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Low oil level in the refrigerant

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:50 pm
by Charles5654
On my 2002 Civic SI R134 refrigerant was added in two occasions:
- The first time the leak could not be found. Refrigerant was added, but I don’t know the quantity. Oil was not added
- The second time it was determined that the evaporator was leaking and it was replaced. I don’t know if oil was added to the new refrigerant. The bill does not list any oil

Today I have used the ENVIRO-SAFE Pittstop R134A Oil Checker to try to figure out if I have enough oil in the refrigerant. According to the Pittstop Checker the oil level is very low and the A/C should not be used before adding more oil. I have been using the car a few weeks after the evaporator was replaced and I am of course very concerned about my compressor locking up and contaminating with debris the all A/C system.
Could somebody make a recommendation about how to proceed?
Thanks

Re: Low oil level in the refrigerant

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2020 10:22 am
by Charles5654
AI9,
As you stated, the Pittstop r134a Oil Checker checks for for how much oil is circulating together with the refrigerant (some general information on this product is available on Amazon.com)
Many thanks for the excellent information and advice that you provided in your post. Because of the age of the compressor and because there is a good chance that it has been used with insufficient oil for quite some time, I am considering replacing the compressor as well.