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A/C Oil Analyzer

Dave in Texas on Tue June 17, 2008 4:42 PM User is offlineView users profile

A friend bought a package of these and I'd like to check the oil in my trucks' system. I'm curious how accurate/reliable these things are? According the the directions, it is installed on the Low side of the system and then the button in pressed 2-3 times. After the test is done you compare it to the chart on the package. It is supposed to check/indicate the amount of oil and also check/indicate the amount of contamination in the lubricant. My truck is still R12 and there is no way to check oil, so maybe this analyzer thing will do the job....? Anyone with experience with one of these, I'd appreciate any info/advice. Thanks.

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At 2, I went home with a 10. At 10 I woke up with a 2 !!

comp on Tue June 17, 2008 5:32 PM User is offline

lurking for info

HECAT on Wed June 18, 2008 2:11 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: Dave in Texas
A friend bought a package of these?.

Dave,

What is these? I don't buy that it can identify amount, but I am very interested in what it can tell about the condition of the oil. Please tell me more.

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HECAT: www.hecatinc.com You support the Forum when you consider www.ackits.com for your a/c parts.

FLUSHING TECHNICAL PAPER vs2.pdf 


Edited: Wed June 18, 2008 at 2:14 PM by HECAT

bohica2xo on Wed June 18, 2008 2:24 PM User is offline

Probably related to this:

Other threads on oil analyzers from the past

It just keeps popping back up.

B.

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"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."
~ Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi, An Autobiography, M. K. Gandhi, page 446.

iceman2555 on Wed June 18, 2008 2:29 PM User is offlineView users profile

Check this site....maybe the product being discussed.....another quality product brought to you by another of those 12a suppliers.....http://www.redtek.com/win_oilanalyzer.html





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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson

HECAT on Wed June 18, 2008 2:43 PM User is offline

Thanks to all. I am familiar with the moisture/acid test stuff.

If one could measure the oil and anlayze contamination, this would be good stuff.

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HECAT: www.hecatinc.com You support the Forum when you consider www.ackits.com for your a/c parts.

FLUSHING TECHNICAL PAPER vs2.pdf 

Karl Hofmann on Wed June 18, 2008 4:48 PM User is offlineView users profile

Hmmmm Acid checking is useful to check the condition of the oil in a domestic ac or refrigeration unit following a compressor burnout, to ensure that the burnout filter has done it's job.. but why would you do this on a car??

Most folk only bring their car in to be repaired after it has broken, If the oil was black or silver it means that the compressor is already toast.. Checking the oil level? if it was put in there and it ain't come out, then it is still in there so why concern yourself?

More gizmos for the unscrupulous to bamboozle the motorist with.....

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Never knock on deaths door... Ring the doorbell and run away, death really hates that!

Dave in Texas on Wed June 18, 2008 5:06 PM User is offlineView users profile

Redtek is the package he bought. I rebuilt my '81 F100 system in '96 and it's still puttin'-out 45dg air, but I've always wondered about the oil charge and how it's surviving(12yrs now). This little gizmo would be a way to check it. The package has a color chart for acid and a wet-level indicator on the plunger, which also has a chart. If the oil is low, I can always find one of those little oil charge cans....somewhere. I haven't used the gizmo I got as yet.....

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At 2, I went home with a 10. At 10 I woke up with a 2 !!

Edited: Wed June 18, 2008 at 5:07 PM by Dave in Texas

HECAT on Thu June 19, 2008 11:02 AM User is offline

An operating system (12 years-great job!) does not loose oil or need to be topped off unless you have a refrigerant leak that needs to be topped off regularly; even then, the only oil lost in such a case is usually just the minor oil residue (and dye trace, if there is dye in it) that will be present at the leak point.

However, over time, the oil can accumulate normal wear particles (fines) and some lubricating qualities of the oil may diminish over time. Since this acid/water test is just that, it will not give you any information regarding contamination levels suspended in the oil or an analysis of lubricant quality.

Think about it, there is no way such an item can measure quantity. If it truly could do this it would be one of the latest and greatest innovations for MVAC service. Some references on this topic below.

Quote from MACS Recommended Service Procedures:
System Lubrication Charge:
There is no effective way in the field to determine the amount of lubricant that is in a system. Systems with too much oil can result in reduced cooling capacity. Excessive lubricant results in the internal coating of the evaporator and condenser resulting in less heat transfer. To establish the correct amount of lubricant in a system, each component must be drained or liquid flushed (using approved chemicals and procedures) and the manufacturer’s recommended lubricant amount for the specific system be added.

Quote from “From Montreal to Kyoto” by Ward Atkinson (MACS 2008):
Lubricant Issues:
The proper system lubricant and amount remains a basic point of concern. Current system designs do not allow the service technician to determine the amount of lubricant that is in the system. Excess lubricant coats the inside surfaces of the evaporator and condenser making them less efficient. A possible reason for warm outlet air temperature may be a lubricant overcharge. Since there is no way to identify the system’s lubricant charge, flushing and re-establishing the system lubricant charge is the only way to resolve the issue.




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HECAT: www.hecatinc.com You support the Forum when you consider www.ackits.com for your a/c parts.

FLUSHING TECHNICAL PAPER vs2.pdf 

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