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Hi, I am replacing the A/C compressor in my 1986 Ford E150 Van, 4.9L engine. I bought a Four Seasons compressor comes with Ice32 lubricant preloaded. How much PAG 46 oil do I need to add to this compressor? Also I need to replace the bolts I have an old Chilton repair manual that label the bolts as n801179-52 34-47 N.m anyone know what size they are?
Thanks
Ray
i do not have a 86 manual but I do have a ford service manual for my 85 and 88. You did not say what type of compressor you bought but looking at Rock auto, your van uses a FS6 compressor. so does my 85. My 88 uses a E6DH which is also called a FS6 style compressor. So I looked up the specs for both and they are the same. I am not a ac specialists and used R12 in my 88 when I rebuilt the entire AC system so I can only give you advice and specs for a system using R12 though i would believe that the oil quantity would be the same. I have read several times that when using R134a, that you need to use just a little less charge then you would with R12.
Also was your system working recently? What happened to the compressor? Are you flushing the entire system or replacing components?
"Here is the info I have. There is some more in the manual but I would need to read trough it again.
This tag is from the Ford E6DH compressor I bought for my 88
Last summer it was working. The compressor is wet from refrigerant on the front and side. A seal must have failed. I replaced the dryer, condenser and flow valve.
How wet is it? That is refrigerant oil.
Here is a pic of E6DH compressor like is on my van. If you notice there is a tube that sticks out and that is the bottom side. My compressor has a felt piece instead of a tube. I talked to a AC shop about the oil on the front of my compressor and he told me that is normal to seep oil around the front seal and the felt catches it. I guess the tube in th epic lets it drip down below the compressor. The whole front of my compressor is dirty where the oil has collected dust. It doesn't take much to look like a lot!
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Now this is supposed to be the front of a FS6 compressor like you have.
Notice there is no tube or felt but there is a notch where one would go. The AC guy told me that the oil actually seals and keeps the refrigerant from escaping. I am just not sure about your FS6. The seal is a thick rubber one and if it weren't lubricated then it wouldn't last long. But now you may have a much bigger leak but from what I have been told, seepage is normal and like i said a couple of drops really spread into a big area.
As to your bolts. I have a new parts cd and think it has the bolt sizes but you have to match them to the part numbers. Im not sure yet and just trying to learn how to use it. Does this diagram match your van? If so then i will try to search and see if it does list the actual bolt sizes.
Also you said you replaced the dryer, condenser and flow valve. You mean you have replaced it while you are replacing the compressor now? I was just trying to figure out about the oil.
Yes the illustration is my compressor. The numbers for the bolts on my drawing are n801179-52 34-47 N.m but I dont know what that equals in inches or threads. I thought I would get new ones now and save myself a trip to the store while I'm working on it. I'm going to have a heck of a time getting the bolts loose. I may have to put some heat on them and there is not much room to work.
The tubing going into the compressor cracked so I replaced the condensor, dryer and flow valve last summer. I then drew a vacuum and refilled it and it worked during the summer but I tried it a week ago and no cool air. I put a gauge on the low side and no pressure. I suspect the compressor because last summer I was traveling and it was really hot. wasn't getting much cool air, so I added refrigerant. Suddenly I heard a loud burst and smelled refrigerant in the cab. Compressor was wet on the outside so I think it blew a seal. The funny thing is this was in May and I had air the rest of the summer.
I am not good with metric bolt sizes either. BUT my diagram shows the part number to be "N801179-S" not -52 at the end. When I looked up N801179-S At Fordpartsgiant.com their site returned part number "N801179-S2" and they show that bolt to be a M10X1.5X25.0 H... My interpretation is a M10 bolt with a 1.5 thread pitch and is 25mm in length but i am not sure what the H stands for. If you have shop near by that specializes in fasteners/nuts/bolts I would call them and ask for M10X1.5X25.0 H. I believe many of the bolts you need may be flange head bolts so tell them you need them to be flange head bolts.
The metric bolt may not cross over to a standard bolt size. i believe the 25.0 is the bolt length which is almost 1" https://www.carrlane.com/engineering...read-standards
I am going to take a guess here and say that when you added refrigerant to the system, it was more then you needed or you had a restriction some where in the system and it caused the head pressure to rise too much. I don't now what your hose looks like where it attaches to the compressor but mine has a safety pressure relief valve on it. Your system does also, somewhere close to the compressor. I think the loud burst you heard was the pressure relief valve letting off excess pressure. That is also why you smelled the refrigerant. After the excess refrigerant was expelled, the safety pressure relief valve closed and you still had refrigerant in the system so it kept cooling. some time over the winter, the refrigerant has leaked out and that could be at any connection.
Here is a pic of my old and new hose where it connects to the compressor and i circled the pressure relief valve. I am not sure just how much pressure it takes before the valve relieves the pressure but it may be around 400 to 500 psi. Id does not stay open, it closes right back but could have a leak now..
Since I am not there I cant see as clearly as you, but you might want to think about pressurizing the system and looking for a leak before you replace the compressor. You could be right that it is the compressor seal but it could also be a fitting, connection, of the relief valve.
Yes, MIne has the relief valve like that. I was wonder what that was! Now I know what happened. I did put too much refrig. into the system. I already bought a compressor so I may as well put it in. Last summer it was making a grinding, chattering noise like bearings or something so it may still be that. It is a reman one also I put in maybe 8 years ago. When it's in the 80's it doesnt blow cold, it's cool but not cold enough, that's why I ended up stopping in a parking lot and adding refrig that made the relief valve open. The relief valve is on top of the compressor but there is oil/refrig in front where the nut is on the shaft and also on the side behind the relief valve. I think you can see the oil on the nut in the picture. The pic that shows the left side, away from the relief valve, is wet but the right side that faces the relief valve opening is dry.
That is a good bit of oil on the front. It is recommended to flush the system when changing a compressor but since yours working last year and is not locked up, there is a good chance it is still clean inside the system.. Does your van use an orifice tube or an expansion valve?
Yeah there is alot of oil, looks like its coming from the shaft, may be the seal failed. I didnt see oil near or around the relief valve so it may have burst from that front seal. I think it is an expansion valve. I replace it last summer.
Okay, Was thinking that orifice tubes have a screen mesh that can get clogged up and cause high pressures. Is there a metal mesh screen that goes into the expansion valve? https://www.swtc.edu/Ag_Power/air_co...ion/screen.htm
also here is another example of one so it may not be the one for your valve.
But especially in an older system that has sat empty or been worked on a lot, the screen will catch particles and clog up. that raises the head pressure as well as effects the efficacy of the system.
My 88 uses an orifice tube and they are color coded according to the tube/jet size. Mine called for an orange tube and red tube for extreme heat. Sadly I used the orange and the only way to change it is to evacuate the R12. The shops around here charge much much more to evacuate the r12 then I can buy it for. They also said they would have to charge per lb to put it back in!
I have 2 cans of R12 left and when they are gone, I will convert to R134a.. I have only added a little since I rebuilt the system and that was 3 years ago when i added it. I had the can sitting on the radiator support and it fell off and hit the ground. Once it hit the ground the top poped off and there went $30 spewing around in the yard!
Might be a good idea to buy some R134a and store it up as the price seems to be going up on that too. One day it might be 25 to 50 dollars a can!
$30 a can,,,ouch! I remember when I could buy it at K-Mart for a couple dollars a can. I buy the R-134 for a little under $5 a can at Ollie's discount store here. There was no screen in the expansion valve when I replaced it. I talked to a mechanic that I take my vehicles to and he said if I had the R-12 in my van it would get nice and cold in the cab in the hottest conditions, but with the R-134 and the old style system design, the 134 doesn't do so well. When I bought the van, about 8 years ago, I replaced all the A/c components. Condenser, dryer, expansion valve, evaporator, compressor, seals. So the system itself isn't all that old. Keep the R-12 in your van as long as you can!
