Re-fitting Air Con

[Mad Mark]

Among other things I am re-fitting the Air con. (I know It's snowing outside and I have started an Air con thread lol)
I have had the pump off for over a year now so am replacing the seals. Is it ok to use normal black rubber seals in the pipework? They were black ones on it but have been told special Green ones should be used.
Also is it a case of reconnecting it and getting it gassed back up or does anything else needs doing first?

[Tanguero]

You need the correct green seals and a dab of the propper sealing compound for good measure. If the system has been open for any length of time, as yours has, you need to replace the receiver/drier unit.

I got a box of refrigerant compatible O rings and a bottle of sealant from eBay for a few quid a couple of years ago. The receiver/drier is available from all the usual places and wasnt too pricey.

[Cerbieherts]

Make sure you replace the oil in the compressor (PAG oil) and as above, use the green seals they are compatable with R143a refrigerant. Worth changing the drier bottle too, if it's been unused for that length of time the desiccant internals will be full of moisture.

[Mad Mark]

Cheers for that.
How do you replace the oil in the compressor?
the system has only really been exposed at the pump end and the pipes were taped up. But the dryer is only around £30 so will change that before gassing it.

[Cerbieherts]

You need to tip it all out into a measuring jug, and renew it with the correct amount if it's low.

[Mad Mark]

Where do I fill it up from? And how much do I put in?
I didn't drain anything out of it but over time some may well have come out. And it wouldn't hurt to refresh the fluid I guess.

[Tanguero]

Don't try to replace the oil yourself unless you have pulled the condenser and drained it and are intending to refill the refrigerant yourself. Just tell whoever is doing the fill that the system has been open and what has been replaced, they will check and fill the oil as appropriate.

[Mad Mark]

Cheers peter.
Should I connect everything up as it should be first then let them fill with whatever is needed?

[Tanguero]

Mad Mark said:

Cheers peter.
Should I connect everything up as it should be first then let them fill with whatever is needed?

Yes. Connect it all up then when they fill it they will first pull a hard vacuum to check for leaks and degass the dessicant then charge it with the right amount of refrigerant and PAG oil.