The importance of A/C system oil balancing
June 21, 2022
Sometimes we encounter information where directions instruct us to drain the compressor being removed from a system and measure the amount of oil that drains out. Then the next step is to subtract this number from the number of ounces that are supposed to be in the shipped replacement compressor.Read Article >
OEM oil capacity information
June 7, 2022
If you are installing an OEM replacement compressor in this example then it "should" contain 4.5 ounces of oil but if the compressor is not drained and the oil measured, the amount will not be known for sure. Also, if an aftermarket compressor is being installed, there is no standard that exists in the industry regarding the amount of oil that might be shipped in a replacement compressor. It might have no oil in it, a partial charge, or a full charge or even more than a full charge. To make matters worse, the OEM does not provide the total system capacity for this vehicle.Read Article >
Compressor lubrication tips
May 26, 2022
We will focus on lubrication information that is often encountered and how it can be interpreted incorrectly and result in the incorrect amount of oil being installed in a system.Read Article >
No drier replacement, no compressor warranty!
April 6, 2022
Compressor manufacturers and parts distributors are adamant about driers being replaced when one of their compressors are installed. No drier replacement, no compressor warranty!Read Article >
What is a receiver drier?
March 29, 2022
With A/C season just around the corner, this seems like a good time to provide some updated information on these units. NOTE: Receiver driers are sometimes called filter driers and accumulators are sometimes called accumulator driers.Read Article >
Refrigerant supply, pricing and safety
March 8, 2022
What I'm hearing about refrigerant supply and pricing this year reminds me of a similar period in the mid-2000s. It was springtime, just before the start of A/C season. Supplies of R-134a were tight and the price had come close to tripling from the prior year.Read Article >
Refrigerant reminders
March 1, 2022
It could be a challenging year keeping adequate supplies of R-134a on hand and it will be more expensive.Read Article >
Sometimes it is user error
February 8, 2022
I encountered a situation in the early days of recovery/recycling machines when they had just been introduced. I had set up a machine about four months earlier when the customer purchased it. I went to great lengths to cover proper operation of the unit and the shop owner even attended a certification clinic I conducted.Read Article >
Air contamination in an A/C system can ruin your day
February 2, 2022
I had a memorable encounter with air contamination in the mid 1990s. I was conducting a lot of retrofit clinics at the time and had recently acquired a demo refrigerant identifier which I took to those clinics. At one clinic, there was a technician who was extremely interested in the refrigerant identifier.Read Article >
Air contamination in mobile A/C systems
January 18, 2022
We covered a base line test conducted with 0% air contamination and provided pressure and temperature information. This week we will provide pressure and temperature information experienced with 7.7% air contamination and 18.9% air contamination.Read Article >
When you don’t know about clutch wires
December 27, 2021
The conversation involved a clutchless compressor unit. A CSR who had sold one to a shop contacted me and said his customer (who was both the shop owner and technician working on the car) had just called him. There was a concern that the compressor didn't have a clutch wire.Read Article >
The pulse width modulated duty cycle signal
December 7, 2021
Several years ago, when vehicles using these compressors were just starting to show up at shops for service with some regularity, we were searching to find some detailed information about their behavior to use in clinics. There was not a lot of it available, so we borrowed several vehicles and did some videos. The following are some clinic slides produced from one of those videos.Read Article >