Yellow PAG Oil?

[C420sailor]

My trusty 1998 Ex has never needed an AC recharge. I noticed the compressor starting to short cycle lately and, while the AC continued to blow cool air, I decided to investigate. Hooked up manifolds to find 20psi on the low side, 150psi high. 72° ambient temp. I put a full 12oz can of R-134a into the system, bringing the low to about 33psi and the high to 165psi. Compressor doesn’t short cycle anymore, and the AC is COLD.

Hopefully this was just a very slow leak over the years. We shall see.

Anyway, then I closed the recharge can first, then the low fill valve, then closed the high/low adapters. I went to bleed the lines and some yellow oil squirted out. I can’t imagine it being more than 0.5oz, tops. I assume that’s PAG oil? Is that normal? Should I now worry about my oil level being low? Any way to prevent this from happening next time?

 

[masospaghetti]

My trusty 1998 Ex has never needed an AC recharge. I noticed the compressor starting to short cycle lately and, while the AC continued to blow cool air, I decided to investigate. Hooked up manifolds to find 20psi on the low side, 150psi high. 72° ambient temp. I put a full 12oz can of R-134a into the system, bringing the low to about 33psi and the high to 165psi. Compressor doesn’t short cycle anymore, and the AC is COLD.

Hopefully this was just a very slow leak over the years. We shall see.

Anyway, then I closed the recharge can first, then the low fill valve, then closed the high/low adapters. I went to bleed the lines and some yellow oil squirted out. I can’t imagine it being more than 0.5oz, tops. I assume that’s PAG oil? Is that normal? Should I now worry about my oil level being low? Any way to prevent this from happening next time?

Too much volume escaping will pull some oil out with it, although in my experience it's normal for a little bit of oil to escape when disconnecting things. The stock oil is PAG 46. Since it's "yellow" that means someone added dye to it.

Even if you lost 0.5 oz it's probably OK but you can add a little bit using an oil injector kit that connects to your manifold set. This is the one I have and it works well:

https://www.amazon.com/MASTERCOOL-82375-R134A-Injector-Silver/dp/B000IKADRW

This is handy and allows you to buy liquid oils and inject them in. The liquid oils are easier to come by and cheaper than the aerosol cans of oil.

The other option is to buy a charged can of PAG 46 oil, which is also available:

Amazon.com: EF Products PAG 46 Oil Charge, 3 oz. (310L) : Automotive

Buy EF Products PAG 46 Oil Charge, 3 oz. (310L): Air Conditioning Oils - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com