Air Conditioning, Uncategorized

Weird Winter Tip to Keep Your Car’s A/C Compressor from Springing a Leak

Don’t let the snow and cold temperatures fool you . . . summer will be here before you know it. By taking a little care with your air conditioner over the winter months, you can make sure your vintage car is cool before most people are realizing their A/C system isn’t working.

A fairly common reason that classic car air conditioners don’t cool well after sitting all winter is a leaking compressor shaft seal. This is typically seen in cars and trucks that are not driven on a daily basis — in fact, shaft seal leaks have been known to develop during periods of inactivity as short as two weeks.

An under-lubricated seal around the compressor’s crankshaft can dry up and develop a leak that allows for refrigerant or oil to escape. (Contrary to popular belief, refrigerant is not consumed by using the air conditioning.) This wasn’t so much of a problem years ago, when you could bring your car to any service station and get R12 topped off for 99 cents, but those days are gone like the old Freon.

Our tech guys field calls every week from customers who have sprung a leak in their car’s A/C compressor. They always give the same straightforward advice: “USE your air conditioning!” If your car is only driven sporadically or is stored for much of its life, simply start the car and run your air conditioning (with the compressor engaged) for approximately 30 seconds.  Doing this every couple of weeks or so keeps the compressor shaft seal lubricated, which can prevent most shaft seal failures.

If you can’t make the every-other-week-start-up schedule and do develop a leak, fear not.  In most cases, the shaft seal will re-seal itself once you start using the air conditioning again, though your system might require topping off with refrigerant and a good wiping-down of the under-hood compartment until any oil clears the pulley assembly.

Bonus tip: If you’re trying to get one more season out of that worn hose, line, or compressor in your vintage car, take advantage of the colder, slower months and send us your air conditioning parts for restoration.

 

Related Posts

One thought on “Weird Winter Tip to Keep Your Car’s A/C Compressor from Springing a Leak

  1. Bob says:

    Thank you for the tip. I wasn’t aware that the compressor’s front seal would seal itself again. But my problem is I have a 1970 Monte Carlo it has AC and last spring when I started it I heard a noise coming from the front of the compressor. It makes the noise weather I have the AC on or off, is this the clutch? and if so how long will this last and is it worth while to replace the clutch or get a new compressor. There are no other leaks on the compressor. The one I have was rebuilt about 7 years ago. and do not run it during the winter months. I look forward to your newsletters, thanks for the info.
    Bob

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *