Is my AC compressor the cause of my leak?

[davepl]

After about 250 miles I have a slow leak in my AC system and a great deal of oil slung off the front snout of the reman iron compressor.

I know a certain amount is "normal", but I have a lot after only 200 miles so if it were 20,000 miles and I had 100X, you'd be swimming in it.

What are the odds that the compressor is the cause of my leak? I have new (not reman) aluminum A6 to go on it, and I'm wondering if that's going to cure my leak. Time will tell, but I'd like to know my odds!

[67 chevelle]

What are the odds that the compressor is the cause of my leak?

better than average

[Big Kev-O]

That is most likely your issue. You should not see a drop of oil at 200 miles. As somebody who repairs A/C the best tool for finding leaks is a bubble type detector like Big Blu. It's basicaly a soap that bubbles very easily. It's cheap and can be found at locally. Spray it on and watch for tiny bubbles. Spray gently to avoid creating bubbles right out the sprayer.

If you want to leak test on the cheap mix about 50/50 water and some dish soap. Soak the area you suspect and look for an endless trail of tiny bubbles.

[F.A.A.benny]

Ive seen reman compressors that sling oil pretty quick. Even new Frigidaire compressors on brand new cars back then would have oil coming from the shaft seal. Some cars even had a cover on the clutch. Shouldn't be a ton of oil being slung unless the reman compressor was too far gone. Or it could be missing the wick. Without that wick, oil will sling much quicker. A double lip seal would also help instead of the ceramic seal. How else do you know you have a small leak? The new aluminum a6 replacements use the newer shaft seal which helps prevent the oil leak.

[davepl]

I had it charged, and then within 6 weeks or so it was low/weak, so I bought a can of parts-store recharge with a gauge that showed it quite low. So I topped it off, it was cold for another month, now starting to blow warm again. That's about all I know for sure.

[F.A.A.benny]

Did you vacuum the system when you had it charged the first time and if so how long? I like to leave the system in a vacuum for at least a few hrs or more because sometimes a slow leak may not show up in a 30min to an hour vacuum. If I suspect a leak, I charge the system with nitrogen and use the soapy water test. if I still cant find the leak I suspect the evap may have a leak. Since its the only thing that doesnt get soapy water as its in the case. Was your system open the elements for a long period of time?

[davepl]

It would hold vacuum for hours just fine, but overnight it would bleed down. So it's a very slow leak.

It was open for years, but vacuumed down and charged after the new dryer and o-rings and so on.

[F.A.A.benny]

Originally Posted by davepl

It would hold vacuum for hours just fine, but overnight it would bleed down. So it's a very slow leak.

It was open for years, but vacuumed down and charged after the new dryer and o-rings and so on.

If it was open for yrs, I wouldn't be surprised if the evap leaked. I would also suspect condenser but you mentioned in the post that you have a parallel flow condenser. I would also suspect the hoses if they were drier rotted.

[davepl]

Why would you think the evap leaked? Based on what? Just curious.

Hoses looked OK. They're old, but not all cracked up.

[F.A.A.benny]

Ive pressure checked easily over 200 evaporators and with the vast majority of them being oned that have been open to the elemants or many yrs. Id say about 3/4 of them leaked. Many of looked perfect from the outside but they seem to corrode from the inside out. I would get it flushed and pressure checked.

[1972RedNeck]

I have never had any luck with most reman A/C compressors. They all leak refrigerant within the first year. The only ones that are any good are those remaned by John Deere.

[prodjay10]

The condensation on the evap causes corrosion. Also if open to the air for a long time, the air mixed with the oil can become acidic. Ideally you'd check for leaks by pressurizing with nitrogen. Fix leak, vacuum, recharge.