Thread: AC condenser

I filled my ac system with compressed air to try and locate the leak.

with some silence I heard the hiss. It's comming from the condenser. Im afraid im the one who damaged it when I pushed the mounts for the trans cooler through it.

My questions are

1. Do I replace the condenser? looks kinda like a pita. however they don't cost a lot

2. Do I buy a few cans of r-134a with stop leak and give that a shot to see if it works?

The system lost full pressure in about 40 mins


Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Replace the unit, stop leak won't fix it.

Remove the radiator and it's pretty simple to get it out.

Pita.. thanks ffdp

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

You can replace the condenser without removing the radiator. It's a tight fit, but it can be done by removing the fans, unseating the radiator and pushing it forward, then pulling the condenser out. more conservative way is taking out the radiator though.

and be careful putting the fans back in, be sure you seat them properly on the bottom tabs, I didn't do that and one fan wore thru my radiator and sprung a leak on the highway 3 hours from home.

Originally Posted by mguzzo

and be careful putting the fans back in, be sure you seat them properly on the bottom tabs, I didn't do that and one fan wore thru my radiator and sprung a leak on the highway 3 hours from home.

Noted thanks for the tip. My car is hardly ever 3 mins from my house lol

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Check out some youtube vids, they helped me out [being an ac noob], replace accumulator/drier & add refrigerant oil.

Whats the risk if I don't replace the accumulator/drier?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Moisture in the system = less efficient output. Accumulator is cheap compared to the condenser, after all that work you're gonna want the best result, right ? Watch some YouTube vids, they explain better than I can. A few hours of casual research can go a long way towards peace of mind. Vacuum pump and manifold gauge set are a must for this job and cheap at Harbor Freight.

I have the harbor freight set up now.. it's how I found where it was leaking from... I'll get the accumulator. just means the car will be down for a week since it's torn apart because the condenser is comming tomorrow. Thanks for the tips

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

You said you filled it with compressed air, right ? You need a special vacuum pump to charge it.

Yes I just hooked it up to my air compressor and used the rubber tip of my air sprayer. Closed the high and low ports below the gauges and watched as the pressure slowly left the system.

How much does this vacuum pump with r-134a cost? The oil change place by my house will charge it for 100 bucks

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk