hey guys.

I want to remove the air con condesnsor because its bent like crazy from the accident. What i wanted to know, is it safe to take the pipes off so i can put in another one ?

Would it explode or something if there is still gas in there ?? :confused:


BTW, I whent down to the wreckers and bought a bumper with the bumper support, the indicators for it, a set of headlights and a nose cone.. It cost me $260 all up. I might have paid a little to much, but i dont mind i just wanna get my car back on the road.

My car would look funny because the bumper is white and the nose cone is charcol lol

if your air con has gas in it your not ment to let it out it should be sucked out first and then put back.
and if you take of any parts you will loss any gas and then it will have to be regased and you have to have a cfc gas ticket to buy gas.
so your best off getting the part then taking the car to a auto air con mech to fit it and gas it

if your air con has gas in it your not ment to let it out it should be sucked out first and then put back.
and if you take of any parts you will loss any gas and then it will have to be regased and you have to have a cfc gas ticket to buy gas.
so your best off getting the part then taking the car to a auto air con mech to fit it and gas it

ok cool.

I dont mind loosing all my gas because i was going to get it conveted to the new gas. I got quoted $200.

Damn i was really hoping i could do it myself.

if your air con has gas in it your not ment to let it out it should be sucked out first and then put back.
and if you take of any parts you will loss any gas and then it will have to be regased and you have to have a cfc gas ticket to buy gas.
so your best off getting the part then taking the car to a auto air con mech to fit it and gas it


fitting it isnt hard at all,but make sure you get it fixed by a a/c mechanic quickly after that because moisture in the system is a bad problem and can wreck your compressor.

depending on the age of you car you may not be able to get the gas for it any more,so you will have to get a retro fit. if its a gas called R134a then its perfectly legal atm to release it to the atmosphere.most cars made before 1990 will be on the gas thats not available anymore.

depending on the age of you car you may not be able to get the gas for it any more,so you will have to get a retro fit.

Actually very few places can regas R12 systems, its a gas called either ER12 or HR12 are the ones ive heard of, and they are perfectly legal.

So is there a safe way i can remove the condensor my self ? Is there a way to block out the pipes so none would escape ?

The car isnt driveable atm.

R12 was phase out from new cars in Aus in 1992 and recharging cars with R12 was meant to stop. (I can still get R12 :badgrin:) It became illegal to have a Car A/C system opperating on R12 or any CFC refrigrant a few years ago, in NSW at least. All older car A/C systems still in use on CFC's are supposed to be retrofitted to a HFC like R134A or decomissioned.
Both CFC and HFC refrigerants are illegal to deliberately release to atmosphere.

You could probably do a lot of the repair work yourself if you really wanted to but this would mean that there would be no warranty if the new gas leaks.
If you do DIY.
To do it properly you have to find an A/C workshop who has recovery gear for R12, not all do. get them to discharge your a/c system and then you could repair the system yourself.
If the A/C doesn't work after the accident but will if the connector for the low pressure swithc is shorted then the gas has probably already escaped.
You will have to drain all oil out of any components you remove and measure the quantity so you can tell the guy recharging the system how much oil has been lost, especially from the condenser. (oil sits in the bottom)
They will probably use a mixing oil that can be used for a top-up on the old oil with the new gas, they may want to add this to the reciver dryer before it is fitted. Try to minimise the time the system is open to atmosphere and have the system vaccumed down within 1hr of fitting a new reciver dryer so it doesn't absorb too much moisture.
You would need new o'rings for any joins you disturb, R134A conversion "service port" valves and a reciver dryer (filter). this is about $30-40 all up.

I do my own A/C repairs and retrofits using a friends workshop, it costs me $80 a car for R134A glo-gas (with UV leak dye) oil is extra and expensive.
I haven't had any trouble with systems I have charged myself. I bought a complete A/C system for my Ford Courier from the Wreckers for $90, I fitted it and had it very cold at a total cost of $200.
A local auto electrician has told me he will regas car a/c systems with R134A for $60 plus oil if he only has to fit the reciver dryer then vac down and charge.

Well, you seem to know your stuff :)

Tell me though, have you noticed a temp difference between the new and the old gas?

Also this UV stuff.. do you need a black light to see a leak? How does it appear?

****..

All i wanted to do was replace this stupid thing with another one :cry: I dont even care if the gas escapes.

Just one question, I was planning to get my aircon to run on the new gas do they use the same condensor ? or they put a new one in ?

If they put a new one in, i might as well leave this busted one in and let them chuck it out.

****..

All i wanted to do was replace this stupid thing with another one :cry: I dont even care if the gas escapes.

Just one question, I was planning to get my aircon to run on the new gas do they use the same condensor ? or they put a new one in ?

If they put a new one in, i might as well leave this busted one in and let them chuck it out.


u can use any gas for your condensor for car air con as long as its one suited for your compressor and oil within the a/c system.R12 and R134a are NOT refrigerants that use the same oil.

if your old condensor is broken there is no point keeping it there.you can put your old condensor in yourself if you want but make sure you do the flare nut up tight but not too tight cos you will snap the flare off.

if you have anymore question just keep asking,im a refrigeration air-con mechanic

Well, you seem to know your stuff :)

Tell me though, have you noticed a temp difference between the new and the old gas?

Also this UV stuff.. do you need a black light to see a leak? How does it appear?

The UV leak dye will show up as Fluro Green under a UV light like a blue fluro tube or a black light.

I have also been told that the old gas was more efficient and will give lower temps out of the vent, I have found systems charged on new gas are basically just as cold out of the vent as the old gas except when the a/c is flat out on very hot days it's a few degs walmer.