Thread: 12v compressors

Originally Posted by isuzurover

The york still emits a small amount of oil (and a lot of condensate like any compressor) - so you need to top up the oil every 6 months or so.

The best option (for any type of compressor) is a oil separator on the HP side with a capillary line running back to the inlet - so the oil gets recirculated - as happens in an AC system.

not quite what I was meaning... Ignoring the little bit of oil that always sneaks past the rings/seals during operatrion

the york recipricators have a dedicated oil oil resivior thats on the underside of the pistons and while you get a little seepage past the rings its not designed to flow the oil around the system with the refrigerant. The oil supply is at all times below the level of the pumping seals (unless you turn the thing upside down) so when the compressor is at rest there should be no oil on the seals.

the axial piston, scroll and vane pump types are designed to flow some of the compressor oil out into the refrigerant and reclaim it on the intake side. The lubricating oil supply isnt always below the level of the pumping seals and so provision is made for the system to deal with the inevitable leakage of lubricating oil past the seals to be pumped around the system and reclaimed later.

as an interestnig side effect.

IF you overgas the system and get a liquid feedback into the compressor a york will normally blow its chunks where as both the scroll and the axial piston types will make a noise untill they fill up with the liquid refrigerant, Its not good for them but its not normally instantly fatal.

that actually takes surprisingly little oil bypass especially if you have humid air that mixes water with the oil in the filter. I've seen a couple of truck air/water seperators go kaflooey with only trace oil coming out of the compressor.

the killer is when the filter gets some oil in the dessicant and causes it to clump, then you add water and compressed air....