checking A/C oil

[fe519]

maybe this might be a silly question but im kinda new to the ac system. I was just wondering when do you actually need to add ac oil in the system? and is there anyway to check if there is enough in the system? thanks for the help.

[Bobby C 01TA]

i believe u only need to add AC oil if u are doing a full flush of the system.. other than that, they sell gauges at wal mart and auto parts stores that u can hook up to your high/low side and check how much pressure is in your lines. If your car is before 94, there is a good chance that it will have R12 refridgerant in it which is a LOT more expensive than the R134 which are used in newer cars. i suggest letting your mechanic or someone experienced in AC check it out

[marc780]

Run your A/C once a week and you'll reduce the chances of having problems with it or having any concern with adding oil. Running the A/C keeps the seals lubricated by spreading the oil.
If it puts out cold air there's no need to try to check the A/C oil. There is nowhere for this oil to go and it doesnt get burned up or used up.

The only way to check how much oil is in there is to discharge the system (hopefully legally), and then drain the oil out of system and measure how much was in there. There is supposed to be 2 or 3 oz i think. And then you would have to add some oil back in and repressurize the system with the right quantity of refrigerant. And there's no reason to do all this unless the A/C had something wrong with it anyway.

So i'd only worry about the A/C oil if it stops blowing cold air and might need a refrigerant added. And even then you would probably see signs of oil leakage somewhere on the compressor. This place sells oil checkers.
http://www.es-refrigerants.com/produ...19/details.asp