AC Condenser replacement

[jjgrizz73]

Hey all! Has anyone done this? Mine was leaking slowly and now has become a pretty large leak. I don’t have a shop manual so I’m assuming there are some tips/tricks for performing this job.

Looking to hear from someone with the experience.
Thank you!

[Mdriv3r]

Originally Posted by jjgrizz73

Hey all! Has anyone done this? Mine was leaking slowly and now has become a pretty large leak. I don’t have a shop manual so I’m assuming there are some tips/tricks for performing this job.

Looking to hear from someone with the experience.
Thank you!

You can take it somewhere for the recharge. Or you can buy a kit from eBay or Amazon. This is what I did and have used it on several bmws now. Connect everything. Then connect the lines to the high and low ports. Then connect the yellow line to the small vacuum. You’ll want to run that for an hour to get good vacuum. then the directions will have you add to the low pressure side. Make sure you use oil and get the oil pump device. I believe the oil is PAG 46. AC refrigerant I believe is R134a. There is one other compatible refrigerant also per ISTA. But you can use this I believe. Make sure to look that up.

Now there is a product called red angel ac stop leak. To do this right… you’d want to add oil, then red angel in the oil added, then more oil, then start charging it. The guages will tell you what to do.

The 50’s kid on YouTube has some great AC videos. They are for the e46 platform, the the process is similar. Condensers are common on this platform. They do cause issues.

That being said, I did the procedure with vacuum, oil, red angel, oil, charge, more oil, more charge and call it good. My ac was down to the 50’s, upper 50’s on the Fahrenheit scale.

If you go to a shop, make sure the vacuum the system and evacuate it properly, otherwise it just won’t get as cold as it should bc air will be in the system. You can pm me or post questions here. I’ll post some links.

[Mdriv3r]

You can also try this process before changing your condenser. It worked for me. My ac has been fine for a couple years now.

Ac oil injector:

HighFree A/C Oil and Dye Injector with Snap Quick Coupler, 2 OZ Hand Turn Screw-in Air Conditioning Coolant Filling Tube Injection Tool with 1/4 inch SAE Connector for R410A, R134A, R22 and R12 https://a.co/d/hqC2gPw

Ac recharge kit:


HZAUTOS 4CFM 1/3HP Single-Stage Vacuum Pump and R410A R22 R134A R404A Aluminum-Body Manifold Gauge Set Refrigeration Kit with Carrying Tote for HVAC A/C Refrigeration Recharging and Maintenance https://a.co/d/hdDsUOm


You don’t have to buy this exact kit, look around on amazon. When you buy the refrigerant buy the kind with out stop leak. If you use red angel, that will be all you’ll need for stopping the condenser leak.

Red angel ac stop leak:

Red Angel 49496 A/C Stop Leak - 2 Ounce https://a.co/d/j3CuA0m


You can definitely find this cheaper at a store Id think. Im just sending you a link to see.

50’s kid ac recharge diy e46 bmw:

https://youtu.be/QO1rH8Xzbtc?si=A5DA-6HfeF5xUyTu


Last thing, I have some extra items. I have an extra oil injector. Ill sell it to you if you want. Can pm me or message here on your thread.

[Mdriv3r]

If you install a new condenser, search the forum. There might be some info. I might be able to get you some diy info. However you’re welcome to try the method I did. I didn’t have to change my condenser luckily. Im fairly certain that’s where my ac probelem was before. Note*** it had been recharged with a continued resultant leak atleast once before I did this service.

After doing this service, AC has been fine. Works well and holds vacuum properly.

[jjgrizz73]

Unfortunately it’s a pretty big leak now. Originally it started out small, I charged it and vacuumed it and it would read ok and last about 4-5 months. Now it lasts about 5 minutes, I can hear and see the leak as well below the condenser. I already bought one I’ve just been lazy doing the job! Haha

[Mdriv3r]

Oh that’s unfortunate. Hmm yeah, replacement might just right. Maybe check FCP euro, ecstuning, rock auto (they have good deals on cooling system parts and different brands to compare and contrast with).

Can check Realoem for any exact part numbers and diagrams.

[Mdriv3r]

I have attached some screenshots of what ISTA shows. This includes AC Capacitor replacement, cooling system overview, various torque specs for components, and AC refrigerant types. There is a special tool, I took a screenshot of that also. This information is relevant for the F 1X chassis.

[Mdriv3r]

Continued

[jjgrizz73]

Thank you very much for the info!!

[Mdriv3r]

Originally Posted by jjgrizz73

Thank you very much for the info!!

No worries. I can check again later to see if there is more info. Other things are regarding more compressor related problems. A lot of these were pdfs I had from when did the cooling system work. Hope it helps. I use the 50’s kid for the charging diy.