Re: [DMCForum] A/C question

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxxxxx>]

> The problem, as I suspected from the 6-second cycle of the
> compressor, was that there was almost no refrigerant.
Where it
> went, I have no clue because there don't seem to be any
leaks.

Oh okay, duh.  Maybe I shouldn't post anything unless I am
totally caught up on things.  The reason why you may not
have any noticeable leaks is due to how often you run the
aircon system.  There is a finite amount of oil on the seal
in the compressor.  The pressure of a charged system will
eventually blow that off.  Then once the seal is dry, the
refrigerant will leak out much quicker than the thick oil.
So the secret is to run your system at least every week or
two.  This will slosh the oil around and keep the seal
lubricated.

Other options are to turn the pulley by hand about a dozen
times (and I'm not sure if that would really be effective)
or just run the aircon for about 20 seconds a week even
during winter.  That is ideal for keeping the seal wet with
oil.  If the car doesn't run and you want to keep your
refrigerant charge from blowing by the seal, then take the
compressor mounts loose while leaving the compressor in the
engine compartment laying pulley down.  This will allow oil
to puddle around the seal.  Oil is much thicker than
refrigerant and leaks out much slower.  The secret is to
keep oil on the seal so that it leaks the thick oil slowly
rather than the thin refrigerant quickly.  In either case,
the system is going to leak no matter what.  It is the
nature of the beast.  So better that it leaks oil than leaks
refrigerant.

Hope that made sense.

Walt

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