Black death is a term used to describe a certain type of failure in MVAC systems.
When the system is opened, you will find a black goo spread throughout the system. Typically this is found on certain years of Ford products, equipped with FS-10 type compressors. It has been seen however in nearly every type of MVAC system.
I do not know of any scientific research to determine it's actual cause, but it would appear to be a total breakdown of the lubricating oil. This could be caused by several factors:
High temperatures will eventually cause any oil to fail. The vehicles this seems to be common in all have small air intakes for the condenser area, along with mechanical fans which are usually at or near failure. Along with high temperatures, come high head pressures - this could contribute to the oil's breakdown.
The oil may not have been compatible with other compounds present in the system at assembly. Other non-compatible fluids may have been introduced during service or repair operations. Hoses might be releasing small ammounts of curing agents through their life - many of those agents are capable of polymerizing oils.
The oil may simply be at the end of it's service life. All oils wear out, that is why we change them. Since there is only a few ounces of oil in constant use, and at temperatures and pressures as much as 10 times higher than your engine oil.... I would strongly advise flushing any system and replacing the oil charge when you can.
The black goo has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the teflon coatings used in some compressors. There is less than 2 grams of teflon in the FS-10. Teflon is one of the most non-reactive polymers on the planet, and even if the coating does wear off, there is not enough material there to explain the goo everywhere.
FLUSH, FLUSH, FLUSH! if you have a failed system, clean it as well as can be. Then add a suction line filter to keep your new compressor clean.
If you have a system known for this problem that has NOT failed, change the oil, inspect your fan(s) clean the outside of the condenser. You will save yourself lots of trouble later.
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