AC Condenser

[bobbe]

I may soon be in the market for an AC condenser.

I have recently been swapping my AC system from my old car to my new(er) one. This has gone surprisingly well - I got it all dismantled easily enough, I got new o-rings from Toyota and coated them all in luridly green AC oil, and got everything installed relatively straightforwardly. The engine revs up properly when the AC is turned on and back down when it's turned off, there are no flashing lights or unexpected noises, everything seems good to go and ready to be gassed. This also meant a new aux belt to go around the compressor, so that's one small service thing to tick off as well.

But I wanted to change the dryer in the condenser, since it probably hasn't ever been done. I attempted this over the weekend.

Tough business, removing the dryer plug. I managed it eventually, after much effort. Unfortunately, the process of getting it out damaged the threads in the condenser, and the top of the opening in the condenser got bent out as I tried to leverage the plug out with a screwdriver.

No matter, the new plug - coated in plenty of oil - screwed in okay despite the threads being damaged. And I used a hammer and flat-headed screwdriver to fix the opening and press it in as tight around the plug as physically possible (by placing the flat head of the screwdriver against it and then hitting it with the hammer, and then going all around the top of the opening to fix the shape of it and tighten it all back up). So it's now snugly in place. To be sure I hadn't missed any small gaps, I went around it with a thick later of silicon sealant. Surprisingly, bodging it with a hammer, screwdriver, and sealant isn't in the service manual, but it should be enough to prevent any leaks (?).

So far, so good - but when I was removing the condenser to do this I snapped a bolt holding one of the pipes in place. Less good. And then I also snapped the bolt extractor I sent in after it (which resulted in profuse shouting and swearing).

I'm going to have a go at drilling it out sometime this week, but if that doesn't work then I think I have three options:

1) Use some kind of strong epoxy in place of the bolt to secure the pipe in place. Since this would permanently join the pipe to the condenser, I would probably also use some sealant around the socket to permanently seal it - because I wouldn't be able to remove the pipe to change the o-rings again in future if (when) they dry out again. Is there any reason why this wouldn't work?

2) Obtain a second-hand condenser, if I can find one that isn't holey or overly rusty (which would give me a chance to practice replacing the dryer again without destroying things  ). Do J-Spec or Dick Sloan or any of the other reputable breakers sell such things? If not, where would be a good place to look?

3) Buy a new condenser. I know RHD ones are not easy to come by, but does anyone have any leads?

Thanks in advance for all advice!

[rusty0273]

When I replaced my condenser a couple of years back I was generally advised that any second hand units would be a pile of scrap and not worth the trouble. TCB parts were the best option then for the new Toyota part http://www.tcbparts.co.uk/ but it was around £300. Still cheaper than Toyota direct. I recall there were limited units remaining (Toyota feedback not TCB). You'll also need the correct O rings from Toyota for a few £'s as they are an odd size.

[Bossworld]

Well done on removing the drain plug. I have a spare receiver drier kicking about somewhere because I ended up buying a new condenser instead, as the plug was bound in place after 14 years.

Ended up drilling the old drain plug out afterwards to have a look (the original condenser was already scrap) and in the process bent the whole thing out of recognition.

The only other semi viable alternative would be to buy an aftermarket LHD one and get some pipework made up, there's a chap up in the NE who did that but his username escapes me, think he was named Ian.

[bobbe]

Thanks for the replies - I've ended up ordering a new condenser, as even with the drain plug sealed up again and the pipe epoxied in place there was still a big leak. Presumably the battering it took finished it off

£264 all in from gt4-play + a replacement pipe from a breaker + a couple of O rings ordered through my local Toyota. That should hopefully be enough to get it sorted seeing as all the other o rings have been changed and lubricated