I am getting mixed answers. I am replacing all ac components on 1993 Honda Civic hatchback
new compressor (has 4oz of pag oil inside already)
new condenser
new drier
new evaporator
new expansion valve

is the total system pag oil capacity 4oz?
or is it 6.75 oz?

 

Man it's been years, but I remember it being a bit over 7oz for the full system from dry. 220cc?

How much does the compressor say it was shipped with?

 

The compressor comes with 4oz of oil pre filled.

 

how much oil is quite important,y c find out what is in there if you haven't already discarded the components,.

some of the oil will be in the compressor some will be in the receiver if you dump it out of both into a measured cup that will give you a better estimate of how much was actually in there,

it appears the compressor is down low on Honda engines which means most of the oil is probably in the compressor but not necessarily all of it,

Dodo not and I must stress this, do not assume the rebuilder or remanufacturer of the compressor put the correct amount of oil in there!

I would also rotate the compressor while it's on the bench, either by hand or with a low speed electric drill and socket on the clutch lock nut.

if you're not using the vacuum pump you will get in trouble down the road

Good luck
Denise (retired hvac biz owner)

 

All good points, especially with aftermarket parts.

The manual procedure on replacing a compressor is to drain the old compressor and subtract that number from the amount that's supposed to be in the new one, then drain that amount from the new one (or add if it's a negative number you come up with). This assumes a system that started with the correct amount in it and an OEM compressor which I have more faith in being shipped with the correct amount of oil. In real life, and assuming you are confident your brand new system is totally dry, I'd drain the new compressor, add the 90cc or so to make that 220cc, and be done with it.

 

This appears to be very helpful!
https://www.techchoiceparts.com/refr...pacities/honda

 

Alright so I will drain all the oil from the new compressor and I will put Ester Oil with UV Dye.
so since I am having all new ac components, I will put 4 oz of Ester in the new compressor, and I will put 1 oz devided into the drier (1/3 oz), evaporator (1/3 oz), condenser (1/3 oz)
Total amount of oil will be 5 oz???

I will be doing vacuum also and then recharge with 134a (19oz)

 

you don't need to put oil in the evaporator and the condenser what you could do is actually blow them out, don't use air but you're not supposed to use refrigerant legally to do things like that but everybody does.

the oil moves through the system so it's important that the compressor has it on start up just like a new engine good luck

 

I always drain the oil from new compressors in case of any oxidation and just add new oil back to it.

 

OP, if the system is all new and you are using new O-rings everywhere then you shouldn't have to use ester oil. Ester is for R12 systems that have been retrofitted. I would use regular old PAG if it's a fresh build up and hasn't had any R12 or mineral oil in the system.

 

yes, new o-rings, i want to use ester oil with uv dye bcuz its compatible and I can check for leaks later.. and I might have some r12 oil on my lines. my issue is how much oil is needed with all new components...
after some searching, i think I am going to put max 4 OZ not 5
I am sort of convinced the whole system is a total of 4oz..

posts saying total system is 4oz:
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-.../#post47894420
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-.../#post45688252
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-.../#post51241052

posts saying total system is 5oz:
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-.../#post51456949

here is a post saying the total system is 6.85oz
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-.../#post47894420

 

So this is the way I've always read it, but I can be corrected even after 23 years working on these cars and deciphering the sometimes not-so-clear instructions in the manual -

1) Each component should have shipped with the amount listed in the table listed in it.
2) A new compressor comes with ~4oz.
3) Your old compressor has some amount of oil in it. If you have <4oz in the old compressor, this implies some has been distributed throughout the system (expected). Performing the calculation will tell you how much to remove from the new compressor to compensate for this. Conversely, and assuming the system was properly oiled by whomever service it before you (in the 27+ years of your car's life), if the old compressor had more than 4oz in it then the calculation will give you a number that you should add to the new compressor. This should cause you to end up with the correct system oil volume.

These cars (including your VX) were not shipped with air conditioning from the factory, except for the EX, LX, and Si trims. Air conditioners were installed at the dealer from kits (in my case, before the cars ever went on the lot. Can't really sell a car with no AC in Florida) and I did a lot of these installs. Each component was in the kit capped off with the correct amount of oil in it. You did not add or remove any oil on these new systems. New replacement parts from Honda are still shipped with the correct amount of oil in them, as far as I know, and 2/3oz over the entirety of a condenser's interior really amounts to nothing more than a thin film. I imagine aftermarket components are the same.

BTW, the best instructions for installing these systems, in my opinion, are these old kit install instructions:

https://web.archive.org/web/20100821.../17204_01.html

Since I'm assuming you have thoroughly flushed your used lines and replaced the components you listed with new, you really should be fine. You can flush the evaporator and condenser but there's not much else in the system that can be flushed. Since most of the oil lives in the compressor it would be a good idea to drain, measure, and refill it as needed so you know it has the correct amount in it, then add the amounts from the table above for the components that you did flush. This will get you about as close as you can get without making any assumptions - But if you must err, err on the side of a little too much oil. The system tolerance range is 2/3 of an once. 4oz for the entire system is not enough and you are risking your new compressor.

You really should be using PAG. All of the stuff I see for sale these days has UV dye in it regardless of oil type so there's no special need for the ester oil.

Where did you get your replacement parts from?

 

alright thanks for this helpful info and link, I really appreciate it.
Just checked all my components, and none have oil inside except for the compressor.

Will drain the new compressor, and put 4oz in.
will also add oil to these components:
2/3 oz into condensor
1.5 oz into evaporator
1/3 into reciever

Total oil will be 6.5 oz used, The pag oil bottle that came with the kit, doesn't have UV so Ill just add some UV into PAG 46.

here are the components and compressor, I haven't started yet, but soon.

 

If you think they are dry that's probably the best route. Having a little too much will hurt performance a bit, but not having enough will eat up the compressor quickly. I think it's a pretty safe bet that all of that aftermarket stuff is dry. You could also flush the condenser and evaporator if you want to be absolutely sure. Since the parts are new and you don't have to worry about any debris from a grenaded compressor, you can flush with regular old brake cleaner and blow out with compressed air to dry. Use the regular stuff, not the dumb California legal low VOC stuff. (Hopefully) Obviously, don't flush your new receiver/drier.

 

I just received the new compressor for mine on Saturday,. the instructions clearly state to drain the oil and refill it with the proper amount,. you really don't need to put it in the evaporator or the condenser just make sure you put oil on the connections and you replace all the o-rings any additional oil that you have you can put in the receiver,. Try to rotate the compressor by hand or low speed drill before you fire up the system just to get some oil moving through the compressor itself

 

I hope you're installing an evap with a cabin filter!!! (Yes, these R134 evaps with filter are compatible with R12 systems ... needs a larger O-ring and a different-sized bolt.... see DIY in signature.)