A/C condenser replacement

My 2019 Prius Prime heater quit working. Turns out the A/C in the Prius is a heat pump. Found out from the dealer that the condenser had several holes in it from rocks and let the Freon escape. The dealer wanted 1600.00 and change to repair. I found a new condenser for 62.00 and 3 cans of Freon for 24.00 and fixed it myself. Not too bad getting the old condenser out. Anyone else had their condenser damaged by road debris. If anyone needs step by step instructions I will post them here. I assume anyone willing to take on this task knows what they are doing.

 

If you use your VIN to look up the part Toyota wants over 900.00 for a new condenser. If you google 2019 Toyota Prius Prime you will get several aftermarket options that are in the 56.00 to 120.00 dollar range. The aftermarket condenser was an exact replacement and fit perfectly. Manufacture p/n is AM-2787795905, interchange 30083 and has a 10 year warranty from AM auto parts. To start you have to remove about 7 plastic rivets from the cover panel. Next remove the air intake and all the connectors to the horns, there will be 3. Next remove 3 bolts on the hood latch (the 3rd bolt is right behind the latch and hard to remove) and 4 bolts holding the cross beam ( 2 on top at each end and 2 in front). Loosen the wire harness from the cross support beam, tilt it slightly and remove from the car. It will take a bit to slide it out. Careful to watch the rubber vibration mounts on the top of the radiator. They are easy to loose into the engine compartment. Next, undo the left and right plastic air dams by prying them loose from the condenser. The lower part of the air dams have a tab that slides into a slot on the bottom. Next make sure there is no Freon in the system before removing the upper and lower hose fittings on the condenser. You can check this by pushing the Schrader valve on the low pressure side. If you have a bad condenser there won't be any Freon in the system and the condenser will have oil spots were the Freon leaked out. The condenser has two snap clips that hold it in place next to the radiator (there are no bolts that hold the condenser in place). Just push down hard to release them and the condenser should release and move forward. Just be careful not to break the tabs. Once this is done you should be able to remove the condenser as it has two hooks on the bottom. Should have taken photos. I believe these instructions will apply all the way back to 2017 and probably to 2021. Assembly is reverse. Follow procedures for recharging the A/C system and make sure to use the correct amount of Freon. There is a tag on the hood that has the type of Freon and proper amount for your car. You will need a vacuum pump and gauges. Do not use the gauges and hoses to refill the system as there is too much air in the lines. You can buy a shortie hose that can be purged quickly that just snaps onto the low pressure fitting ( small fitting). They are marked with an L and H. Never put Freon in the High pressure side as this may cause the Freon can to explode in your face. The shortie hose has a small fitting so this will be impossible. You may need to add about an ounce or so of PAG oil if your system has leaked. If you don't feel comfortable doing the recharge then take it to a reputable shop.

 

No, the sticker on my hood said R134a 1060 grams. You'll need to look at your hood sticker to determine the correct Freon type and amount.

 

Use whatever the is on the label. Mine was ND-11 which is the same as the PAG oil.

 

What is the difference between ND-11 and ND-12 oil?

 

I would like to thank everyone for their input. This saved me from contaminating my A/C system. So far the Heat pump and A/C have been working excellent.