AIRCON CONDENSER RENEWAL

1 Here is our Civic at its first attempt at an aircon recharge. At this stage, a visual check could find nothing wrong and the condenser – the most common cause of failure due to its location at the front of the car – looked OK. We then performed a vacuum check.

2 The high and low system connectors were fitted – the system runs at up to 57psi on the high side and 30psi on the low side. Be aware that aircon gas is toxic and can cause blindness if it gets in your eyes, so wear goggles when undoing connectors.

3 Sure enough, our system has a leak, but it might just be a dry seal on the compressor if it’s been inactive for a while. We try regassing the system to see it resolves the problem.

4 The system does work after regassing – the compressor and aircon fan both operate as they should and cold air comes from the vents. However, a quick inspection of the various joints and components reveals a small leak from the condenser.

5 The system is drained down again, removing the R134a so it’s safe to work on. Having received a new condenser from GSF Car Parts, the first job is to remove the various plastic popper clips and detach the plastic slam panel cover trim.

6 Next, we detach the plastic nosecone trim piece. At the top there are a couple of 10mm securing bolts, though we noticed the one on the driver’s side had sheared off. We could also do with a complete new trim piece because…

7 …it’s been damaged. There are four prongs that slide into rubber grommets and the bottom ones are broken, leaving the stubs behind. We used rapid-drying Araldite to glue them back on, allowing them to cure while we worked on the condenser.

8 We undid the two connectors where the pipes meet the aircon condenser. These are held by 10mm bolts and, once off, we sprayed penetrating fluid into the joint and very carefully eased out the connectors. They have rubber O-rings that will leak if damaged.