Suspected Condenser Failure

Mark B Fowler · Post by **Mark B Fowler** » 09 Jul 2012, 06:37

After several friendly responses here regarding my wife's failing A/C, I felt comfortable enough with a simple recharge service to rectify the cold driver's side vents/warm passenger side vents. All went as planned, and the wagon once again had ice cold air. After about a month or so, the symptom returned, and I noticed several drips of very bright colored oil along the front of the skid plate yesterday morning. Bummer... I feel strongly it is going to be the condenser, but hate to throw parts at the car (in case it is an A/C line, or perhaps something else). I filled the system again, and all is well for now. I was surprised to find no manuals available for our 2002 V70 XC out there, and am a bit apprehensive attempting this repair myself without guidance. Anyone out there replace one of these critters? If so, will the entire bumper need to be removed? Will the compressor need to be serviced with oil, or seals? Anything else you might consider, knowing of the symptoms mentioned above?

RaymanSean · Post by **RaymanSean** » 09 Jul 2012, 08:47

Bright colored oil... Sounds like someone shot your system full of UV dye. I would get a UV light source, a black light will work fine, and try to locate the source of the leak. By this time your car will probably glow like the vegas strip, think about how air might flow around the components and also consider gravity. It is not impossible to be the condenser core, but I have my money on one of the lines running to/from the condenser, or one the bends in the condenser. If you can find a way to pressurize the system once you locate the probably leak source, you can use soap bubbles to confirm the leak. Once you find the leak, it may be worth taking the faulty component to a welding shop and have them patch the hole. If the leak is in a rubber hose, then you may try hitting up a hydraulic hose repair shop. The only time I would consider replacing a condenser is if the leak was buried deep in the core, physical damage, or if it lost the ability to transfer heat between the refrigerant and the outside air (usually caused by a chemical attack). Also it is unlikely that the dealer will have hoses etc on hand, a good welding shop or hose repair shop can usually make repairs the same day, if not while you wait.

Post by **jimmy57** » 09 Jul 2012, 09:29

That car would have dye in it when it was made. Volvo and many others started that in late 90's/early 2000's.

RaymanSean · Post by **RaymanSean** » 09 Jul 2012, 10:17

jimmy57 wrote:That car would have dye in it when it was made. Volvo and many others started that in late 90's/early 2000's.

^^^I learn something new everyday....

Post by **jimmy57** » 09 Jul 2012, 10:54

JD Powers surveys pushed this. Coming in for dye to be installed and having to return later to diagnose and repair gets a NO on the question: Did you have to return to the dealer for a problem? , if so, was it repaired correctly on the first visit?

Dye is cheaper than getting your J D Powers rank back up.

Ford dropped like a rock on their ranking recently because people did not read manuals, maybe could not understand the manual, for the touch screen controls in many new Fords. If a great number of persons can't get the their DVR to record programs and can't do much more than make calls on their smartphone it should be no surprise that a jump from knobs to touch screen would cause a problem. The cars weren't broken but too many had to go more than once to get what they interpreted as a problem "fixed".

Bigblue · Post by **Bigblue** » 09 Jul 2012, 11:43

Black light sources for leak detection are available from www.blacklight.com
One is a CFL for less than $8 and another is a minature LED flashlight for less than $20...

The problem here is that since the dye is all over the bottom of the car, it will be hard to pin-point the source of the leak, everything will glow...The stuff on the bottom of the car is not just dye, it is refrigeration oil with the dye in it...It is important to make sure that it not only has enough oil now, but maybe from previous service, it has too much...A lot of refills that can be bought at auto parts stores contain oil and if enough refills are done, too much oil could exist...It could get into the compressor as "slugs" instead of suspended mist and damage the compressor...Liquids cannot be compressed...

Mark B Fowler · Post by **Mark B Fowler** » 10 Jul 2012, 06:11

A good friend of mine is a "Master Mechanic" and confirmed the tracer dye, he described it as looking like "Predator Blood" from the late 80's Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick... good description! Alas, I am left with more questions than answers at this point, and may have an area Air Conditioning specialty repair shop perform the service. I have fears of hurting the compressor (much more expensive than a hose) with my lack of confidence in my diagnosis. That, combined with no shop manual found for our car, means I will most likely ask the professionals for help on this one.