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vacuum pump question

mhfd112 on Sat July 27, 2013 10:16 AM User is offline

If I have the vacuum pump hooked up and running on a car and the power happens to go out, will it suck the vacuum pump oil into the ac system?

GM Tech on Sat July 27, 2013 11:47 AM User is offline

no

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

wptski on Sat July 27, 2013 4:37 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: GM Tech
no
Isn't that only if it has a check valve to protect it from that very thing?

webbch on Mon July 29, 2013 2:53 PM User is offlineView users profile

I'm sure we could devise a scenario in which you might suck some small trace amount of vaccum pump oil into the a/c system. Something along the lines of position the vacuum pump SUPER close to the service port connection via a 6" or shorter hose, and making sure it's slightly ABOVE the service port to ensure gravity helps out. Also make sure the vacuum pump is slightly overfilled with oil to increase the liklihhod of it discharging a small quantity into the hose.

For all PRACTICAL purposes, the risk of sucking vacuum pump oil into the a/c system is pretty much nil, as GM Tech concisely noted. Not sure how you all set things up, but my vacuum pump is on the ground or close to it, and my hoses are at least 4' long. I suspect it'd be a cold day in he$$ before any amount of vacuum pump oil suctions its way into the a/c system as the result of a power outage.

Edited: Mon July 29, 2013 at 2:56 PM by webbch

wptski on Mon July 29, 2013 3:00 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: webbch
I'm sure we could devise a scenario in which you might suck some small trace amount of vaccum pump oil into the a/c system. Something along the lines of position the vacuum pump SUPER close to the service port connection via a 6" or shorter hose, and making sure it's slightly ABOVE the service port to ensure gravity helps out. Also make sure the vacuum pump is slightly overfilled with oil to increase the liklihhod of it discharging a small quantity into the hose.

For all PRACTICAL purposes, the risk of sucking vacuum pump oil into the a/c system is pretty much nil, as GM Tech concisely noted. Not sure how you all set things up, but my vacuum pump is on the ground or close to it, and my hoses are at least 4' long. I suspect it'd be a cold day in he$$ before any amount of vacuum pump oil suctions its way into the a/c system as the result of a power outage.
Take a look at this:Oil Problems with Vacuum Pumps

Edited: Mon July 29, 2013 at 3:01 PM by wptski

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