Apologies to all for a delayed response. I didn’t’ get any email notifications of new responses and was focused on completing the project. I hit several bumps along the way which prolonged completion, but I am happy to say that the A/C works the best it ever has and blew a cool 50 degrees at the vent on the day I finished when the outside temperature was 90.
I few things that I learned along the way that are helpful to anybody else doing this in the future:
1.
Buy a 19/22mm flare nut wrench; possibly also a 17mm if you can
I picked up this
Bendix 19/22mm on sale from Amazon. The nut connectors one both ends of the condenser are 22mm and I believe the a/c line connectors to and from the drier are 19mm. The a/c pressure switch is 17mm. I initially took to the top condenser nut with two adjustable wrenches – one to spin the nut and another to hold the condenser in place – and found that my line nuts were so tightly connected that I was rounding off the edges attempting to loosen it. My lower condenser line was on so tight that line itself twisted and sheared off, requiring me to source a replacement from the junkyard.
Additionally, the last person to replace the drier cross-threaded the condenser-drier line going into the drier, which also made it impossible to remove with an adjustable wrench. The flare nut wrench was able to grab enough to slowly spin it off.
2.
Remove the front clip
My initial goal for this project was to not remove the front clip because I live in an apartment complex, didn’t want to draw attention to myself, and originally had no plans to replace the condenser. This is both futile and a time waster. There are open “view” ports for both the upper and lower condenser line connections, but is barely enough room to fit a wrench in, much less turn it very far. Since my lines were also on so tight, I couldn’t get enough leverage and wiggle room, adding to my frustration. There’s just a dozen or so bolts holding your front clip onto the vehicle plus two screws at the bottom of each wheel well. It is well worth it to take the extra 15-20 minutes to save so much frustration down the road.
Although the drier can be accessed by removing the cover connecting the fender liner and front bumper lip, I had to lie on my back to access it and again, had very little room to leverage the wrench for loosening the nut. The line running from the drier to the firewall is also at an odd angle, requiring a “blind approach” to getting the wrench on. With the front clip removed, there is more than enough room to access, loosen, and tighten the lines to the condenser, drier and a/c pressure switch connection.
I followed the first 11 steps of this
DIY for a MK3 VR6 to identify everything I needed to remove
3.
Replace the condenser too
Although my reasoning for replacing the condenser was a stripped nut and broken connector, anybody replacing their a/c components might as well replace the condenser as well. It’s an extra $50-80 for some additional piece of mind and, if the front clip is removed, is literally four small bolts to unmount it.
4.
Use the opportunity to inspect other things
While the front clip was off, I used the opportunity to inspect my intercooler for oil (no problem there!), replace a burnt out side marker bulb, and a couple plastic bits missing from my front bumper. After I removed the condenser I inspected the radiator for any built-up debris and blew out any fuzz/bug carcasses.
I did source all my parts from RockAuto and chose neither the cheapest or most expensive options available. Aside from the flare nut wrench, the only other item I purchased was canisters of R134, a spare kit of a/c rubber o-rings, and PAG oil. A gauge set and vacuum pump were rented from a semi-local O’Reilly Auto.