AC compressor oil?

[Tishabet]

Hello All,
just recieved a rebuilt AC compressor for my car and the packaging states that it has no oil in it and needs 6 oz.
How do I procure and add the oil? I know there are different oils for different coolants, I am planning on keeping the system stock and going with R12.
So my question is, can I add the oil or is that done when I get it charged? And if so, is it ok to drive around with it without the oil as long as I don't turn on the AC? we're talking maybe a week.
If in fact I need to add the oil before I get around to charging it, is it something that is easy to buy and easy to add? I am running sort of low on money and I'd like to keep the charges from the AC shop to just a vacum of the system and add new R12.
Obviously I've never really done the AC thing before, never owned a car with AC before!

So any advice/wisdom is appreciated. Thanks!

[Lawrence Coppari]

I've installed a few compressors. I changed out the Nippon to a Sanden n my 944 and put a rebuilt A6 in my old MB last summer as well. Both compressors have a plug in them that you unscrew and fill with the correct oil.

I still have my old Nippon in the basement. I could look for a plug on it. I don't recall right off hand but will check when I get home. Maybe someone else knows right off the bat.....

[Tishabet]

Is the oil something I could expect to find at any well stocked parts store?

[odie]

You can buy ac compressor oil at any parts store. There are two kinds of oil...R-12 type and R-134 type. They don't mix...but they don't react with each other either. Kinda like oil and water.

I suggest you convert to R-134 if you haven't already. If you have an aircompressor you can vaccum your own system with a $10 pump from eBay.

Since your compressor is dry, you can just pour the oil into one of the ports if there is no fill plug. Another option is to use a can of "oil charge" when you charge the system.

Basically, purchase $30 R-134 conversion kit, install new compressor, vacuum system for an hour (optional but not a bad idea, best to do on a hot dry day), add can of oil, add can of R-134, start car & turn AC switch on, add second car of R-134, system pressure rises enought to trip the low pressure switch "off", compressor starts and sucks the rest of the freon out of the second can, AC gets cold, maybe add third can of R-134 depending on your system capacity.

[Lawrence Coppari]

Just checked my old Nippon. It has no oil plug like the rest of them have. Wonder if you put it in with the charge at the compressor. There is a valve on the compressor.

[odie]

The "conversion kits" include a pressurized can of oil that you fill using the AC charge hose.

Or you can buy a bottle of the same oil and pour it into one one the AC line ports on the compressor before attaching the hose.

Either way works. Just don't do both. More oil means less freon. You should only need a few oz of oil.

Get an AC pressure guage too. It helps in charging the system to the right amount.

[Tishabet]

Thanks for the info everyone!
Hey Wilk....Would I have a better chance of finding the 134 oil at a pepboys/napa type of place? And as a more general type of question, am I silly to stick to R12? Is now a good time to switch to 134a, since I already have the system apart? And if I were to switch to 134A, is all I need the correct oil, the 134a, and the new connector? Would these be "pep boys" type of parts, or should I totally give up on that route?
Sorry to say "thank you" by asking more questions, but this issue wasn't crystal clear to me based on the posts my search turned up.
Thanks again!

[little_kid_joe]

Using vacuum on the system insures that the water has been evaporated from the system ( an important part ) the longer you maintane the vacuum the better the purge. Most manufacturers recognise 24 hrs as a good treatment. It's best not have this step rushed, it could improve the corrosion resistance in your system and provide a longer service life.

Best of luck!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

But what shop is going to leave your system hooked up to a vaccum for 24 hours? I get the feeling they'd laugh in your face if you asked them to do that!

[little_kid_joe]

You're right! Thats why it's best to switch to 134 and do it your self! Sometimes they will leave it on 'til the end of the day if you ask them with a 6 pack

[350HP951]

Any place that sells parts (Pep Boys included) will have compressor oil. Stick with R-12 as long as you are able to find it and the price is not so incredibly high as to make it cost prohibitive.

No one vacuums a system for 24 hours and it isnt even close to necessary. For that matter no AC machine I have ever used (and that is a bunch from RobinAir, Snap On, etc) would vacuum that long if you wanted it to. They are all auto shut off.

If converting to R-134 the correct way (and you will see me say this throughout the summer) is to remove the compressor, dump the oil, remove the condensor, have it flushed and even better have it professionally cleaned, replace the AC lines (will have to be made but any AC shop can do it for very little), etc, etc. There is no way it is worth it to do it right, you save nothing.

If you want to do it yourself just go get an IMACA test or MAC test and take it. It costs less than 20 bucks and you can buy R-12 like the rest of us. Get a vacuum pump and a compressor, set of gauges and you are good to go. If you want to do it often look for shops that are closing, most have R-12 machines they no longer use and will sell cheap (this way you can do proper recovery).

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yea, but how much is all this stuff? I'm not an a/c expert by any stretch, and most people (myself included) know next to nothing about it. . . Is it really worth it to have a bunch of expensive and specialized equipment that I barely know how to use sitting around or are these things I can get for under $50?