Help! RV2 compressor blew new shaft seal

Suction pressure in a running system would be 25 to 30 pounds with R-12.With the system off , things will equalize to a static pressure which will depend on amount of system charge and ambient temperature. That static pressure could easily be 2 to 3 times the running pressure on the suction side. If the compressor sump is really overfilled with oil it may be up above the seal level and flooding the seal with more oil than it was ever intended to deal with.It doesn't take much of a seal leak to make a real mess, the clucth pulley slings the oil all over the place.

But, I agree, the most likely cause is the seal was not installed properly. I would bet today many shops have no idea how to service an RV-2 compressor. Most shops today simply replace the compressor if a seal leaks.

It's hard to find people around today who know how to deal with this 40+ year-old technology.