Cleaning shipping oil from new A/C compressor?

[Giraffe]

How would y'all go about removing the shipping oil from a new A/C compressor?

[Tiggie]

I'm getting ready to do this same thing for the Rustang. I figured I would use some A/C flush or acetone in it as best I could several times. Definitely tuning in for better ideas.

[kishy]

So...I'm not any sort of expert on this, but you asking this question has created a counter-question of my own.

I have purchased a reman compressor which was sold as "containing the correct type and amount of oil for the vehicle application it's meant to fit"...is this not maybe what the oil is that you're looking at?

I don't know what AC oil is supposed to look like but I do know that the stuff in my compressor described here is yellow.

[gadget73]

its not shipping oil, thats actual refrigerant oil, the question is whether its the original R12 mineral oil, R134a conversion ester oil, or native R134a PAG. Mineral oil is just oil, and smells like it. Ester and PAG both smell kind of like melted PVC pipe but I don't really know how to tell them apart otherwise. Worth asking who sold or made it, hopefully they know.

The other question is how much is in there vs how much is in the rest of the system. If the compressor blew up, you really need to flush the whole thing out and probably replace the orifice tube at least, and possibly the condenser as well since thats where all the trash goes. Drier gets done any time the system is opened. At that point there is zero oil, and you just need to put however much the shop manual says the system takes. if you aren't flushing it, general suggestion is to dump the old compressor out, measure it, dump the new compressor out, and put back in the same amount that came out of the original. Do not run solvents or any other nasty stuff through the compressor, just turn it over and rotate it a couple times. Anything thats going to come out will come out that way.

[sly]

Last one I got also said it shipped with PAG oil. Since I had already flushed the entire rest of the system a few times and made sure it was clean, I just added the same to the rest of the system where it's supposed to be before buttoning the whole thing up. Followed the directions to manually turn the compressor 10 times (via the triangle of round nubs up front) before allowing it to be turned by the system. Worked fine for the past 3 years now.

[gadget73]

'course if the compressor is being changed for reasons other than self-destruction where it pukes its guts into the rest of the plumbing, its a bit less critical that it all be flushed. Its mostly when the thing pukes its guts into the condenser that you have to worry about it. If the condenser is plugged with trash it won't work well, and eventually all that stuff ends up plugging the orifice tube up. The parallel flow condensers are even worse for this since you basically cannot flush them. The stuff just goes through one of the clear tubes, leaving the trash packed into the others. The old single pass ones were just one long pipe. What goes in must come out.

[Tiggie]

Mine is an old stock "R12 refrigerant only" with what I guess in Mineral Oil. I plan to run ester oil in it with 134a, although I would consider something else if I knew it was better and that I had gotten the mineral stuff out. So no solvents to rinse the compressor out?

To the OP - Sorry to thread jack. The wifeys S10 got a new compressor this past summer. I left the oil in it since it was PAG-150 and that's what the truck called for.

[Giraffe]

Thanks, everyone. I've been busy with work and school that have prevented me from getting back on any car-related projects. Parts are starting to pile up for all the cars.

I asked about shipping oil because there is a sticker on the cover plate that says it "may" come with shipping oil. It smells like oil, so I'm betting it's the mineral oil gadget mentioned.

I'm going to be installing 100% new components; flushing the system won't be something I'll have to do. I'm planning to retrofit to 134a, so I imagine I'll have to use gadget's upside down method to clear out what oil I can.

Thanks for the replies!

[Giraffe]

Actually, turns out it comes pre-charged with PAG oil. Helps when you read something.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=5245203&cc=1199527&jsn=6

[gadget73]

well there you go. now you know what and how much. If its all new, you should have no issues running PAG. Just need to add however much more it needs.

[sick88tbird]

Kinda bringing this back from the dead... I’ve done more A/C work in my career than I care to remember. Every compressor I ever got that said it was already filled with the correct amount of oil...wasn’t. Usually it wasn’t even close. I’ve had some that said the compressor was filled with 8oz but only had 1.5oz in it and others that said 2oz but had over 5oz. The point is, dump EVERY new compressor regardless of what the box, a tag or a sticker might say and fill it properly.