New A/c Condenser Install Easy Or Not ?

[ebod]

Hi all,

As well as having to cringingly pay out near £500 quid recently for my new clutch job ( should have been £380 quid but 'apparently' my speedo connection was 'worn and broken' so I had a grimacing situation where I had to pay out another hundred quid when it was blindingly obvious they broke it when dropping the gearbox down... ) , I am also faced with the situation where my air-con re-gas done last September was a waste of time because my condenser has perished over the winter.

I'm beginning to conclude that ANY 3-4 year old car bought with 90+ thousand miles will always have a big risk of having a condensor ready to expire and new clutch assy req'd . It happened to my last car and I think my Xsara's a/c isn't working either...

The guy who I paid £80quid to last year for the re-gas has quoted £323 for supply & fit of new condenser and offered to re-gas in this price which he claims is at cost. Since this info came via the wife, I don't know whether I need to add vat to that.

Anyhow, tonight I've noticed a geezer selling new Sedona condensers on ebay for £140 shipped. They claim to be for 2.9TD 99> so I'm not 100% sure it will fit my '02' CRDI. But the big question aimed at Murpwiz is these condensers don't look like too big a headache to install.

It very much appears like I can just remove this item clean out of the car without having to rip out the front end off my car. Or are there any hidden hazards in doing this job myself( special sealiants etc ). I understand the main thing it to make sure NO crap gets into the piping system. If Murphwiz gives me the green light to go for it with my 10mm spanner then all I have to do is persuade the A/C guy to pressure test & re-gas it at a discount.

[len1266]

Hi Ebod
Here in aus our pipes have o'rings in them,check the ends of your pipes & if they have them in I would advise that they be replaced.This is the most common cause for our air cons to run out of gas.The more you use it the longer they seem to last as the oil in the system seems to keep them moist,thus prolonging the life of the seal.When refitting the pipes to condensor I would fit plumbers gas tape to the threads as an extra precaution.Hope this helps.Cheers Len

[richard_hogg]

I don't know about those 'new' condensers on ebay..

Mine went at the start of the year too.. 02 CRDi, knackered condenser and through there being no low-pressure cutoff switch, it fried the compressor.

The guy I went to couldn't find a re-conditioned unit anywhere, and the nearest he could find for a new 3rd-party was 500 quid, where Kia wanted nigh-on 800!

I had a go with 247autospares.co.uk (I think.. search in google for sedona compressor) and they got me one for 165 delivered.

[ebod]

Originally posted by richard_hogg@Apr 28 2006, 04:55 PM
being no low-pressure cutoff switch, it fried the compressor.

Quoted post

Was £165 the Condenser or the Compressor ??? If the former then how much for the latter ( or vice-versa )....

I sincerely hope my compressor isn't screwed as well....to be honest...if it is then I'm seriously considering ending my KIA ownership early. I've had more agro with this Sedona in 8 months than I had in 3 yrs with my Synergie.

Is it fact about the Sedona having no cut off device to disengage the compressor in the event of low / no pressure ? My rig was definately working last September. It seems bizarre that if the Condenser fails then it automatically takes out the compressor with it.....

[pepper]

Ebod have you not used the Air conditioning since last September?

They recommend you switch it on once a week to run the lubricant through it.

I hope you get it sorted quickly though.

Oh did you sort out your injector/noisy engine issues?

[richard_hogg]

165 was a used compressor.. a 3rd party condenser was just shy of 200..

But yes.. if the condenser has packed in and released all the coolant and you're running the compresser, there's a good chance it'll burn it out..

Check the plastic ring on the front of it for signs of melting..

[ebod]

It got re-charged in Sept and was probably used until end Oct. I Occasionally flicked it on through the winter period but its hard to tell whether it was working or not . But in my defence, My Sedona is my 'home' car used by the wife most of the time, so I'm not the main driver.
One thing I'm never sure about on A/C is whether the outside radiator fan trips on no matter whether its -10° or +30° outside. If it should ALWAYS trip on, then thats the best test to ensure the system is okay.

No frequent use will ever change the fact that a cars condenser sits right at the front of the air intake of any car and as such is the first thing all the crap/dust hits. So after near 100K miles they get a bit tatty.

I had exactly the same prob with a 99 Laguna I bought with 132k miles. I managed to get hold of a new condenser and got a bloke to fit it. Then got the same aircon bloke to recharge the system. The whole job cost me £180 but the A/C was mint and never let me down. Shame the car got shunted earlier this year...

I wish Murphwiz could browse this post and confirm a) the 99> condenser is the same as the 02> unit and b ) that its an easy job ( unlike my Laguna which needed its front end stripping off! )

Oh yeah and re the engine noise.....nope I haven't had chance as the car has been busy fulfilling the purpose it was bought for. Easter week it took the caravan to Hornsea and this Mayday weekend it towed it to Matlock over the Peak district.
I'd love the opportunity to have a quick spin in another CRDi to help me assess whether mine is sick or not, but nobody at work or home has one to compare

[ebod]

Originally posted by richard_hogg@May 2 2006, 09:40 PM
Check the plastic ring on the front of it for signs of melting..

Quoted post

?? do you mean the drive pulley??

On my Laguna the compressor drive pulley had a clutch mechanism to activate the compressor and it wouldn't kick start unless the system was pressurized.

My gut feeling is that this condenser expired over winter without the system running. But I have made several attempts to see what happens when I press the A/C button. If the system is configured like the Laguna then fingers crossed its okay. Also the A/C mechanic only identified the condenser to be the faulty item, he never pointed out a burnt out compressor.

[Murphwiz]

Not sure if they are the same part for 99 on...
Not something I've looked into I'm afraid, and have no parts cat access at present.

From memory I can't imagine it's a hard job, access to pipe unions is the usual problem on Kias, so if your prepared for that, should be fairly straight forward, the centre strut and top slam panel come of with a few bolts so should be able to create some space.

[ebod]

I checked my condenser part number with KIA today and it matched the one on offer from Ebay so just spent £139 quid shipped for a new one.

Looking at the pics it only looks like I have to remove the fan assy and a few bolts to clear it.
The pipe conns don't look like unions, more like a mating flange conn for feed & return points held on with a single bolt.

When I eventually do the job I'll post a few snaps in case it helps other potential DIY'ers