Adding oil is a good idea when replacing a component like a condenser on your car’s AC system. Want to know how to add Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) oil? We’ve researched this matter to provide you with the answers you need.
The steps for adding PAG oil to the AC condenser are as follows:
- Turn off the engine.
- Locate the AC compressor.
- Remove the tire close to the compressor.
- Remove the protective covering.
- Loosen the belt of the compressor.
- Disconnect the compressor's wire connector.
- Disconnect the pressure lines on the compressor’s valves.
- Connect the reclaimer to the compressor’s valves.
- Remove the compressor.
- Drain the old oil from the compressor.
- Add the PAG oil.
- Return the compressor.
- Reconnect the reclaimer to the compressor’s valves.
- Reconnect the pressure lines on the compressor’s valves.
- Reconnect the compressor's wire connector.
- Put the loose belt back.
- Return the protective covering and the tire.
- Test the compressor.
In this article, we will delve deeper into the aforementioned steps. We will also share how much oil to put on the AC condenser. So keep on reading.
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How To Add PAG Oil To AC Condenser?
You may need to add oil to your vehicle's air conditioning system to make your AC condenser conduct its work. If you don't have a reclaimer machine, which you need to remove the freon from the air conditioning system, take your car to a qualified repair.
Before you remove the AC compressor, if you are mechanically inclined and have access to a reclaimer machine, collect the freon to release pressure and stop it from escaping into the atmosphere, which is both dangerous to the environment and prohibited in many regions.
You can then take the compressor off, drain the oil, refill it, and install it back onto your car so you can use the reclaimer machine to recharge the freon. When adding PAG oil to an AC condenser, the following are the detailed steps to follow.
1. Turn Offf The Engine
First thing first, turn off the engine because if you remove the compressor while the engine is running, you can shock yourself. Make sure that the car is parked on level ground.
2. Locate The AC Compressor
Then, find your AC compressor by opening the hood and looking toward the front on the left side of the car. Look for a silver metal cylinder with tubes, belts, and wiring attached to it. Or check behind the large tubing that might only block your view of the compressor.
3. Remove The Tire Close To The Compressor
Put a car jack underneath a jack point on the car's frame, close to the front tire. To reveal the AC compressor, use a tire iron to remove the tire and place it elsewhere. The engine's compressor's protective cover should be visible above the tire well.
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4. Remove The Protective Covering
To remove the mounting bolts from the cover of the AC compressor, use a socket wrench. Remove the vehicle's covering and store it somewhere else to be reinstalled later. Also, ensure that none of the bolts is lost.
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5. Loosen The Belt Of The Compressor
You can see a belt and pulley system on the compressor. To enable you to loosen the belt, use a wrench to remove the nut from the pulley's outside. To make it simple to replace the belt later, slide it off the pulley's side. Keep the nut attached to the pulley. Just enough to make the belt lose.
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6. Disconnect The Compressor's Wire Connector
A plastic wire will be attached to the compressor's power supply. When disconnecting a wire from a compressor, grab the connection point and pull the wire out. Sometimes, you might need to press down on a plastic tab at the connection site to separate the wire. To reattach it easily later, let the wire hang loosely from the car.
7. Disconnect The Pressure Lines On The Compressor’s Valves
There are two lines exiting the compressor's back: the high- and low-pressure lines. The high-pressure line is the thin line, while the low-pressure line is the bigger line. Remove the bolts holding the pressure lines to your compressor together, then disengage them from the compressor's valves.
8. Connect The Reclaimer To The Compressor’s Valves
Lift the tab on the valves from the reclaimer machine, slide them onto the pressure valves (high and low-pressure valves) of the compressor, and then push them closed.
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Turn the compressor valves open and turn on the reclaimer machine to capture the freon. Run the machine until the pressure gauges indicate that the compressor is empty. Turn off the reclaimer machine, close the valves, and detach them from the compressor.
9. Remove The Compressor
Use a wrench to remove the four mounting bolts holding the compressor to the car once all lines, wires, and belts have been detached. Either from the engine's top or the bottom, remove the compressor.
10. Drain The Old Oil From The Compressor
Remove the cap from the compressor and then hold the compressor upside down to empty all of the old oil from it. A compressor that still has oil in it can overflow if additional oil is added, which could harm the compressor or make it problematic after installation.
11. Add The PAG Oil
Keep the compressor in a vertical position with the open end pointing up. Slowly pour the necessary quantity of PAG oil using a funnel that fits the entrance. Then, tighten the rear cap with a wrench to secure it. After that, hold the compressor in one hand and rotate the clutch plate many times to work the oil into the compressor's internal workings.
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12. Return The Compressor
Put the compressor back where it was originally mounted. To ensure that the compressor is stable and won't move, install back the mounting bolts with a wrench and tighten them well.
13. Reconnect The Reclaimer To The Compressor’s Valves
Reconnect the reclaimer machine to the compressor, the same process on the eighth step. With the reclaimer machine connected, open the compressor’s valves, then open the reclaimer’s valves counterclockwise.
Turn on the reclaimer after setting it to the restore setting. Until the tank is already empty, turn off the reclaimer, close the valves and unplug them from the compressor.
In terms of restoring the freon to the compressor, a video on YouTube is shown below.
14. Reconnect The Pressure Lines On The Compressor’s Valves
Reinsert the high-pressure and low-pressure lines into the compressor. Put back the bolts over the lines using the wrench and tighten them so they are held firmly in place.
15. Reconnect The Compressor's Wire Connector
Push the two wire connector sides together after aligning them. To ensure that the wires are attached and won't come undone, tug lightly. Once the wires are attached, you can hear a "click" or "snap."
16. Put The Loose Belt Back
Reposition the slack belt over the compressor's pulleys to where it was before. Once the belt is taut, use a wrench that fits over the pulley's nut to tighten it.
17. Return The Protective Covering And The Tire
Slide the bolts into their slots while holding the plastic covering in place. Then tighten the bolt using a wrench. Reinstall the tire to the car and tighten each nut with a tire iron.
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18. Test The Compressor
Remove the jack, simply slide it beneath the car and the car back to the ground. Ensure the compressor is operating by turning on the engine and watching if the compressor belt spins. The compressor is working properly if the air conditioner can produce cold air.
A YouTube video is displayed below for you to observe how all those processes were carried out.
How Much Oil Do I Put In A New AC Condenser?
Your vehicle's user manual will suggest a precise volume of refrigerant oil. Additionally, the specifications of the AC unit itself show how much oil it needs. As a general rule, you can use four ounces of oil, but you should consult the owner's manual to be safe.
There are also stickers on the railing that your car's hood encloses or under the hood. These labels frequently contain information about refrigerants, like the kind of refrigerant to use, the best oil to buy, the suggested doses, and warnings about things to avoid.
However, the best thing to do is to get in touch with the maker of your A/C compressor to find out the precise amount needed. It's important to avoid overfilling the system with oil, as this can lower performance. Nevertheless, adding insufficient oil will cause compression failures by raising the temperature and friction.
R134a refrigerant is used in the majority of vehicles manufactured after 1996. This type's compressor system uses PAG oil. This standardization has made it simpler to determine how much oil to apply to each AC component:
|
AC Component |
Amount Of PAG Oil |
|
Accumulator |
1 ounce |
|
AC Hoses |
1 ounce |
|
Compressor |
1.4 ounces |
|
Condenser |
1 ounce |
| Evaporator |
1.5 ounces |
Since the entire amount of oil applied is typically four ounces, the total amount of oil in all the components shouldn't be more than it. The capacity of the AC system oil in your vehicle will determine this number.
Conclusion
We hope you are well-guided with the steps of adding oil to the AC condenser. Just be careful to measure out the appropriate quantity of oil before adding it to the system as it gets worse if you overdo it and create a problem. Otherwise, contact a professional near you to do the job correctly.
For more AC-related articles, check out below.