Hole in my AC condenser

[OilPatch197]

And a "poor man's purge" is to charge the system with R134 let it sit for a while (a couple hours) then unscrew the shrader valve under the high pressure cutoff switch and bleed the R134 to the atmosphere

So basically you keep charging and then releasing until all the air is out? That sounds rather wasteful, but I suppose it could work if you got a lot of 134 on hand.

How effective is that, say compared to a vacuumed down system?

134a is heavier than air so in a filled and "settled" system opening the system at the highest point will force the air out the top.

Alot of systems now days, often the shraders are not near the top of the system.

Can you possibly "flush" the R134a system of air? By simply open the high side and pull refrigerant into the low side for a few minutes?

 

[mustang00066]

I just got my condenser today off of ebay brand new delivered for $65. Pretty happy about that! Autozone sells them for 150 roughly and the stupid shop wanted to charge me $200 claiming to have a much better/higher quality part. yeah right, they would've just gotten it from Autozone and marked it up the 20%.

i think i'll just take it somewhere to get evac'd/charged. I really don't know enough about this stuff to attempt it and from all the replies on here it sounds a little complicated (I was hoping you just hook up the bottle with the gauge and stop at the right amount). but i'm pretty sure I can take out the condenser and get a new one in so that's what i'll do.

 

[exbass94]

I just got my condenser today off of ebay brand new delivered for $65. Pretty happy about that! Autozone sells them for 150 roughly and the stupid shop wanted to charge me $200 claiming to have a much better/higher quality part. yeah right, they would've just gotten it from Autozone and marked it up the 20%.

Hey do you mind telling me who the seller was? I need a condenser for my Explorer, I'm on a really tight budget, and that's the best price I've heard of for a condenser.

 

[mustang00066]

Yeah I got it from Radiator Guyz (lame name, but i don't care, the condenser is here and was cheap- also has a lifetime warranty!), this is the exact one I ordered http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-RANGER-1998-1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-CONDENSER-AC-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cab7bb408QQitemZ260575048712QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories


I checked a local dealers website and they sell the condenser for $160, again, cheaper than the stupid markup shop guys.

Any ideas where to get the o-rings you're talking about that I need to replace? I plan on just doing the condenser and getting it evac'd/charged and hoping it'll blow cold air. If not, then I'll work on replacing the accumulator and all that other stuff mentioned.

Are the O Rings from the condenser or something else?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[AllanD]

As I said, I've got a vacuum pump, but the method does work.


As for R-12? I've got a SEALED 30lb can of the stuff.

Unfortunatly I have no vehicles that use the stuff

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[OilPatch197]

As I said, I've got a vacuum pump, but the method does work.


As for R-12? I've got a SEALED 30lb can of the stuff.

Unfortunatly I have no vehicles that use the stuff

AD

Wow that is just awesome, if I had that much tho, I would be SELLING IT!

I just don't see a market for R12 in the next twenty years, all the classic cars have 134a replacement kits. The R-12's on the road are starting to Age, didn't they change over to 134a in what 1993?

So while they don't make the dang stuff anymore, the autos and Central air conditioning systems that use it are going to dwindle and the market will dry up.

 

[mustang00066]

I installed the condenser in under an hour. VERY easy job! you take out two bolts for the radiator (you don't even have to drain it) and just kind of push it back out of the way, 2 more bolts holding in the condenser, and then 2 bolts holding the lines in.

I decided to just buy some R-134a and charge it myself to see if that would work... it did! it's been 4 days and it's still blowing ice cold.
Shop estimate to fix (including removing radiator/coolant refill...idiots): $500
Total cost to me for doing it myself: $110

Suck on that you stupid mechanics shops with your awful markups!

 

[LearjetMinako]

Did you replace the accumaltor? Did you also replace the oriface tube? Did you vaccum test the system to remove as much air and moisture as possible? Did you flush all lines and evpaorater.

If no to any above, then the A/C was not properly serviced. Thou the cheap way does work. It won't give the best results it could perform at.

 

[OilPatch197]

R-12 doesn't actually work that much better as a refrigerant. The only reason the R-143a cars don't get as cold is because the newer systems are calibrated to not get as cold.

Actually I believe that R-12 IS better as a refrigerant, for example one way to defeat the "Club" steering wheel lock, was to spray the steel with a can of R-12 and it would get so cold you can snap it in two, R-134a does not get as cold.

I think the R134a producers have spent billions on a campaign of lies to scare Americans away from what is the refrigerant of tomorrow we can have today and save a lot of energy and money if we use it . If we switched all of our refrigerators and ac units to hydrocarbon freons we could cut our energy consumed in refrigeration by at least 1/3 to 1/2 of current levels .

http://www.redtek.com/win_12a_refintro.html

That looks like some awesome stuff.

 

[mustang00066]

Did you replace the accumaltor? Did you also replace the oriface tube? Did you vaccum test the system to remove as much air and moisture as possible? Did you flush all lines and evpaorater.

If no to any above, then the A/C was not properly serviced. Thou the cheap way does work. It won't give the best results it could perform at.

no, no, no, and no.

The "Cheap way" most definitely did work and is blowing just as cold as it was before.
The two shops I took it to had no plans of changing the accumulator, or the orifice tube, although they likely would have vacuumed the system. Still, I don't even care because it's blowing cold and i saved $400 doing it myself instead of blowing it on the mark up artists. $200 for a condenser? oh please!

 

[LearjetMinako]

To each their own, and their own method of choas.

I have done cheap before on the Ranger. Accumalator rusted out, bought a new one, along with PAG-46 and R-134a for less than $80. I think the A/C system lasted another 4 years before the compressor seal went next. Then I did a complete A/C system rebuild for about $400~450.

I have plans in the future to repair the A/C on my mom's Blazer. I just totaled the numbers, about $550 it will cost. But that is everything included (R-134a, PAG-150, flushing agent, new compressor, orifice tube, accumalator, condenser, and shop service for the e-vac & fill).