PAG Oil type for A/C Compressor? 2003 Protege5

[bananaman]

I have a busted condenser from an accident so i'm replacing the condenser, drier, serpentine belt, and ac compressor while I'm at it. i cannot for the life of me figure out which type of PAG oil the p5 2003 takes in the compressor. I'm seeing listings for the compressor with PAG 46 and then another listing with the same compressor but this one is listed as containing PAG 100, and i'm also seeing posts from people on different forums either saying 46 or 100, there's no uniform answer i can find.

has anyone that's done an a/c compressor replacement for a p5 03 know which PAG oil to use???? i'm losing my mind, thank you.

also, im also having trouble figuring out the O-ring size gasket on the compressor if anyone has any info on that as well, im only seeing super expensive kits for hundreds of dollars when i seemingly only need 2 O-rings.

LASTLY, along with what i listed i'm replacing (condensor, drier, serpentine belt, and ac compressor), any recs on what else is essential to replace? The expansion valve really looks like a pain in the ass to replace, i'm hoping that's not essential...

 

[Saudade]

The FSM calls for Atmos GU10. While there's not much about it online (like where to buy. Online "compatibility" charts say PAG46. As you've seen yourself, other online commentors have used PAG100 with success.

This link is from Sanden (the maker of AC compressors). It opens a PDF that shows a viscosity chart. You can find the Atmos GU10 listed under the OEM column and Pag 46 as the equivalent.

http://www.santech.com/userfiles/pages/104/LIT-0165%20MT%20Oil%20Viscosity%20Charts-Email.pdf

You can read through this to better understand the difference between the two.

Understanding The Differences Between A/C Compressor Oils - Pag 46 Vs Pag 100 - The Tire Reviews

The two most common types of A/C compressor oils are PAG (polyalkylene glycol) and POE (polyol ester) oils. PAG oils like PAG 46 and PAG 100 are commonly

thetirereviews.com

A/C Compressor typically come pre-charged with oil. When you get your compressor, check the amount and type of oil it comes with.

You may consider flushing all of the lines including the expansion valve and evap.

As for o-rings, not sure where you're seeing such expensive kits. You can get kits on Amazon for $10.

Are you planning to charge the system yourself, or just replace the parts and take to an AC shop to evacuate and refill?

 

[bananaman]

Thanks for the reply. So what you're saying is PAG46 is the most compatible one in terms of viscosity, but PAG100 should work as well? This is my first time doing any AC work, so I guess what I'm asking is if the difference is neglible or do you recommend one over the other?

yes my compressor came pre charged with oil, PAG 100 to be exact, but i was planning on draining it to measure the amount that's in there and fill it with 5 oz (as I've read on another forum post) of oil i'll buy myself.

how would I go about flushing the rest of the lines/exp valve/evap? is that the same as running a vacuum on the system before filling it with refrigerant?

sorry for the confusion, the kits i'm seeing include the drier, oil, compressor, and an o-ring set. I cant seem to find the o-ring set that's supposed to fit the 03 p5 and i'm not sure what size to buy if i were to buy it off amazon. any help would be greatly appreciated

lastly, yes im planning on doing everything myself including vacuuming and charging. in terms of evacuating i assumed that all of the refrigerant had leaked out after the accident since the condenser is all beat up and punctured, should i still take it to a shop to get it evacuated?

 

[Bruisermac]

Don’t overthink the oil friend. Any compatible R134a type is good. Even BITD with R12 swaps they told us to change oil but after a lot of debates the OEM determined normal R12-R134a transition could retain the mineral oil with no issues.

I’ve had nothing but issues using PAG OEM oil over the years and prefer to use a Castrol Icematic. But I’m a reefertech so it’s easy for me to get.

As for compressors coming pre charged - typically in automotive that’s not the case.

 

[bananaman]

thanks for chiming in man. I ended up finding the service manual and the recommended oil was indeed PAG46 so im just going with that. I've decided to not go through with the compressor swap and instead only do the condensor/drier (the only damaged parts). I previously thought it would make more sense to do the compressor also all together since the car has some years on it, but im just not gonna touch it till it actually has issues.(theres a bit of a pop/bump from it when i turn on the AC but the AC seems to be working fine, just gonna change the belt) The replacement compressor I ordered was chinese made off amazon and the pulley gets caught and skips a bit when i spin it by hand....probably not the best idea to put that into my car, just gonna return it. Unless of course you have difference advice

previous guy mentioned "flushing all of the lines including the expansion valve and evap.", but I've looked that up online and can't find anything reliable as of yet. How would I go about doing that? Again is that simply another way of saying "pull a vacuum and drain everything out before you charge it"? first timer with a job like this, thanks for the help!

 

[Bruisermac]

Flushing the lines typically you just remove the individual hoses etc and I use brake clean and nitrogen ( as I have it on the truck) but you can use shop air and just blast em clean. But that’s when a system grenades.

For your situation it’s physical damage. In this case if it was me I would just change the condenser and filter. Replace the drive belt etc. I would minimize opening the system for unnecessary things. Just my 2c

You need to leak test it. We use Nitrogen pressurized to 225PSI typically. In your case not sure if you are taking to a shop to recharge but if you are they will leak test via nitro or pull a vac. Then if it holds recharge.

You won’t need to add a lot of oil to the system. Most of the oil will be stuck in the evap coil section and compressor sump. Fundamentals are to add a few ounces to the high side ( condenser side) just to even it out a bit as you lost some when the accident happened.

Typical compressor takes 8oz. Those little paper coffee cups from BITD make the greatest oil measuring tools lol. Yes I remember when every car dealership had free coffee haha.

Chinese parts are trash. If you hit OReillys or AutoZone and buy a compressor most likely it’ll be a rebuild with a core charge. In my area this is how it’s done.

 

[bananaman]

beautiful, ill just swap the condensor and filter and pull a vacuum myself (rented all the tools i need) to test for leaks.

as for adding oil back into the system , the service manual calls for 1 oz + 0.3 oz supplemental oil when swapping out the condensor and drier. so i'll be topping it off just a bit into the line when i recharge it with new refrigerant.

haha yeah as soon as i got the part and starting inspecting it a few red flags were going off, im a bit of a perfectionist and want to just swap everything i can when the situation presents itself but thats a slippery slope and im learning to control myself lmao