Better, for now
 

Techguy512,
thanks for the link as well as the NAPA part #. I'll be going back to NAPA with that information in hand. You wouldn't have believed the funny looks I got from everyone in there when I asked about it.

Thanks in part to your input as well as Sailor15015, I went and re-tensioned the belts. They had stretched some from when I first put them on. I have them now to the point that I am almost uncomfotable with the amount of tension on them, but I remind myself that I know next to nothing about this stuff, so my intuition on this topic is useless.

Since tightening the belts and letting the car run in the driveway with the A.C. on for the past 30 minutes, the squeel has not returned. I do not believe that I am fortunate enough to dodge the bullet this easily, so we'll see what the next day or so brings.

To further demonstrate my ignorance, can someone explain to me what problems may be occuring due to a thin oil very slowly dripping out of a canister that is located in the front left of the engine compartment and is clearly part of the A.C. system? The canister is about the size of the main fuel filter and has A.C, lines and fittings on it.

Are you sure it's A/C related? Where is it exactly? On the W123, the A/C suction line runs right under the power steering pump. The way it is positioned does make one think it is connected to it some how.

It is possible that you are seeing the dryer as well, but dryers are usually not mounted on the engine. If it's oozing oil, it could be a loose fitting or a bad o-ring.

It's not mounted to the engine. It is in front of the engine, next to what appears to maybe be a transmission cooler (looks like a small radiator hanging next to the radiator) The canister that I'm talking about has a couple of lines running to it and some fittings, that I guess guages could be hooked to. there is some grey RTV looking sealant over one of the fittings.

With the earlier post about oil in the A.C. , I thought that this may be some componant of the A.C system that contained oil.

Sorry that I don't know what I'm talking about.

Are you sure that "small radiator hanging next to the radiator" isn't the oil cooler? If that is leaking you need to repair it immediately. If it leaks under pressure your engine will run dry in no time. You can find pictures of the oil cooler on diesel giant's site: http://dieselgiant.com/oilcoolerlinereplacementl.htm.

My AC compressor seized a couple weeks ago and I won't get around to replacing it for a while, which really sucks as I live in Tampa. It chewed my belt after it made the "about to seize" bearing noices. I found a good German Mercedes/foreign mechanic 'Ludek' here in Tampa if you want his contact info let me know. BTW he says get a NEW compressor, not rebuilt. And to ensure warranty you must flush the system and replace the dryer/accumulator (I think he said both).

Can you take some pics of it? RTV around a fitting is usually some ones bad idea of a quick repair. What color is the oozing oil? Black is engine, red is tranny, clear or red can be power steering, depending on what is used. Engine coolant also has an oily feel to it when the water has evaporated. A/C compressor oil is lightweight like mineral or 3 in 1 oil.

We do not want it to be engine oil, because as posted by BLHFLA, you can run your engine dry of it's life blood.

It sounds like you are refering to the accumulator/drier, most likely in the high side of the AC system. Some systems have either the accumulator/drier in the high side or a reciever/drier on the low side. The low side will be the larger size pipe. If your compressor locks up you need to replace either drier you have as it will be full of crap from the bad compressor. Also you should flush the system out, change all the O-rings on all the fittings. I also suggest getting a NEW compressor, the remanufactured ones are big time crap! :mad:

Here is some more information from poster "Fletch944T" at Clark's Garage Message Board -

"I believe that NAPA, Autozone, and Carquest all sell the Krikit tool. It's actually made by Gates (the belt company) and the Gates part number is 09001 (for the Krikit I). The odd thing is that Porsche sells the Krikit tool under part number 000 721 957 40 for the 911 which they call Special Tool 9574. Porsche charges about $40 for the tool. However, there are three versions of the Krikit tool for different tension ranges (Krikit I, II, and III). I'm not sure if the one sold by Porsche for the 911 is the correct range for the 944. The one you need is the Krikit I. You can get it at NAPA for about $10."

Per Mr. Fletch, the one you want (and the one referenced by Napa P/N KR-1) is the Krikit 1.

Thanks for all of the replys. The "small radiator" that I thought may be a tranny cooler is the oil cooler. It's not leaking.

I think the part I'm asking about may be the drier/accumulator. I doubt I'll get a pic up for confirmation before Sunday at the earliest. If I'm right, could it be leaking oil?

If I do need a new compressor, I guess the shop will take care of this item at the same time.

Tomorrow I'll try to track down the Kricket guage for future use.

Again, thanks to all of you for your replys and help.

forgot to add that the oil is a very light oil. Could pass for 3 in 1 oil

Does it look like this?

Based on the specified location, I'd go for the power steering reservoir. This also has some heavy duty lines going to it.

Here's the pic
 

I believe that the image techguy512 has posted is the part that is leaking the oil. With the help of a co-worker, I am trying to post a couple of pics of this item that is located pretty much just behind and below the left headlight.

I hope these pics come through.

Does your AC blow cold?
 

Have you determined that when you turn on the AC that the compressor clutch is engaging when you turn on the AC. Look at the compressor and you will see the front face of the compressor turning when the AC is on and not turning when the AC is off. If it is engaging, is the AC cold?

If you are leaking oil from the dryer (the part that techguy512 posted the photo of) you should not be running your AC because you are losing the oil that lubricates the compressor.

E-mail address
 

I tried to send the pics and probably did not go through. I would like to know if you could send me your private e-mail so I could send them that way and then post them on the forums.


Thanx.

You now have a problem. Since you don't know how much oil you've lost, you don't know how much to replace. Your options (in conjunction with sealing the leak) --

1) Open the system, flush everything, replace dryer and maybe the expansion valve, fill with the FSM recommended quantity of oil compatible with your refrigerant, and charge.

2) Guess at the quantity of oil you've lost, and use an oil injector to introduce a measured quantity of oil into one of your service ports. I would try this only if you know what kind of oil is already in the system, and you can get an additional quantity of the same oil. I would never suggest mixing oils, even if they claim compatibility.

Obviously, option 1 is preferred.