AC Condenser replacement

I‘ve got to replace a leaking AC Condenser on my 12 Cayman . Do I need to do anything with the lines other than capping them off while I get the condenser out. I’m going to take it to the indy to get it recharged. It’s been leaking for a while so not sure if there’s much freon left.

When you open the system like that you'd want to replace the receiver/drier unit right before pumping down to recharge. So I'd plan on that. 94457314301, it should be less than $20. Other than that I'd just cap the lines as you said to keep oil in and moisture out.

Just curious if you have grille guards.... do you know the cause of the leak? And can you take a few photos while you're doing the job so the rest of us can learn what we'll eventually be facing..

I have the receiver/ drier and am planning on replacing that too. i’ve got grill guards coming. Something must have hit the condenser on the left side and put a small hole in it. Just making sure I don’t tap into a high pressure line when I loosen the lines on the condenser Or the receiver/drier. I’ll try and get some good pics of the process.

So just to be clear, if there's any pressure left in the system you should have it pumped down and the refrigerant recovered before you open the fittings at the compressor. If there's actually a hole in the condenser and the refrigerant has vented then the system will already be at atmospheric pressure and you can just open it up.

I like to be as informed as I can when doing something new, so here goes. Im going to replace the receiver/ dryer too, and I have been trying to find in on it and one write up said something about adding the right amount of oil to it when replacing it. Is that something that needs to be done? What would the type of oil be to use? Also what is a good product to use on the o-rings that I’m replacing also. Thanks again for this community and its knowledge.

I don’t have access to the service manual right now, but it should have details on the lubricant spec. You’d just lube the o-rings with the same stuff. Basically the oil distributes through the system, so when you replace a component you’d want to also replace any oil left in that component. Sometimes you can just drain it out and measure it, not sure how well that works for the Porsche receiver drier. If not there are guidelines for how much to add for each replaced component. This is just kinda a generic answer, someone with access to the manual will hopefully chime in.

Little hole, big leak So I finally got around to changing the AC condenser that was damaged by a rock. I have to say the video that others posted on here on removing the front bumper cover were spot on. I had removed the driver-side inner fender liner before to get to the frunk release, so was already somewhat familiar with that part. The rest is really pretty straightforward forward making sure the electrical and headlight washer were disconnected. The two little slide clips by the headlights were probably the most difficult to slide out, but an Allen wrench and a small pair of vise grips worked good and made it pretty easy to avoid scratching anything. The wide nipples that those slide clips connected to were somewhat stiff to slide out, but the rest of the cover slid out easily. The next somewhat difficult process was getting the plastic cover in front of the condenser to come loose without breaking off the two tabs on the outer side After one tab went flying off, I found that you need to push in slightly on the tab as you slide the plastic cover toward the center. Oh well, live and learn. It made getting the cover off the passenger side easier as I took it off also to clean out all the bugs and leaves from the radiators. Getting the condenser off was simple. I undid the two lines first and capped them off. Then its just one bolt and the condenser comes right off. It has a plastic spacer that fits on the back of it to space out from the radiator. It snaps on so easily reusable. I probably should have taken more pictures but here’s with the bumper cover off and the old and new condense. Also a close-up of the culprit and the ensuing damage it caused. bumper cover removed Culprit - Stone.. Old evaporator coil - leak is 4throw from the bottom, 1" in from edge.. New condensor radiator coil.. Not gonna happen again: Grill guard store Back together.. and ready to be pumped out and recharged..

Great summary. Thanks