Hi Scotty,
Can't find a definitive answer online with respect to A/C maintenance flush. Is this a good thing? Some say the oil breaks down and compromises the compressor.
My 2002 Saturn LW200 had a hose leak 14 years ago...it's my daily driver and the A/C works but seems a bit weaker over the years. Should I have a good shop do a flush/vacuum and swap the Freon/oil or leave it alone?
Matt
Can't find a definitive answer online with respect to A/C maintenance flush. Is this a good thing? Some say the oil breaks down and compromises the compressor.
I've never heard of that. I have a car that I replaced hoses on nearly 25 years ago and it still works just fine with no bad noises from its original 1986-vintage compressor
the A/C works but seems a bit weaker over the years.
Most likely a slow leak. (They all leak a little bit.) I would just have the system evacuated and recharged with the correct amount of refrigerant.
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A/C flush is only being done after severe A/C problems, when there is a need to remove metal chips or welding remnants out of the A/C system (e.g. after compressor replacement or after bad welding works on compressor pipes). It is a relatively risky operation, since it is not guaranteed to provide 100% success, and is often done in combination with preemptive condenser and evaporator and dryer replacements (since otherwise there is always a risk that some debris will be left within and ruin your compressor afterwards). Acc. to your description you do not need to do the flush at all.
Vacuumation is smth completely different and should be done prior to every proper A/C refilling operation. During vacuumation, you get rid of your whole old Freon (while new Freon is being injected instead, exactly in the by-the-specs amount), and you also sacrifice a small part of your compressor oil (which shall then be replenished - the A/C guys know how much).
In your case I would:
1) first clean your condenser and evaporator (an easy DIY thing to do; when I cleaned my evaporator, I was surprised to see that it was 100% clogged, although the A/C still did work somehow). Could be that you will notice a huge improvement right after the cleaning is complete.
2) go to a good A/C shop and tell them that you want your your A/C Freon fully renewed. As they will attach their gauges to your system, they will also be able to very easily and in a matter of seconds tell every problem your A/C system might have - so tell them that you want your A/C system diagnosed as well. They can, among other things, clearly see if your compressor is still strong, and if your condenser and evaporator are working fine.
3) Before they will be replenishing the oil, dont forget to tell them that you want UV dye to be added to your system. In my part of the world, this extra service is free, since it makes your and their life so much easier, should you ever want to have them find any small leak(s) every old A/C system may have.
BTW what did you mean by "hose leak 14 yeares ago"? I mean, when getting A/C leaks fixed a ton of things may be done wrong, thus compromizing the A/C system longevity. E.g. if in order to fix this leak you had the hose removed and then re-installed, the dryer should have also been replaced. Otherwise the extra humidity which got inside the A/C system with atmospheric air and got dissolved in the very hygroscopic compressor oil was staying within your system all these 14 years long, damaging all the internals.
/AFAIK disclaimer goes here/
