Air conditioning and heating

Condensers

Air-conditioning condensers: the heat exchanger in front of the radiator where the compressed refrigerant gives up its heat and turns back to liquid, made to the core size, the pipe fittings and the mounting of the original, for European and Japanese passenger cars, identified by OE reference.

KRONTEK condenser: an aluminium air-conditioning condenser with its receiver drier bottle and pipe fittings

The condenser is the outdoor half of the car’s air conditioning. The compressor delivers hot, high-pressure refrigerant gas to it; air flowing through its finned aluminium core takes the heat away, and the refrigerant condenses back to a liquid, ready to expand and cool the cabin in the evaporator. The condenser is mounted in front of the radiator, where the airflow is best, and on many cars it carries the receiver drier bottle on one side.

Its position is also its weakness. The condenser is the first thing behind the grille, so stones, salt spray and road dirt reach it before anything else, and its tubes are thinner than a radiator’s. Corrosion and impact damage let the refrigerant escape; a bent fin field reduces the airflow. The result is an air conditioning that cools less each summer and finally blows warm, with the compressor held off by the low-pressure switch.

KRONTEK condensers are made to OEM-compliant quality and as aftermarket spare parts: the core size, the pipe fittings, the drier bottle where the original has one, and the mounting of the original, so the condenser fits the original pipes and brackets.

The range covers European and Japanese passenger cars. Each reference is identified by the OE number of the original part; send that number and the vehicle identification number (VIN) and we confirm the matching KRONTEK reference.

For availability and OE cross-references, contact us by email.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the condenser fail before the rest of the system?
It sits in front of the radiator, so it takes stones, road salt and the dirt of the road. Corrosion of the thin aluminium tubes and stone damage let the refrigerant escape; the system then blows warm and the compressor is switched off for lack of pressure.
Is the drier replaced with the condenser?
Yes. When the refrigerant circuit is opened, the receiver drier or the drier cartridge is renewed, because its desiccant is spent once it has been exposed to moist air. Many condensers carry the drier bottle on their side, as in the picture.

Back to Air conditioning and heating