got into a fight with a stop sign bent bumper broke grille dented airconditioning radiator/condenser. my ? is can i just replace airconditioning radiator/condenser then just recharge with r-134a or is there more to it than that?

 

From the pictures I don't see too much damage to th a/c condenser, if it is not leaking you can pull the condenser away from the radiator and get a little space between the cooler and the radiator. You can use a fin comb to repair the condenser. It should be ok. If it is leaking all bets are off. those condensers are soft and can be sprung fairly easy, but you will have to open the fins up for air flow. I may be way off base here, hard to see in the pictures. my .02

 

I'd just replace it to be on the safe side.


What kind of stop signs do you have in MN? Cement poles or what

 

Stop sign a 4 wheel one or a 2 wheeled one? lol. Id just replace it. 134a is kinda expensive. And if you do decide to replace it. May as well flush your system to all the crud that built up in there over the years out. Oh yeah one more thing, go to your local parts store and buy the dye that goes into it. Your goin to need glasses and the pen to see if its leaking or not.

 

when i replaced my condensor due to it being beat to hell by large bugs i put on a new condensor and then took it to the local guy who had to vacuum the system and i also replaced the drier and had the shop recharge. the condensor was like 130 on ebay about 35 for the drier and about 110 for the shop to vacuum and recharge the system......

 

Like has already been said, if it ain't leaking, I wouldn't sweat it. After 10yrs and ~250k mi, mine looks worse than that.. LOL I'd get a small piece of plywood or 1x6 and bend it back out from the back by hand. If I couldn't get it to bend, I'd let it ride. Just me, I try to not open my A/C system up at all cost. The fin comb will completely square away the minor damage to the front.

If it's leaking, it needs to be replaced, along with the dryer, vacuum it down, and recharge. Pretty straight forward.

 

You definitely want to pull a vacuum on it, if you open the system. If you don't evacuate it, the humid air becomes water in there and ruins the system.

 

Like CPUNEK mines is beat all to hell and has a bend in it. No problems for a long long time. I was worried about it but figured I could watch for leaks and see how it did. No worries after hitting a deer and pushing fog lites back into the condenser. AC cools just as before and all is well. If I have AC problems in the future I figure I'd deal with them all at one time. As long as the system has to be broken into, might as well do it just once.

 

my ac clicks on and off out side at the compessor. and when it starts it doesnt stop. any ideas? it is charged so being low on freon isnt the problem. maybe the clutch? it even does it when i have the heat on???

 

colud be a bad pressure switch or too high or too low on refrigerant

 

Corwin...will your insurance not take care of this???...wtf...did you not see that STOP sign or what...lol...

 

Have someone put in the dye and check it for leaks. If no leaks I wouldnt replace it. That would be the best in my opinion

 

Sounds like you may have too much spacing on your a/c clutch. the clutch face needs to be about .030 away from the pulley face, there are shims behind the clutch that can be removed to close the space up. with too much of a gap the clutch will not pull in.

 

couldnt get it bent back straight enough to fit 6.0 tranny cooler in without messing it up even worse got it vacuumed out today only had 1 pound in it so i guessing it was leaking this all happened because i was looking at a lawn mower lowes turned back forward and STOP ins would cover but i will have it fixed for around $600 thats only $100 more than deductable then no raise in rates either oh by the way it was a concrete encased stop sign didnt even knock it loose no more looking at lawn mowers while driving in parking lots

thanks for all the advise

 

Ouch...