 A/C compressor oil vs. freon?
I have a 1994 E250 that I took into the shop today. One of the repair items was a leak on the driver's side of the engine. The fluid was a green color. When I looked just above where the spots on the floor were, the drips were coming from the bracket just under the PS reservoir.
The mechanic called me and told me that he discovered a most baffling problem. He said that the fluid was the A/C compressor oil but that it wasn't leaking freon. He had never seen a compressor leak the oil but not the freon, but that normally a compressor, when it leaks, it leaks them both at the same time. He then said the oil was coming out of the housing and the only choice was to replace the compressor (or disconnect it) at a tune of $600. He said PS fluid is red.
I always thought that when you charged an auto's A/C system, only freon was used and that freon acted as the lubricant as well as the heat exchanger.
Is what this mechanic is telling me likely true? At this point, I asked him to simply "recharge" the oil only since it's such a slow leak and wasn't leaking freon. This would buy me some time to find out if he is BSing me or not and whether the price seems reasonable.
Thanks, Chris | 
