My a/c compressor went out on my 240 and I thought it might be a good time to retrofit the system. I found a kit on ebay ($25)thats has all the washers and rings it says I will need to do the job. Just wondering if any other home mechanics out there have done this job? Will I need to have the system decompressed by a a/c shop? Am I getting in over my head? Any advice or warnings will be appreciated. Thanks!
Both the condenser and evaporator are a little small for the job on a
240, and converting to R134a will make it worse. Volvo sells a kit that is quite reasonably priced (believe it or not!) that includes a new evaporator, expansion valve, drier, high pressure hose and the orings. You're still stuck with the poor condenser, and lack of auxiliary fan, but you'll get better results with this kit. If it were my car I wouldn't use the oil that comes with the kit (ester oil) that is designed to mix with the R12 mineral oil, but PAG oil which is normal R134a oil, since there will be so little original oil remaining because you're changing so much of the system.
The majority of the refrigerant oil is split between the receiver drier and the compressor. Unless you R&R and drain the compressor then flush the lines to the condensor, the condensor, the line to the new drier and the line from the new evaporator then Ester oil is the ay to go. PAG oil and Mineral congeal to make a nasty mess. Its a good idea to pull the evaporator loose and blow out the fins good. Most are somewhere between seriously and severely clogged.
Bob
Is there any disadvantage to ester oil? I used it and the system works fine. You do need access to a vacuum pump to do this job unless you have it charged at a shop. As others have said, you'll need a new reciever/dryer, orifice tube, and solvent to flush the system.
Anything's possible, but the big problem here is physical compatibility. The evaporator is a different shape, mounted in a different location and the pipes point in different directions. The 240 uses an expansion valve and drier on the high pressure side, the later ones use an expansion orifice tube with the drier on the low pressure side.
In this case both parts will be replaced. The new compressor probably comes with PAG oil already, which would introduce a 3rd oil. Factor in almost everybody (carmakers, compressor manufacturers) except Volvo recommends removing as much mineral oil as possible and using PAG for retrofits.
Example, Sanden:
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