Dodge RAM 1500 1998 Owner's Manual page 2556

DR
REFRIGERANT OIL (Continued)
designs. Use only refrigerant oil of the same type as
recommended to service the refrigerant system
(always refer to the specification tag included
with the replacement A/C compressor or the under-
hood A/C system specification tag).
OPERATION
After performing any refrigerant recovery or recy-
cling operation, always replenish the refrigerant sys-
tem with the same amount of the recommended
refrigerant oil as was removed. Too little refrigerant
oil can cause compressor damage, and too much can
reduce air conditioning system performance.
PAG refrigerant oil is much more hygroscopic than
mineral oil, and will absorb any moisture it comes
into contact with, even moisture in the air. The PAG
oil container should always be kept tightly capped
until it is ready to be used. After use, recap the oil
container immediately to prevent moisture contami-
nation.
STANDARD PROCEDURE - REFRIGERANT OIL
LEVEL
WARNING: REFER TO THE APPLICABLE WARN-
INGS AND CAUTIONS FOR THIS SYSTEM BEFORE
PERFORMING THE FOLLOWING OPERATION (Refer
to 24 - HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING/PLUMBING -
WARNING) and (Refer to 24 - HEATING & AIR CON-
DITIONING/PLUMBING - CAUTION).
CAUTION: The refrigerant oil in the R-134a A/C sys-
tem is unique depending on the A/C compressor
used. Use only PAG oils that are designed to work
with R-134a refrigerant and the A/C compressor in
the vehicle. Always refer to the underhood A/C Sys-
tem Specification Label for the correct oil designa-
tion.
It is important to have the correct amount of lubri-
cant in the A/C refrigerant system to ensure proper
lubrication of the A/C compressor. Too little lubricant
will result in damage to the compressor. Too much
lubricant will reduce the cooling capacity of the A/C
system and consequently result in higher discharge
air temperatures.
The lubricant used in the compressor is polyalka-
lene glycol PAG lubricant. Only the refrigerant lubri-
cant approved for use with this vehicle should be
used to service the system. Do not use any other
lubricant. The lubricant container should be kept
tightly capped until it is ready for use. Refrigerant
lubricant will quickly absorb any moisture it comes
in contact with.
It will not be necessary to check the oil level in the
A/C compressor or to add oil, unless there has been
an oil loss. An oil loss may occur due to component
replacement, or a rupture or leak from a refrigerant
line, connector fitting, component or component seal.
If a leak occurs, add 30 milliliters (1 fluid ounce) of
the recommended refrigerant oil to the refrigerant
system after the repair has been made. Refrigerant
oil loss will be evident at the leak point by the pres-
ence of a wet, shiny surface around the leak.
COMPONENT REFRIGERANT OIL LEVEL CHECK
When an air conditioning system is first assembled
at the factory, all components (except the A/C com-
pressor) are refrigerant oil free. After the refrigerant
system has been charged with (R-134a) refrigerant
and operated, the oil in the A/C compressor is dis-
persed through the lines and components. The A/C
evaporator, A/C condenser, and accumulator will
retain a significant amount of oil. Refer to the A/C
Component Refrigerant Oil Capacities table. When a
component is replaced, the specified amount of refrig-
erant oil must be added. When a new A/C compressor
is being installed, drain the lubricant from the used
compressor, measure the amount drained and discard
the used lubricant. Drain the lubricant from the new
A/C compressor into a clean container. Return the
amount of lubricant measured from the used com-
pressor, plus the amount reclaimed from the system
back into the new A/C compressor. When a line or
component has ruptured and oil has escaped, the
accumulator must be replaced along with the rup-
tured component.
A/C COMPONENT REFRIGERANT OIL
CAPACITIES
Component
Total System Fill
Accumulator
Condenser
Evaporator
Compressor
COMPRESSOR REFRIGERANT OIL LEVEL CHECK
NOTE: Most reclaim/recycling equipment will mea-
sure the lubricant being removed during recovery.
This amount of lubricant should be added back into
the system. Refer to the reclaim/recycling equip-
ment manufacturers instructions.
(1) Recover the refrigerant from the system.
PLUMBING 24 - 69
ml. oz.
180 6
60 2
30 1
60 2
Drain and measure
the oil from the old
compressor - see
text.