Peugeot 306 1.9TD Condenser Change

Xsarahdi · Post by **Xsarahdi** » 06 Jul 2011, 19:08

I recently bought a Peugeot 306 1.9TD Meridian and it had a few known issues of which I have managed to sort most as they were just niggles.

The air con wasn’t working so I decided to gat a re-gas whilst it was on offer. No leaks were found and it was gassed so worked perfectly for a few hours and then nothing

.

I could see a green dye coming from the condenser area and this was confirmed by the garage. After looking on ebay I found a new one that matched my car for £23 so thought why not give it a go and change it.

Just wondered if anyone on here has attempted replacing the air con condenser on a 306 1.9TD and got any instructions/tips about how to go about it.

Would it be best to remove the bumper and slam panel rather than radiator?
Is the bumper easy to remove?
Are the pipes and condenser easy to remove?
Roughly how long a job is it?

I will give it a go on the weekend so hoped that maybe you could give some advice before then.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Xsarahdi · Post by **Xsarahdi** » 08 Jul 2011, 19:50

I have got the car apart but cannot remove the last connector which is some sort of spring as I have asked in the Aircon forum. Does anyone know how these work?

spider · Post by **spider** » 08 Jul 2011, 20:39

I can't recall what they look like, I do seem to remember there's a kind of two part 'fork' tool (think of a U shape but both upright parts of it are U's themselves) , I hope that made some sense.

Xsarahdi · Post by **Xsarahdi** » 08 Jul 2011, 21:37

Thank you for your help. I don't have a tool so in the end got a few mini screwdrivers and prised the spring upwards in the ring it sits in and wiggled the pipes at the same time and it came apart after much trying.

Then I connected the new condenser in but it got too dark to reassemble the car so I have left it until tomorrow morning. Hope it all goes back together alright.

Thanks again

spider · Post by **spider** » 09 Jul 2011, 11:08

You're welcome, sorry it was only a vague description. Difficult to describe as not 100% sure.

Should go well hopefully now for you.

Xsarahdi · Post by **Xsarahdi** » 09 Jul 2011, 21:09

Got it all back together this morning and took it for another regas and so far all is well. The air con is now super cold. I'm so glad it works now after all the hard work that went into changing the condenser. The best thing it the condenser only cost £23!

spider · Post by **spider** » 10 Jul 2011, 11:13

Excellent

addo · Post by **addo** » 10 Jul 2011, 11:19

Condensers usually aren't too dear if you shop around. Good to change out now and then - I know of one fellow who let it go too long; the moisture in his gas corroded its condenser, which then allowed granules into the circuit and clogged the whole deal up!

You will have lost some oil in throwing out the old unit; probably not much to worry about if it was the original one but if the components have been swapped before it may be a good idea to get some expert advice (as in, proper aircon specialist, not tyre/muffler shop with set of gauges and gas) for this one...

Oldpug · Post by **Oldpug** » 10 Jul 2011, 18:25

Xsarahdi wrote:Got it all back together this morning and took it for another regas and so far all is well. The air con is now super cold. I'm so glad it works now after all the hard work that went into changing the condenser. The best thing it the condenser only cost £23!

You did do well!! its a tricky job.I have known 306 owners getting a new condenser C/W new ally pipes,re-gas etc at a Dealer and getting a bill for £600+. Think about it,that was really worth the effort.