eryque Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 I've got a '95 Legacy wagon with a non-working A/C system. Midas says that the condenser has a leak in the corner and needs to be replaced. They are quite happy to replace that and the drier for about $750, with the majority of that cost in parts. I found an online source for a condenser for $113. Am I being totally foolish if I try to replace this myself? Are any specialty tools needed? I took a look real quick and didn't see any obvious "gotchas," besides having to work in relatively tight spaces. I was considering buying the R134a and filling the system myself, but after reading that you need to put a vacuum on the system before charging, it seems like it might be just as simple and cheap to have teh Jiffy Lube do it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 if it's leaking at the corner...i'd look to just replace the o-rings. the condensor shouldn't be leaking unless it has signs of damage from road debris or front end collossion. baring that, i'd assume the 30 cent o-ring is leaking at the fitting. i'd buy a bag of o-rings, swap out all the easy ones you can get too. then buy two new schrader valves and the 3 dollar schrader valve tool to replace them with. you're talking 5 dollars in parts, replace all that and you're probably good to go with a recharge. or swap the condensor if you trust the midas guys. after you do the work, have someone pull a vaccuum and charge it for you. they shouldn't charge much for that. $50 - $100 tops. or charge it yourself, you'll have some residual air in the system. i don't do that, but i have friends that have done it and they're A/C works just as good...dang it i have to admit my friends freaking honda works much better tahn mine and he didn't pull a vaccuum....his has been working flawlessly for over 2 years. but this isn't the "proper" way to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eryque Posted June 27, 2006 Author Share Posted June 27, 2006 I have no reason to believe that the Midas guys are lying, and I don't have any way to check the system for leaks myself after just replacing the o-rings, so I think it's a safe bet to trust their diagnosis. There is evidence of a good leak in the system. Last summer I had the system charged, and 10 days later it was no longer blowing cold air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 I'd recommend you look into things yourself. A/C work is one of those things that you can do it a ok job, and it'll work, but it may come back to bite you in the end. What I'm specifically talking about is contaminents in the system from the compressor, water, etc. Discharge the system if it is not completely discharged (be careful when doing this). Remove the condensor and look for oil sludgey spots. That is where the leak is and the road dirt/grime has collected with the oil from the system. Like Gary said, if it appears to be around the fitting, you could try replacing the o-ring and see if that works. Otherwise, get another condensor. You should be able to pickup a new condensor for 200 or so dollars...maybe more. You may be able to find a used one, but becareful. You'll need to make sure it also doesn't have a leak, and you should flush it out. You can use brake cleaner and compressed air to flush the condensor out. Depending on how involved you want to get, you could pull the remaining lines and flush them out, as well as clean out the junk in the evaporator box. You will need a new reciever/drier. You'll want to pour out the oil from the old receiver/drier into a measuring cup, and add approximately that much new/clean oil into the new receiver/drier. The only issue with that is you may be low on oil because of the system having a leak, which means the amount of old oil won't be correct. So as you can see....it can get a little tricky. The only true way to get things right would be to take the compressor out, drain it, and then add the required amount of new/fresh oil to the compressor, and receiver/drier. (add everything but 1 oz oil to the compressor. Put the remaining 1 oz into the receiver/drier) Once you have everything back together you need to have a vacuum pulled on the system very soon. The oil will absorb water, as will the receiver/drier, which can cause issues during normal operation. With a deep vacuum pulled for at least 30-45 minutes, you're ready to add refrigerant. I may have rambled......so if you would like clarification, please say so. I've done this a few times now on my Legacy Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eryque Posted June 28, 2006 Author Share Posted June 28, 2006 I guess one thing I hadn't thought about is that I can still drive the car with the a/c taken apart, so I could take it apart and then order a new condenser if I have to. So what specialty tools are required to do all this? And can you buy the freon at parts stores? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 no special tools required. a big pair of channel locks (pliars so to speak) helps on some of the fittings but a wrench should work fine. you'll want a schrader valve removal tool...any auto parts store has them and they cost about $3-$5. it's for threading the schrader valves. you'll want to remove the old and install the new one. they even make a very special tool that allows you to replace the valve without opening up the system at all and loosing refrigerant, they are really sweet but pricey! refrigerant (R134a) can be bought at any parts store....wal-mart probably even has it at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Like nipper said, if it appears hey josh, quit calling me nipper!!!! gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eryque Posted June 28, 2006 Author Share Posted June 28, 2006 no special tools required. a big pair of channel locks (pliars so to speak) helps on some of the fittings but a wrench should work fine. you'll want a schrader valve removal tool...any auto parts store has them and they cost about $3-$5. it's for threading the schrader valves. you'll want to remove the old and install the new one. they even make a very special tool that allows you to replace the valve without opening up the system at all and loosing refrigerant, they are really sweet but pricey! refrigerant (R134a) can be bought at any parts store....wal-mart probably even has it at this point. what about putting a vacuum on the system before charging it? i'm pretty sure that my shop vac won't do it :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltCar Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Put a little pressure in the system and you may be able to find the leak with soap bubbles. There are some good forums for DIY A/C work. They will walk you through it step by step and sell you what you need to fix it right. I saw a post somewhere someone said they got AC tools from AutoZone under their free tool rental program. Link to good A/C information. The same site also has good forum. http://www.aircondition.com/tech/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 what about putting a vacuum on the system before charging it? i'm pretty sure that my shop vac won't do it :-) i sort of covered this earlier. you can do all the work yourself and then have a shop pull the vacuum for you. this is probably your most likely choice. then you charge it (or let them do it if they want to be reasonable). pulling a vaccuum should be very inexpensive, they hook it up to a machine and leave it sit. takes all of a few minutes. they even have computerized machines now that the mechanic hooks up and it automatically finishes the entire job without any work required from a person. it pulls a vaccuum, checks for leaks...stops if it detects any leak, or continues with charging it. all automated, pretty nifty. anyway...shouldn't be expensive at all. or...you can do all the work yourself and just charge it the way it is. i've had friends do it and have yet to see any of those vehicles fail. i don't do it this way nor do i think it's the best method, i'm only telling you what my friends have done against my recommendations and they all still work???? or...you can do the ghetto method of leaving air out of the sytem by charging the system on one side and letting it blow out the other...use an extra can or so but it will blow out some of the air/moisture in the lines, again not the preferred way and others on here will be incensed that i even mentioned it but it was shown to me by a Maryland licensed HVAC mechanic. or you can buy a vaccuum puller and do it yourself. the kind that hook to an air compressor can be had for 9 or 19 dollars from harbor freight. don't know what stand alone electric ones cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 the ghetto system is a very bad idea. There is a bounty of 10,000 dollars for releasing freon in the air. If i saw you do it, i report it, i would get the money not the goverment. Thats how seriously they take the freon issue. Do the repairs yourself and let a shop fill it. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 hey josh, quit calling me nipper!!!!gary Sorry Gary! I haven't done it more then that time have I?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Sorry Gary!I haven't done it more then that time have I?? nah, just a joke (i found it funny since nipper and i are often posting together anyway....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 nah, just a joke (i found it funny since nipper and i are often posting together anyway....) but are we ever both logged in at the same time? hrmmmmmmmmmmmmmm nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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