I was driving my car around, and the engine compartment is pretty clean... After using the A/C, I saw some light "oil" spots on the inner fender and underside of the hood... Nothing dripping off either the PS pump or the compressor, so its not obvious... But the A/C hasn't been used much in the past 2 years. It still blows cold, so I am not sure if oil would seep out and NOT also the refrigerant...
The front groove of the clutch (in front of the belt) had a little greasy residue...

So I guess my question would be: If the oil seeps from the compressor, shouldn't the refrigerant also seep out (and quickly too)? And therefore IF it still blows cold, can I assume the Compressor is not the cause, and look on to the PS pump?

Thanks

It's a pretty common problem with these compressors and refrigerant is leaking out along with the oil, sometimes not a big leak but there is A refrigerant leak.

Thanks...

I thought it was funny, because the previous owner told me he recharged the A/C system, but there was a leak... But 2+ years later, its still cold... Of course, I have only turned it on a hand full of times in those 2 years, and not for more than a minute of two at a time...


Great! So now more dilemnas... I think its still R-12, and several A/C shops no longer work of those. If I replace the compressor with a "new" one, especially a more modern one (looks/aesthetics is important too), as well as replace the Receiver/Dryer and a slightly kinked hard line, I am looking at a lot of money... For similar investment, I could get a moderns system, and clean up the firewall/enguine compartment, plus convert to 134a or whatever...

Trying to balance looks/cost/efficiency

One of the guys in our club replaces the shaft seal on those.
I topped off my 69 last week, it took about one LB of R-12 but it was the first time I had to ad any for I think 3 or 4 years.

Tony,

You can rebuild that system, using OE parts, for a LOT less than an aftermarket system. You will find that even with your R12 system converted to R134, it will work much better than the aftermarket systems. There are still plenty of companies that will repair lines, you can also purchase the hoses/lines throught O'rielieys or other similiar shops. If and when you repair/replace the A/C system, you need to turn it on more often than you did to keep things lubed up, and have moisture in the system obsorbed by the filter/drier.

You might even try contacting a local Jr. College to see if they would be interested in taking on your car as an A/C project.

In the last 10 years, Ive rebuilt my Original system 3 different times, from the exact original to a different side and different compressor, and now to a late model 2000 Tahoe motor, but still using my original A/C system with 134 and blows just fine.

The oil seeping out is designed to lube the compressor shaft seal. There is an upgrade to the seal on ackits.com that many people have done and have had good results.

The ceramic seal on your A-6 compressor was designed to pass a bit of oil for lubrication. They can actually throw quite a bit of oil with very little refrigerant loss. GM always said "moderate" oil slinging was normal and folks didn't question it much after the car was out of warranty. There is a felt pad in the clutch to absorb the oil, and some cars were equipped with a deflector on the clutch.
Once they became "used" cars, nobody cared. Now that they are "collectable" cars, folks are really bothered by the oil in their nice clean engine compartment.
That leak is actually numbers matching for your car.:yes:

Replacing the ceramic seal won't help, and a new compressor may not either. The seal can be replaced with a modern double lip rubber seal to stop the oil slinging. Search the Tips and FAQ section at www.autoacforum,com for details. That.s the ACKits forum.

I agree that you should repair your old system instead of installing an aftermarket system. The Frigidaire POA system is probably the best MVAC system ever installed on a vehicle. With some tweaking it can be converted to R134a with little to no loss of performance. Like Rod said, it can be totally rebuilt for near the price of a new system.
As for R12, look at it this way;
3lbs of R12 is about $180 retail (you can get it much cheaper). Over the expected ~10 year life span of the system, that's $18 per year. A fairly small investment if the system is repaired correctly.

Is it a good idea (or bad) to "upgrade" to a newer style (Sanden?) compressor? Not sure on the price, but I figure it might be something worth investing in IF I need to replace the compressor anyway... I have seen those newer "A-6" replacementments, which look pretty cool, but they're quite pricey, IIRC...


I think Classic Air had a decent "upgrade" kit for several hundred dollars: Compressor, condensor (designed for 134), hoses/lines, POA... maybe that will be a project for next Spring...

For 134a, I should also replace the condensor, R/D, and have the POA recalibrated/rebuilt, correct?

If its going to be similar performance, I'd rather spend that "180" for R 12 on the 134a and some of the other work (R12 is only bound to get more and more expensive in the future, right?)...

your OE condensor will work, not the best but it will work, Im using mine with no problems. The lines will be fine assuming they don't leak and you replace any o-rings with the green ones available at your local parts house. You will need to flush your system, including the evap, condensor, pour out the a-6 compressor and flush it, replace the filter drier, and replace your shrader valves with 134 valves. The POA should be recalibrated, but it will work, just not the most efficient. Your A-6 compressor moves a lot more fluid because it has a higher displacement than the newere style compressors, and will be a better compressor, if in good condition, replaced or rebuilt.

My two cents anyway.

The Sanden would be a slight downgrade from the A6, as Rod mentioned.
The direct bolt on A6-Sanden replacements are about $350, darn close to the price of a regular Sanden and the brackets to mount it. That's also about the price of a New A6.

Upgrading the condenser is a good idea if it fits within your budget, but not absolutely necessary. There are some direct fit Parallel Flow condensers available for some GM cars, but not many. You'll need to shop around. There are universal PF condensers but they require custom line sets.

What ever you do, don't let anyone talk you into a POA eliminator. The POA valve is the heart of your original system and anything else is a big downgrade.

What I would do in your case is reseal the compressor with the double lip seal, install a PF condenser, have the POA calibrated and go with R134a. I personally prefer R12, but as previously mentioned, the system can work very well with R134a.

Oops. Double post.