How long can i drive without refrigerant in the A/C system?

[enerjay]

I tried fitting a new condenser to my 2004 B6 and found the connectors are slighly smaller so the old one has gone back on. Now i need to do a 150 mile round trip to take the new one back so am i ok without a recharge as long as i don't turn on the A/C?

I did not see any oil come out of the system so i'm guessing there will still be some in there to lubricate things.

The Compressor section of the Air Con/Climate control FAQs says

"The pulley on the compressor is driven permanently by the engine. When the air con is switched on an electro-magnetic clutch is pulled in to connect that drive to the compressor."

It sounds like i should be ok but i thought it was best to ask

Thanks in advance
Jason

 

[vag-tech]

In theory the drier will be saturated if system open to atmosphere...in reality you'll be fine. Is the drier part of the condenser in your case?

 

[tyr382]

Short answer is yes you can drive with no refrigerant. Soon as you low pressure switch senses no pressure it will disengage the compressor clutch so that no damage is done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk