damaged442

Took a rock to the condenser, and of course the A/C no longer works as all the refrigerant leaked out. The car has 153,000 miles, so I am actually surprised it took this long. Anyway, I picked up an aftermarket condenser and am going to replace it myself. I am then going to have the system drawn down to remove air and recharged. I just figured I'd ask to see if any of you have had the lovely experience and would care to share any pointers, good, bad or indifferent. Curious to see how interesting of a project this will turn out to be.

Thanks in advance!

damaged442

That's about the reaction I thought I would have...lol.

Based on the location of the condenser, I am surprised that more have not replaced theirs. I apologize in advance for not having pictures. This project is still pending...

First, I removed the front bumper. It makes everything easier to get to. Using the well documented PyroDave method, there were no issues here. Watch for and disconnect the wires for the fog lights. There are two small plates that hold the radiator in place that have two bolts each. Once removed, you can tip the radiator back a bit to make removal and replacement of the condenser easier.

With that out of the way, there are four small bolts that hold the condenser in. Two at the top and two at the bottom. There are also two bolts for the A/C lines. (one at the top and one at the bottom) Once unbolted, you can tip and slide the condenser right out the bottom. Replace with the new one and reverse the process!

What really happened is I was making decent progress and was on the last A/C line bolt. Wouldn't you know that sucker snapped off right in the new condenser. In the process of gently trying to drill that out, I punched a hole in the brand new condenser!! After many colorful forms of terminology, I have another condenser on order.

So, like I said, still pending!

ceb

Don't you just hate it when you break something. It should be under warranty though. A condenser should withstand a drill through the housing. Just stick some bubble gum over the hole and take it back - they won't notice.

Sorry to hear that.

cu2wagon

Yeah, I kept looking at your post with the read count going up but the replies staying at goose egg. I really wanted to help, but...

damaged442

OK...so I ended up getting the um, new, new condenser to replace the old, new condenser. You still with me?

At this point, I have become much more proficient at removing the front bumper.

I had the old, new condenser out in three minutes. The new, new one went in in about three more! After charging the system, everything worked great! Having A/C in a black car with temps in the 90s is not overrated!

I would recommend getting a bunch of new plastic bumper clips though. After taking the bumper on and off a few times, some of them did get pretty messed up.

z643167z

my ac stopped working too, but i think it can be the compressor... how would i know if i need to replace the condenser or compressor... do you have DIY?

damaged442

Huge difference between a bad condenser and a bad compressor.

First, put a gauge on it to see if you have any refrigerant in the system. If there is no charge on the system, the refrigerant leaked out somewhere. With no charge on the system, the compressor will not kick on. If there is a leak, the system can be dye checked to see where the leak is. My leak was so large that I didn't need to do that.

The only compressor I have ever had go bad on me was the one on my 1977 Cutlass. That sucker was making so many evil noises before it finally seized, I thought I was gonna have to have it exorcised. Had to cut the belt to it to make it home! I would imagine that if you had issues with the compressor, it too might be making some strange noises.