| The A/C Help and Discussion Board at the COOL ZONE gets a face
lift!
First of all, if you haven't already registered at the board, take a moment
and do that direct from
this
link. The A/C Help and Discussion board at the COOL ZONE is the most
advanced A/C help board on the net! With your free registration you get automatic
access to your very own private message box so you can communicate with other
members of the board! We've even got a special 'members only' area that's
reserved for those involved in the industry. Hurry up and register... so
you can get all the right answers to your auto A/C troubleshooting and repair
questions or just get some response from others on job you're working
on.
For those of you who use the board, you should know that we're going to be
undergoing a slight 'face lift' in the near future. We're working on
some changes that will improve the board and make it a better place to 'hang
out'! You should start to see some of the changes take place before the end
of July (2005). If you have any comments, suggestions or even a 'far fetched'
wish, please don't hesitate to drop us a line
(admin@autoacsystems.net)
or post your questions on the board. We're determined to make autoACsystems.com
the best auto air conditioning site on the net. From some of your comments
we've already done that... but there's no rest here!
A
sincere thank you for all who have supported us and we look forward to some
changes and additions that will keep you visiting often.
We
thank you for your support!
autoACsystems.com
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Is your Vacuum Pump neglected?
We’re willing to bet that it probably is! Why? Because we’ve been
doing a lot of up close, down and dirty work with vacuum pumps and it’s
a little surprising what
we’ve found.
Our
work started by simply offering a ‘no charge’ vacuum pump oil change
to a few A/C Service shops. The work was simple, but the opportunity provided
us a close up look at these pumps that are in service and
‘considered’ to be working. We started our review of each vacuum
pump with the help of a micron vacuum gauge. That allowed us to determine
just how good (or bad) the pumps were actually working. After the initial
check, the clean up and oil change service showed more about the condition
of each pump and just how much service it’s really seen.
We
know you know that vacuum pump oil should be changed on a regular
basis. We can also guess that you’re figuring this has to be a boring
topic yet and you’re not sure if you want to read on. Before you abandon
this information, stop for a moment and consider a couple of things. How
important is your vacuum pump? How important is changing the oil in a vacuum
pump? Do you actually do the service, and if so, do you do it on a regular
basis? We found that when asking service technicians how often they think
pump oil should be changed, many of them responded with a blank stare, a
grin, and then a ‘stab in the dark’ answer that was really just
a guess. (Rarely did a service tech say ‘the instructions say...’)
A lot of the technicians guessed that pump oil should be changed about every
three months; some of them actually figured every year should do it. What
a surprised look most of them had on their faces when they were told that
new vacuum pumps ship with instructions advising to change the pump oil after
each use! Well, for a pump being used for automotive A/C service only, that
may be a little overkill (being that the average vacuum time is usually about
30 minutes), but after talking to these service technicians, it really became
clear why we saw a bunch of vacuum pumps in such poor shape; and a lot of
them had considerable amounts of grit, grime and dirt in the oil. (Makes
you wonder if they change their engine oil.)
The
short story is that we found an improvement in the operation of each pump
after performing a vacuum pump service using a new kit. (just introduced
on the site at the
COOL ZONE) that provides a Cleaner and Conditioner, new Vacuum Pump oil
and an Anti Friction additive. The service process is to remove the old oil
and fill the pump with the Conditioner and Cleaner. Run the pump for about
10 minutes and drain the cleaner. When refilling, we installed the 4oz Anti
Friction additive first (following manufacturer’s instructions) and
then filled up the pump with fresh vacuum pump oil. In every case we were
able to demonstrate an improvement in the level of vacuum achieved. The most
notable one was a pump that provided a ‘pre service’ reading of
just over 500 microns. After the complete service and oil change, we were
able to pull down to just over 100 microns. The newest pump (from our tests)
had an improvement from about 145 microns (prior to service) to about 110
microns after the service.
Why
are we measuring in
microns?
We’re using a micron gauge because it’s a far more accurate reading
than the compound gauge on your manifold. In fact, if you look at that gauge
closely, you will notice that the thickness of the needle itself is probably
about 1 or 1-1/2 inches of vacuum. So trying to determine any real or noticeable
change in performance would be impossible without a micron gauge.
Microns
are simply another scale of measurement. A micron is a unit of measure that
is 1 millionth of a meter. (A meter is equal to about 3.28 feet). Therefore,
instead of measuring vacuum in ‘inches’ (like the 29-1/2 inches
of vacuum your compound gauge shows) the micron vacuum gauge provides a far
more accurate reading. In fact, a gauge reading of about 29-1/2 inches of
vacuum could be anywhere between 5,000 microns and 100 microns. The compound
gauge and ‘inch’ scale is simply not accurate enough to show the
true level of vacuum a pump is attaining.
How
did we arrive at our results? Well, once again, the tests were not scientific.
Prior to starting any service, we simply set up each pump to run (the way
we received them) with our micron vacuum gauge connected. Because there was
no A/C system or other contaminating sources involved, we decided to run
each pump for a period of 10 minutes and record our micron vacuum reading
at that time. Once the service was completed, we ran each pump for 10 minutes
once again, recording the micron vacuum reading at the end of that time.
Like it was suggested, it may not be scientific, but is did provide what
we considered to be a reasonable benchmark to compare each pump’s
performance before and after the service.
So
why is this so important? Well, consider what service you’re providing
when recharging or repairing any A/C system. After completing repairs or
changing components on the A/C system, a vacuum must be performed. The purpose
of the vacuum is two fold. One is to remove air from the system as air is
non-condensable and will create excessive high side pressure readings. The
second reason is to boil off any moisture that may be in the system. Why?
Because when moisture mixes with refrigerant the result is the formation
of corrosive acids. These acids will generally reside in the A/C system oil
and ‘eat’ away at components from the inside. The problem is compounded
by the fact that evaporators generally hold a lot of the system oil (usually
about 3-4 ounces). With a corrosive mix of oil and acid sitting in the
evaporator, you’ve got the best recipe for a leak (and generally an
expensive one to repair too!).
As
for general rules about vacuum, you should consider that getting an automotive
A/C system down to about
500 microns
would be considered an acceptable level of vacuum. Well, if your pump can’t
pull 500 microns when it’s connected direct to a micron vacuum gauge,
it’s certainly not going to pull anything better than 500 microns throughout
the system. Additionally you have to be cautious of what gets
‘pulled’ into your vacuum pump when it’s connected to a leaking
system or left ‘pulling air’ before it’s connected to a system.
Running a vacuum pump that’s not connected to a closed and tight system
is making it perform almost like a ‘vacuum cleaner’! Yes.. almost
like a vacuum cleaner! When a pump is operating properly on a closed system,
there is no real movement of air. When the system has a leak or the pump
is unconnected and pulling in air, there is automatically a large velocity
of air moving towards the pump, pulling oil, contaminants and everything
else with it. Stopping that alone will help to improve the life expectancy
and performance of your pump.
In
addition to the tests and vacuum pump service work that we’ve done,
we have completed a lot of other work detailing exactly what’s happening
under vacuum. Does the moisture boil out of PAG oil? How does your vacuum
pump get so dirty? Watch for more details about vacuum pump service and operation
and be sure that you’ve subscribed to our e-mail newsletter so you
won’t miss the information when it’s posted. In the meantime, give
your vacuum pump a hug and an oil change. You’ll be glad you did!
Copyright
2005 - autoACsystems.com - eZine - Keepin'Cool
See
the Vacuum Pump Test and
Service
Have
a look at the other Vacuum Pump
Service
What's
in your vacuum pump oil? You
will be surprised!
Understanding Microns - Is
your vacuum pump really working?
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Late breaking news from the COOL ZONE!
Late breaking news! We've just negotiated a new addition to autoACsystems.com
and the COOL ZONE! The details are too new to release, but watch for your
e-mail newsletter and you will be the first to know!
If
you thought autoACsystems.com was the best place on the net for all your
auto A/C service and information needs... wait until you see this! Our new
addition is one that no other automotive or A/C site has ever attempted...
and we're proud that we will be the first.
We
promise to keep in touch and we assure you that you will be interested. Watch
for the news in the very near future!
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