Replacement
Condensers
Charge Level
Adjustment May be
Necessary
2
Most Vehicles Use Flat Macro or Micro Tube,
Multi-pass, Condensers
Virtually Impossible to Flush After
Compressor Failure
 Will Need to be Replaced.
Sub-Cooling
Condenser
Multiple
Passages
In Header
Tanks
3
 Condenser Technology Has Advanced
 Replacement Condenser May be More Efficient (or Less)
than the Original Unit
 Replacement (Including OE) May not be an Exact
Match for the Original Unit
 Tube & Fin May be Replaced by Flat Tube Multipass Micro Tube Unit
Flat Micro-Tube
 Flat Tube Multi-pass Macro-Tube Might be
Replaced with Thinner Micro-Tube Unit.
 System Capacity May be Affected
Flat Macro-Tube
4
16 x 1 mm, 15 Passages, .4 x .8 mm
16 x 1.75 mm, 16 Passages, .7 x 1 mm
Actual Size!
18 x 2 mm, 10 Passages, 1.24 x 1.35 mm
22 x 2 mm, 10 Passages, 1.24 x 1.75 mm
22 x 2 mm, 13 Passages, 1 x 1 mm
22 x 1 mm, 18 Passages, .4 x .9 mm
26 x 2 mm, 10 Passages, 2.15 x 1.26 mm
5
Replacement Condenser 1 - Muti-pass Tube & Fin (Piccolo)
Design – Older Technology
Pp
6
Replacement Condenser 2 - Very Large Flat Tube, Single
Pass, Serpentine Flow – Older Technology
Pp
7
Replacement Condenser 3 - Flat Micro-Tube, Multi-pass
Flow – New Technology – Very Efficient
Pp
8
Pp
9
We Evacuated Each Condenser & Charged it
with Liquid Refrigerant
They Held:
 1. Piccolo = 47 oz. (Matches O.E.)
 2. Serpentine = 43 oz.
 3. Micro-Tube = 26 oz.
We Need to Adjust
Original Charge
Amount
Pp
10
Compare Original and Replacement Unit
Dimensions
 Basic Design – Flat (Micro or Macro) Tube,
Serpentine or Multi-pass, Tube & Fin?
 Compare # of Tubes
 Size of Header Tanks
 Connection Line Diameter
 # of Cooling Fins/Inch
 Condenser
Thickness
Pp
11
Perform Temperature Test to Validate Charge
Level
 Start at 80% of Original Charge
 Add 1-2 oz. Increments
 Monitor the Three “Dees”
 Condenser Drop 20-50 Deg F
 Ambient to Duct More that 30 Deg. Difference
 Final Charge May be More or Less than
Original
 When Evaporator Inlet/Outlet Difference = 0
Deg. F Charge Level Correct
Pp