AC Condenser replacement DIY??

[Grease is the word]

My '01 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.8L w/ rear air has an AC leak at the condenser neck of one of the in/out tubes. One dealer wants $750, one wants $630. These costs are for material and labor (and freon).

Independent shops run $490 and $800. I believe their prices are for clone condensers.

My question is, can this be a do it yourself project? I have the factory service manual and have looked at the replacement steps and it doesn't seem too bad. It appears that I need to evacuate the system (a shop will do that here for $29), then replace the condenser, apply a vacuum to the system (I have yet to get a price on this from a shop), then add some PAG oil for the replaced condenser, and add R134a.

Am I missing something? I know to lube the seals with the PAG oil and keep everything extremely clean. I will probably also replace the dryer/filter while I have the system discharged (it is about $50).

I can get the Mopar part for $350 or a clone for $190.

I don't have a fancy gauge set, just the single hose with with a gauge for the low pressure side to add refrigerant. I could buy a 2 gauge / 3 hose setup for $40. The FSM tells me exactly how much the system holds.

Thanks for the help. About the only AC work I have done is to add refrigerant. Let me know if I am getting over my head.

Grease

 

[Bio-T]

Is your compressor running? The system must have enough pressure to activate the HP switch, if the compressor does not kick in, skip the evacuation phase. You are to low to worry about, and no fine for accidental release.
Just install the new condensor, and replace the dryer. Pressurize the system with a small amount of freon and leak check. The if you have no leaks take it to an independent and get the system evacuated, (50 micron or less) and have them dump an exact charge in the system by weight. It can be done by pressure readings, but it takes experience and to many variables such as outside temp, rpm of the engine etc.

 

[Grease is the word]

Vette,

thanks for the reply. My compressor is running right now. That is because I just charged it up last week with one can (with dye) so the dealer could find the leak.

He searched everywhere for dye and only found it on the condenser.

After about 2-3 weeks through the summer it will loose enough freon to push warm air instead of cold.

I know the system takes 2.88 lbs of refrigerant. So that would be 3.84 using 12oz cans. Couldn't I just put in a hair shy of 4 cans?

Would you go Mopar condenser or aftermarket for the $160 difference?

Thanks again,

Grease

 

[Chris142]

The aftermarket condensors are usually more eficient than the oem ones. I would go with the aftermarket myself.

 

[Bio-T]

quote:

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Originally posted by Chris142:
The aftermarket condensors are usually more eficient than the oem ones. I would go with the aftermarket myself.

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Chris,
You are a man that is right on target with your recommendation. OEM is just purchased from an outside vendor also.

Grease,
Yes, you can charge your system the way you described, but you should pull a vacuum on the system down to 50 micron or less to boil out all the water. R134A and PAG have an affinity for moisture and with a system open more than 15 minutes, you can dilute it. A vacuum is the only way to remove this intrusion. The other way to charge the system is using the sweep charge method, and I do not recommend this for the DIY.
Call a few shops and ask how much they would charge to evacuate your system and charge it. I would estimate $75 or less. If you lived closer, it would be free as I have both a Robinair and a JB pump, and I am EPA certified.

 

[Grease is the word]

Thanks for the offer, encouragement, and help vetteman, I appreciate it.

I'll check out the aftermarket condensers and what shops will charge to pull a vacuum.

Grease

 

[Grease is the word]

Update. I purchased an aftermarket condenser that is the same brand as the Mopar -- Valleo. It was $230 at a Napa parts store. I got a receiver/dryer at the Dodge dealer for $45 because it was cheaper than the Napa.

Just have to do the swap. A local CarX place will pull the vacuum for $25. They want $2 an ounce for R134a, which I think is too much, so I may just use the cans to fill (four minus a couple of ounces). I'll watch the gauge and make sure I don't overfill.

I found a Robinair pump for under $186 that I really liked. Link Here

Also a nice Robinair gauge set as well was at the same site for $95.

I'm trying to convince myself that I need the tools.

I'll post when I get it all running again.

Thanks for your help!

Grease

[ January 02, 2004, 07:00 PM: Message edited by: Grease is the word ]

 

[VaderSS]

Keep in mind that you can fashion a light duty vacuum pump from a refrigerator compressor and a R12 to R134A vacuum pump adaptor for $10 if you can find a donor fridge. Won't handle professional duty, but for people who may do 1 a month(if that) they last years...

 

[Grease is the word]

I have heard that on the fridge compressor conversion. Just have to convince the wife that we need a new fridge

Did the swap today. It wasn't too bad. There were two hassle parts. One was dealing with an aftermarket transmission cooler hoses (and corresponding ATF). The other was changing out the receiver / dryer. They should make the engineers that designed the brackets on that thing to do receiver / dryer swaps every day for a week.

Didn't start early enough to take it by CarX to get it vacuumed. I'll do that Monday and charge it Monday evening.

It took me about as long as the dealer gets for the work. If I had to do it again it would be half the time.