Leak in condenser.?

Question

I have a 95 Honda Prelude SI. My airconditioner stopped working last summer so I bought some freon to put into it. After doing so I could hear a loud hiss comming from the front of the condenser. Upon inspection I found two leaks. Is there a way to patch these leaks so I can use my air conditioner this summer without having to buy a whole new condenser?

Well, I went to the junk yard and picked up a condenser for $90. My frined and I slapped it in under 2 hours. It was a bit tricky, we had to take off the front bumper. One it was in we filled it with freon and now I got cold air. Thanks!

Answer 1

Depending where the leak is in the condenser, it may be repairable but I doubt it, Get a new one or go to the scrapyard and see if you can find one. After all its a 12 yr old car. Probably a real SOB to get at and change. I personally would only want to fix it one time.

Answer 2

Generally, condensers are not repairable - at least outside of a shop specializing in this. The core is aluminum which requires special equipment to weld, and gas is contained under high pressure - potentially up to 300 psi when it's really hot and humid. A replacement condenser with labor will cost you somewhere $500-$700 depending on type of refrigerant it uses. Some hondas already had 134 as early as 1994 but all production vehicles switched to it from R12 in 1996. Since original freon (aka R12) is out of production, it's very expensive, and if your system still uses it, consider converting to 134 known as "retrofitting".

Answer 3

Everyone covered the bases. You did not specify the leaks. BUT what you could do is go to Auto Zone or auto house or Ebay motors and get a Haynes Repair Manual but get the one for CAR A/Cs. This will tell you how to repair and replace. You will find it very simple. Then if you are leaking from the valve it will show you the little inserts to replace. Also, with the labor they will charge you, you can buy a vacuum device, some nice cheap gauges, and do the A/C refill yourself. IT is that easy now, since you can buy the R134 now, which I think yours should have. If not then it is easy to retrofit.

Answer 4

condensers are not all that expensive anymore. by the time you fix it and charge the system only to find it still leaks your out more money than to replace it. if it is a seal going to it or the schrader valve (the thing that looks like a tire valve) they can be fixed with a seal kit from an auto parts store. but if it is a crack in the housing itself i recommend changing the unit. remember to leave a vaccum on the system for at least 15 min without any drop before you add freon