General AC Condensor

[Ralf S.]

Next job after sorting out a slightly moody o/s/f wheel bearing (I can hear it, now that I replaced the KIA n/s/f bearing) will be to fix my AC, which seems to have not been working since about 2013..

When I had the beast pressure tested last year I was told the condensor had a hole in it.

Fitting a new one will be a Mo-Fo, for sure, since I presume the bumper has to come off .. and my bumper is held on with "Titanic" bolts that will shear off as soon as a ratchet touches them... but assuming I bite the bullet, drill out the remains and solve that issue then the condensor itself seems to be a £70 job from eBay and 20 minutes to fit.

But... does anyone knoe the size of the condensor? I see a few listed as compatible with my 46745840... but the dimensions given vary.

Most of the condensors are listed as having nominal dimensions of 530x340mm.. and the lugs seem to be 555mm apart.... but other condensors (also "to replace 46745840") seem to be 528x322 or 575x337 with the lugs at 560mm.

I'm guessing that some of the variations in size is just how the manufacturer measures their condensor.... but one manufacturer (Hella) lists two sizes (530x340 and 528x322), which obviously can't both be right to replace the same OE part number.

Does anyone knoe how big the beast is supposed to be (or where/when the smaller part is used)?


Ralf S.

 

[Davren]

Just to confuse the dimension issue, picture below is the one I fitted several years ago.

As I remember, you don't need to remove the bumper. There'a a plastic panel under the condenser that holds it in. However, the bolts that hold the plastic panel are likely to be rusted. Disconnect the pipes and remove the panel, then the condenser drops out from below. You'll need to jack the front of the car up fairly high.

Make sure the condenser comes with (or you get) new "O" rings. A/c "O" rings are usually green.
.

 

[Ralf S.]

Just to confuse the dimension issue, picture below is the one I fitted several years ago.

As I remember, you don't need to remove the bumper. There'a a plastic panel under the condenser that holds it in. However, the bolts that hold the plastic panel are likely to be rusted. Disconnect the pipes and remove the panel, then the condenser drops out from below. You'll need to jack the front of the car up fairly high.

Make sure the condenser comes with (or you get) new "O" rings. A/c "O" rings are usually green.
.

That's the one that seems most common... it has lugs which are 555mm apart (although one brand says 560mm... I reckon it's the same thing).

The other sizes are probably the width of the finned section, or the width of the entire cooler (one edge to the other) so most of them are probably all the same thing, just measured differently.

But Hella list two distinct part numbers for the same car, so while I suspect mine is the bigger 530x340 size (in Hella terms) I'm just curious what the smaller one is. My car usually takes the "usual" or more common option for everything but you never know.

Anyways, I've sent Hella an email in the meantime.. but I wondered if anyone yer knows what the difference is all about?


Ralf S.