How Much Oil To Add When Replacing AC Condenser? | Step By Step Guide

Every vehicle consists of an ac condenser located on the front deck of the car. One can also consider an ac condenser as a heat exchanger. A condenser uses air to cool down the hot air emitting from car AC. Air compressor generates a lot of heat without ac condenser. Many fatal accidents can happen. 

An ac condenser needs oil to conduct its work, and it’s one of the common problems for a new car owner. Don’t they know how much oil to add when replacing ac condenser? If you are also facing this problem, please read our article below. We tried to shear all the related information about ac oil capacity. 

Why does ac compressor need oil?

Air Compressor consists of many metal parts; these parts generate a lot of heat. The main job of oil is to cool down all the parts and keep all the parts lubricant. In the compressor, some parts move from one place to another. To keep your ac system good, you must maintain the oil level. 

Oil makes the moving part of the compressor slippery and keeps them cool. It also works as a barrier and prevents refrigerant parts from leaking out. Remember to add recommended oil, not too much, not too less.

How much oil does the AC condenser need?

The car manufacturers bring new model cars every day. With a new model, the design and oil capacity of the ac condenser changes. It’s wise to check the manual book of every car to know how much oil you should add. 

Most the air condenser needs 120 ml or 4 ounces of oil. One should not add too much oil or less oil than recommended. Adding less oil will damage your ac compressor, failing to start.  

When to replace ac condenser?

The condenser works as a heat exchanger. It cools down fluid coming from the compressor. There is a lot of reason for a condenser to fail to work, but these 3-symptoms indicate that you need to replace your ac condenser.

• You will hear a loud noise from the condenser sometimes. It gives an abnormal sound.
• The cooling capacity of the Air compressor drastically drops to a minimum level; in short, the ac will not provide cold air.
• Sometimes the connection pipe gets damaged, and condensed fluid starts to leak.

If one’s car faces these problems, it’s high time they should change the ac condenser.

Can I repair my ac condenser?

No, you can’t repair your ac condenser because the air compressor condenser is one of the complex systems of a car. Fixing the ac condenser will not work if a major problem occurs. You need a professional motor expert to solve its problem or repair it. 

Such as if the air condenser system fails to work or the cooling refrigerant leaks from the compressor. You can’t repair these issues. It’s best to repair the ac condenser when you face a problem.

The process of replacing an ac condenser

Though you can’t replace an ac condenser at home, you need to have an EPA license to replace or work on an ac condenser. If you have an EPA license, one can perform these steps to replace your ac condenser.

Step 1: Get a manifold gauge set and connect its hose pipe to the ac condenser system. The manifold set contains 3-hose pipes. You need to join the low-pressure gauge to the compressor pipe. Then, connect the high-pressure pipe to the connection pipe of a condenser.

Step 2: Then connect the EPA machine to recover the used refrigerant. The refrigerant is hazardous; one needs to take extra precautions while changing the refrigerant.

Step 3: After recovering the refrigerant, you need to remove the old condenser. Before you remove the condenser, firstly, you need to remove the ac line. Then take a wrench and untie the bolt and nut. Remember to bring eye protection. The ac line may contain oil or refrigerant fluid. It will damage your eye if it goes in.

Step 4: Once you have removed the ac line, remove the old condenser from the holder. Then install a new condenser and tightly screw the bolt. Remember to add oil while changing the condenser.

Step 5: After installing the new condenser and connecting all the pipes properly. One needs to do a final survey to see if it leaks or not. Connect a vacuum to the middle hose pipe of the manifold machine, start the vacuum machine and look for leakage. If the condenser is leakage-proof, hook the manifold machine and run the ac to see its cooling level. At first, it will take a little time to start cooling properly.

How to add oil to the ac condenser?

Adding oil to an ac condenser is not a that hard job. You can do that in our home garage. Follow these easy steps to add oil to the ac condenser:

Step 1: remove the ac compressor connection pipe from the ac condenser.

Step 2: Open the oil pipeline and draw out all the uses for oil.

Step 3: Then add new oil, look at the measurement of oil from the manual book. It would take 120 ml of oil, don’t use a low amount of oil. Otherwise, the ac will stop working. Adding too much oil creates a risk of parts getting blown up. Always add branded oil to get more safety and better performance.

Step 4: At the last, connect all the connection pipes properly and run the air compressor for a while.

frequently asked questions

Do I Need to Add Oil When Replacing Ac Condenser?

Yes, you should add oil when replacing the AC condenser because it will help the new refrigerant get lubricant and work smoothly. But it’s not mandatory to add the extra oil; you can add the oil later. It will not create any issues in your refrigerant.

How Much Pag oil to Add When Replacing AC Condenser?

You should add 10 ounces of pag oil when replacing the AC condenser because this oil will be contained in your condenser. It’s advantageous to add some pag oil with the newly installed refrigerant and help it start the journey smoothly with proper lubrication.

How Much Oil to Add After Condenser Replacement?

You should add as much oil to the new condenser as you drain from the old condenser. If you drain out 3oz oil from the old condenser, you must add 3 oz oil into the newly installed or replaced condenser. Sometimes, the standard might be to add 2 oz oil after condenser replacement.

Final Verdict

The Air Compressor of a car is a handy system. It allows you to stay cool in any hot environment. Also, the ac condenser is an essential element in the ac system. It cools down the components of the compressor.

This system uses air and oil to keep all the elements cool and working. People face a problem when they change the ac condenser. Don’t they know how much oil to add when replacing the ac condenser? We tried to enlighten you with this information. We hope now you know too much oil you will need to add and how to add that oil to the ac condenser.