After using 'search' unsuccessfully for 30 minutes I'm breaking down and asking for help. The combination of a gravel road/driveway and the slammed stance of my 99 FRC has finally caused a leak in my A/C condenser. Looks easy enough to get to but would like to see the procedure for replacing it. Got a new OEM AC Delco on the way from Amazon. Still 'made in China', unbelievable!

Thanks peeps!
John

 

Try to think of it as a "World Car"....


Just did the same with mine, and it pained me to see that.

 

you might not be surprised, but many of our car parts are made in China

 

I have not found a part on my C5 yet that was marked made in USA? I see Japan, Canada, France, China, Mexico, etc. but no USA? Maybe the OPS?

 

Never had to mess with a condenser. I've done an evaporator. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the condenser is one hell of a lot easier.

 

You will want to take your car to a shop that handles any kind of A/C work and have them "evacuate" your A/C system of all remaining refrigerant. They should give you credit for any refrigerant they evacuate so when they fill your system you only pay for refrigerant that you need. Plus you don't want to spill that stuff all over your garage.

 

It slides into clips on the front of the radiator exactly like the fan. After the the top radiator plastic mount is removed and A/C hoses are disconnected it just pulls up and out.

I'm assuming you know about A/C work and are asking about the removal of the unit.

If it has a leak then its too late for evac. Plug the hoses to prevent humidity contamination and its a good idea to replace the drier tank and orifice tube.

 

That's what I figured, just thought there must be a video somewhere on the forum. Your post left me with more questions than answers.

Why replace the dryer tank and orifice tube? What is an orifice tube anyway? Lots of tubing... That's why I like videos! I've always said if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Besides the car only has 42K miles on it, if that makes a difference.

Doesn't look like a big (long) job and I would be working in an air conditioned garage.. Still plug the hoses for 10 minutes til the new condenser is in?

Thanks for your reply!
John

 

The drier tank aka accumulator tank has a descant in it and it looses its drying ability over time. Air moisture is an enemy to the system and it is good to replace it when you have the opportunity. You don't want to leave the tanks connections open to air for any period of time. They are fairly inexpensive ~$20.

The orifice tube is a small plastic piece with screens that helps regulate expansion. Its located inside the top hose in the joint near the battery. You pull the orifice out of the hose with pliers. They can get clogged over time and restrict the flow of refrigerant. It's about a $5 item.

once you get it all back together you should put a vacuum pump on the system to remove air and any moisture. If you have air in the lines your system will never be very efficient if it works at all. Air takes up space and doesn't make a very good refrigerant. You can shut the pump off to make sure the system holds pressure (vacuum in this case). Turn the engine on with A/C on max and add 1.75 lbs of r134a.

 

Froggy is a member that has videos on YouTube.
Here is one of them.

 

While we're on this subject, is anyone making a quality screen now that Elite Engineering no longer offers them?

 

My opinion is not of most people when it comes to AC repair. I know most outlets require that the accumulator be changed, but it is unnecessary. Same with plugging lines if open for only a few moments. Changing the orifice is cheap but I wouldn't waste my time.

A good vacuum pump is required to do the job. Borrow one, rent one, but get one. When you vac a system down, do it for a minimum of an hour. Do not rely on vacuum -pressure to show up leaks. It isn't a good method and will only show that you have a large leak. It will not detect small leaks. The vacuum negitive pressure will boil off any moisture and pump it out. It will also release any moisture in your accumulator, so I wouldn't replace it unless you change to a different refrigerant oil, like when going from and old R-12 system to 134a.

It takes very little time to plug the open lines, so I would do this in most cases to keep out junk that may get in there while you are moving things about. Don't worry about the air getting in there, as it will be evacuated with the vacuum pump.

I have worked on many systems that have been open for days to years and they work fine once vac'd down. Just make sure they don't have anything in them like bugs, etc.

The best way to check for leaks is to use a bottle of nitrogen and pressurize the system. It is also the only legal way to do it. We used to just use refrigerant vapor to pressurize the system, but then you would need to reclaim it, or finish charging if no leaks were found. It is easier and faster to charge a system that is holding a vacuum. If you start with putting in a liquid (bottle upside down), make sure you put it in the high side (smaller hose). Then watch your low side gauge and it will rise, telling you the orifice is not blocked. Then start it, put the AC on max, fan high, and finish charging it. If you don't have a way to measure the refrigerant amount, make sure the low side line to the compressor gets cold. You don't want to over-charge the system, but it will handle quite a bit with the accumulator. Only use this method if you have a good understanding of what is taking place and you have no way of measuring it in with a scale or charging cylinder, which most people don't have.

Prices for garages and dealers are extremely high, so doing it yourself is often your only choice if you don't have a pocket full of fun tickets. It also pains me to spend that kinda dough even if I have it when I can do the job myself.

Unless you get nuts with over-charging and slug the compressor, there is not much you can screw up. Have a go at it and save some of those dead presidents!

 

You got me thinking so I just ordered this. I have a lot of trash and debris in my area. I might put finer screen on top of it or something to remove fine particles. My oak tree sheds on the driveway nearly year round and the rest of thee streets are the same.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360234294008?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT