Hi,

I have a 1999 Honda Accord LX. How difficult is it to replace the a/c condenser? Are there any instructions to do so?

My a/c hasn't been working in a while. I tried to recharge the r134a and failed because I found a dent in my a/c condenser where all the r134a would leak out of. After spending some time googling around, I found that it's a common honda accord problem that road debris can puncture the condenser.

I got some repair quotes at around $600. I looked up the price on a condenser and found it on go-part.com for $100 including shipping. I wanted to try to replace the condenser myself.

I haven't tried yet and would appreciate some advice on the difficulty of the task at hand. Can I even do it myself or am I wasting my time?

Thanks.

 

You can do it yourself.

In our DIY section, go to the spoon honda link in the Online manuals thread. You can download a shop manual in .iso form for a 6th gen accord. That should give you pretty detailed instructions on how to do it. If the setup is like the 5th gen, basically I unbolted the radiator and pushed it towards the engine. I undid the two lines going to the a/c condenser, unbolted the condenser, and removed it.

You should get new o-rings for the two connectors that you remove. You can buy Nylog lubricant for the new o-rings to ensure a good seal. The system will also need to be evacuated then recharged.

 

Hey thanks for the reply.

By evacuating the system, you mean that I have to put it under vaccum?

Is there any easy way or tool thatdoes this?

Thanks..

 

Take it to a shop to do the evac and charge, it's not really a DIY thing. They also make "special" O-rings for refrigerant lines. They are green and made out of nytril, i think.