Oil…The Lifeblood of the A/C System
Oil is an important part of the A/C system. Refrigerant charged oil circulates through the system while keeping 60-70% of the oil in the compressor at all times. This provides adequate lubrication to reduce friction (heat) and wear (metal particles that will cause premature compressor failure and clog condenser passages). When doing a compressor job, it is always advisable when removing the old compressor to drain the oil to see what sort of condition the system is in, and to see how much oil is inside the compressor. This will also help to determine if there is any oil left in the system or if the compressor failure was due to low refrigerant oil.
Never assume a compressor comes with correct amount of oil in it.
Before installation, it’s recommended that you drain any oil out of a new compressor into a measuring container to ensure the system gets the correct amount of lubricant.
