system, it's easy to over service the oil. That happened when I took it to a guy a couple years ago who serviced it for me. There is a special gauge you can get that will give you an idea how much oil is in your system, which I'm still waiting for delivery, but aside from that I have all the tools and equipment to service my system (save for the occasional purchase of oil), so for me it's no biggy. But given you're starting out from scratch with learning about your A/C system, I HIGHLY advise taking it to a professional who will still service R12 systems without converting them to R134a (which is less efficient).
