Just thought I'd pass this on.
I have an old 99 Dodge Caravan [ I know, don't laugh] and the AC was giving a bit of problem. The high side pressure was relatively high while the low side was low and the vent temperature was wavering in the 50F range. I first added a little refrigerant but only the high side pressures increased. I thought I had a restriction somewhere but as a last resort I did a minor cleaning of the condenser. Big improvement, I haven't checked the pressures yet and I probably won't as the vent temperatures dropped to the 40F range.
The condenser [original] was dark grimy in colour but it had no bugs stuck in it and very few if any bent fins. A flash light shone through it quite well so I originally didn't suspect it was the problem. I simply took a spray bottle, loaded it with warm water and about %20 dish detergent and sprayed it as best I could through the grill without removing any bumper/grill parts. I let it soak 5 minutes and repeated process. After waiting another 10 minutes I hosed it off, being careful not to bend any of the aluminum fins. The condenser doesn't really look much cleaner but shazam....success!
Recommend this maintenance if you live in a hot climate.
I have an old 99 Dodge Caravan [ I know, don't laugh] and the AC was giving a bit of problem. The high side pressure was relatively high while the low side was low and the vent temperature was wavering in the 50F range. I first added a little refrigerant but only the high side pressures increased. I thought I had a restriction somewhere but as a last resort I did a minor cleaning of the condenser. Big improvement, I haven't checked the pressures yet and I probably won't as the vent temperatures dropped to the 40F range.
The condenser [original] was dark grimy in colour but it had no bugs stuck in it and very few if any bent fins. A flash light shone through it quite well so I originally didn't suspect it was the problem. I simply took a spray bottle, loaded it with warm water and about %20 dish detergent and sprayed it as best I could through the grill without removing any bumper/grill parts. I let it soak 5 minutes and repeated process. After waiting another 10 minutes I hosed it off, being careful not to bend any of the aluminum fins. The condenser doesn't really look much cleaner but shazam....success!
Recommend this maintenance if you live in a hot climate.