83ho86tpi

ok, I want it to work like new, so I got it all, compressor, condenser, accumulator, and evaparator. I have a vaccum pump that works off of a air compressor and a nice set of 134a gauges, I have used both of them before so I think I got that part down.

Questions are:

1) What type of oil should I go with to lube it up and how much since these parts are all new / dry?

2) How tight should all the lines be (approx ft lbs)?

3) What type of lube / oil should go on the o-rings (if any)?


Ok, just thought id share what I was told:

put some petroleum jelly on the new o-rings to lube them, that should not hurt the rubber

go with the pre mixed oil and refrigerant if possible to make things easier to measure, check / ask to see how much oil is already in the new / rebuilt compressor and system parts some may come somewhat pre-oiled

black89ws6

What type of compressor does your car have? It is most likely an r4.

1) A system with an R4 compressor requires 6 oz of oil. I would choose POE oil over PAG. I would put 8 ounces in the system. put 4 ounces in the accumulator just prior to assembly, and put 4 ounces in the suction port of the compressor. Be sure to turn the compressor over at least 20-30 times (more=better) to prelube everything prior to initial assembly, also, try not to charge a new system with liquid refrigerant unless your low side port is on the accumulator itself, as liquid refrigerant will wash the oil right out of the compressor (in addition to just plain being all around bad for compressors anyway).

2) I can't tell you foot lbs, but I can tell you this. If the oring is in good shape, and properly lubed, it doesn't have to be terribly tight. Most of these lines are aluminum, and won't take much torque. It's always easier to tighten the fitting that leaked because it was a little loose, than to replace the oring that was flattened from overtension.

3) Use regular R12 mineral oil on your orings. Do not use R134a oils (even if it will be a r134a system). If you want to do one better than mineral oil, get a bottle of nylog http://www.ackits.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Nylog
It's always worked great for me.


I've never heard of using petro jelly on orings, but it seems like it would work. I prefer to stick with what I know, but if you trust the person who gave you that info, use your judgement and run with it. FWIW, the factory service manual calls for mineral oil to lube o rings.

I would avoid the cans of refrigerant/oil mix for the following reasons:

1) You already have the refrigerant circuit open anyway.
2) You need some liquid oil to prelube your compressor with
3) You can get a good precise measurement of the oil you're putting in your system.
4) Your car is worth the extra ten minutes of elbow grease to make sure you get a good name brand lubricant in your fully new ac system. I use

castrol POE
5) It comes in 8 oz bottles, which is just what you need
Good luck.

BigWhiteGTP

What happens if I used the PAG oil to lube the O-rings? I haven't recharged the AC yet, but does it ruin the O-rings?

Where can I get a bottle of Nylog?

black89ws6

It won't hurt the orings, but it won't help seal them nearly as well. If you dipped one oring in pag, and one in mineral, you would see the difference. The PAG is thin and runny, like WD40, the mineral oil is thicker and syrupy (word??) more like motor oil.

You can get the nylog online from several suppliers, one of which is ackits.com It's in the link in my last post.

Also, if you've got the whole system apart, use HNBR (green ones) orings while you're at it. It's not a requirement, but they are better, and the price difference is insignificant.