RV2 AC compressor Rebuild help
Thanks for the advice much appreciated.
What is the condition of your compressor? Assuming it hasn't gotten moisture in it and the cylinders, crank journals, and valve plates are in good condition, you likely only need to re-seal it. Gasket and shaft seal kits are readily available for the RV2.
If you haven't taken it apart yet, you can easily bench-check it for suction and discharge. A good compressor will create good suction and discharge pressures when plugging the suction or discharge ports and spinning the clutch (the disc on the very front that turns the compressor crankshaft, not the pulley where the belts go on) by hand. The ideal situation is a flange-to-1/4" flare adapter that you can bolt on to the suction side or discharge side and monitor the suction/pressure and bleed-off rate, but in lieu of that the finger-over-the-port method gives a good rough estimate of the compressor's pumping capability.
If the compressor doesn't pump, don't assume a full rebuild is needed. Usually it is the valve plates that are the culprit. Find a set of new, or good used, valve plates (or a good donor compressor), install them with the rubber coated metal shim gaskets, and check again for suction and discharge. Make sure the cylinder walls are still oily when you do this. They don't need to be dripping - just a thin film is plenty. Use mineral oil, not PAG or POE, both for testing and final assembly. PAG and POE (POE=ester) are too hygroscopic (they absorb water from the air) to use as assembly oil. After final assembly, allow any excess MO to drain from the compressor. If you are going to use 134a (meh), wait until you are ready to evacuate the system before adding the POE or PAG oil.
Let us know how it goes!
