Refrigerant Oils: Notes

NOTE: For COMPRESSOR APPLICATION and REFRIGERANT OIL & REFRIGERANT SPECIFICATIONS tables, see the A/C COMPRESSOR SERVICING article in the AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT section. DO NOT exceed A/C system refrigerant oil capacity when servicing system.

Use only new, pure, moisture-free refrigerant oil in A/C systems. This oil is highly refined with a very low moisture content. Oil container must be tightly closed when not in use, or moisture from air will be absorbed into refrigerant oil.

Refrigerant R-12 based systems use mineral oil, while R-134a systems use synthetic/Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) oil. Using a mineral oil based lubricant with R-134a systems will result in A/C compressor failure due to lack of proper lubrication.

Use only specified oil for the appropriate system and A/C compressor. Always check the underhood A/C specification label or A/C compressor label before adding refrigerant oil to A/C compressor/system. The following types of R-134a refrigerant oil are currently available.