Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General air conditioner

i bought a 1998 ford contour SE Sport V6 with 81,000 miles on it 3 weeks ago. It was in a small accident and had been repaired completely except for the air conditioner. It was a very good deal, $2000 cash. The guy it bought from told me that either the condenser or compressor was cracked(cant remember which he said). I believe him because he was honest with me about a problem with the radio, which i have had replaced. I was wondering if anyone anyone has had their air conditioner condenser or compressor replaced and about how much it cost. Once i get this fixed and the missing jack flap from the body cladding this car will be mint.

Welcome to CEG!

The condenser is in front of the radiator and prone to accident damage.

A few calls will tell you the going price.

Kremithefrog has one down in Atlanta. He may sell it to you cheap, PM him and ask. You could also go to a junkyard. Of course you will have to vacuum down the system and refill it.

I would not personally splurge for a new one without getting a compressor too. Having the system open to the air for any length of time is hard on the compressor and may well cause it to go out. If you do the work yourself I suggest that you leave the system under vacuum for 24 hours to get the water out. If you have it done at a shop have them purge it with nitrogen.