I was installing a tranny cooler and was drilling and acidently drilled into the a/c condenser. After some not so nice words I calmed down and went online to find a replacement. Looks like the replacement is not so bad. My question is since all the freon is out should I try recharge kits or just take it somewhere. Anybody know how hard it is to replace the condenser?
ac condenser oh S**t moment
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03L4RUNNER
New member
I had a similar encounter when I installed my light bar. Was cutting a zip tie and knife went thru the condenser.
The replacement isnt that bad, 4 bolts/clips if I recall correctly.
BE SURE TO PULL YOUR HVAC FUSE so the ac pump doesnt run with out R134A because the coolant has a lubricant in it and without it you could damage your pump and they arent cheap
Do the smart thing and take it to a professional to get the coolant refilled and pressurized, they use a machine and can monitor the process better than the one can at a time refill ordeal.
03
The replacement isnt that bad, 4 bolts/clips if I recall correctly.
BE SURE TO PULL YOUR HVAC FUSE so the ac pump doesnt run with out R134A because the coolant has a lubricant in it and without it you could damage your pump and they arent cheap
Do the smart thing and take it to a professional to get the coolant refilled and pressurized, they use a machine and can monitor the process better than the one can at a time refill ordeal.
03
BlackWorksInc
New member
To do the repair properly, you need to take it to a shop. Recharge kits are really only temporary solutions made for systems that are low but still sealed, or leaking slow enough that there is pressure in the system. Unfortunetly your system is now contaminated with air.
To properly repair your AC, you need to install the condenser, then the technician will use an AC machine to first pull a vaccuum in the system, boiling off and drawing out all the moisture and air in the system. After which they will do a leak test (usually 5-15min of letting it sit while monitoring the vaccuum to make sure it doesn't change), after it passes the leak test they will use the machine to pressurize the AC system with the proper amount of R-134a, too little or too much will cause poor performance and possible damage. Also they will be able to control the amount of lubricating oil that needs to be added, there is a certain amount of oil that you add to the system when replacing components such as compressors, evaporators, condensers, ect; the reason for this is because while the oil is suspended in the refrigerant, it does collect in these components and act as miniture resiviours.
To properly repair your AC, you need to install the condenser, then the technician will use an AC machine to first pull a vaccuum in the system, boiling off and drawing out all the moisture and air in the system. After which they will do a leak test (usually 5-15min of letting it sit while monitoring the vaccuum to make sure it doesn't change), after it passes the leak test they will use the machine to pressurize the AC system with the proper amount of R-134a, too little or too much will cause poor performance and possible damage. Also they will be able to control the amount of lubricating oil that needs to be added, there is a certain amount of oil that you add to the system when replacing components such as compressors, evaporators, condensers, ect; the reason for this is because while the oil is suspended in the refrigerant, it does collect in these components and act as miniture resiviours.
08GX470Driver
New member
You've definitely gotta get the system vacuumed or the moisture that WILL get inside when you replace the condenser WILL ruin the compressor much quicker than you think.
A vacuum should be pulled for a minimum of 35-40 minutes before introduction of R-134. Also, there is already oil from the previous fill that must be considered when adding from those store bought cans. All those cans have oil in them as well so theres a chance you'd put too much and ruin the compressor that way.
If you dont have the right tools for this job, bring it to an a/c mechanic.
A vacuum should be pulled for a minimum of 35-40 minutes before introduction of R-134. Also, there is already oil from the previous fill that must be considered when adding from those store bought cans. All those cans have oil in them as well so theres a chance you'd put too much and ruin the compressor that way.
If you dont have the right tools for this job, bring it to an a/c mechanic.
zstampe
New member
Not to step on his thread but I installed the Hayden 679 cooler on mine a couple weeks ago and it's great, MUCH cooler trans temps too.
