Should the AC compressor be engaged all the time in MAX?
 

An AC guy told me earlier that the compressor should still cycle on/off even when its set to MAX cooling...is there any truth to this?

He said that a compressor that is engaged ALL the time in MAX will slowly deteriorate the freon by producing too much heat somewhere in the system (forgot which part)... so the compressor should still be cycling even in MAX to prevent that condition...any truth to this?

I have never heard of deteriorated freon. I think he is full of bs.

Thought so... haha.

So it's safe for the compressor to be engaged all the time?

Sure. The only time the compressor should de-clutch is when the evaporator is too cold, or if the system pressures get too high.

Running the AC on MAX does put maximum load on the compressor. If the condenser / fans are not great that could make pressures get really high, which is hard on the compressor.

-J

X3...
Run away from that guy....

I think your a/c guy might be lacking a bit, but to answer your question, yes, even on max, the compressor will still cycle on and off.

Hmmmmm, at least he was correct with the cycling bit... dubious though that he mentioned freon deteriorating... I guess he just wanted to charge me for the re-fill...

anyway, I don't have gauges, I just rely on the sight glass... which should bubble(milky) a bit when engaging then clearing up... at least that's what I read on the net.

Any other tips on how to read the glass?

Go over to the Diesel forum and read the sticky at the top first...

Then read the ' Am I low on R12 ' thread going on right now... I have answered the sight glass question over and over again...
You need a set of gauges if you are going to do your own stuff safely and expect your system to last for a while...

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=301351

Leathermang - yes, this keeps popping up. Perhaps you should compose a sticky called "Don't rely on sight glass bubbles."

I thought including it in the AC thread Sticky would be enough...
perhaps not....LOL
and I have been saying it for years.... just seems like a bunch of people were told by their friends or local ac guy to use it... all about the same hot time.....