Changing the condenser on a 2001 Chevy Venture

[jmolayal]

Any tips on this gang? My little brother has this van and the AC stopped working. Took it to a shop and they said the condenser is cracked and needs replaced. Thinking of running a can of 134a and some dye through it to verify.

Shop wants 700 or so to replace it with a new one and refill the system. Seems expensive to me since the condenser is only about $100 new. Is this too big a job for a DIY'er to do in his garage?

Thanks for any input / advice.

- Jaison

 

[boomerang]

Vans can be quite a chore. I'm sure the front of the van has to be disassembled to a great degree. I'm sure the replacement could be done by anyone with the tools and the time though. I doubt any special tools would be needed for this. Be sure to take it in and have them evacuate and charge it. Don't just throw a few cans in there, it needs to be pumped down first.

Be sure to cap off in whatever manner you can any lines disconnected to keep moisture out of the system. You want them exposed to humidity in the air as minimal an amount of time as possible.

I've never worked on a van in this regard so I have no first hand advice to give on the mechanical part of it.

Edit: I had an additional thought that I should have thought of originally, but I'm middle aged and it's been decades since I've done A/C work. You may need to replace some refrigerant oil. Each component, for replacement purposes, is deemed to contain x amount of oil. By rights, that amount should be added to the system when replacing that component. Now, you may be fine not doing so, and you may not be, I can't say.

 

[NutBucket]

Whew, for a second there I thought you said evaporator. There's a real chore. The condenser shouldn't be terribly difficult to replace. You'll probably have to move the radiator out of the way but probably not much more than that.

 

[jmolayal]

I was thinking along the same lines. We'll see I guess. LOL.