Replacing a Car AC Evaporator

car ac evaporatorReplacing a car AC evaporator is not an easy job.  Both from the perspective of your air conditioning system, but also from the perspective of its location in your vehicle and the other components that need to be removed to access it.  

Replacing a car AC evaporator can take between 6 and 8 hours for an experienced mechanic even in a vehicle that isn’t overly complicated or difficult to work on.  Labor alone on that kind of job can be extremely expensive as many shops can charge between $90 and $130 per hour just for labor!  On top of that cost, you will also have the added cost of evacuating and refilling the refrigerant in the system and of course the parts to complete the repair.

On the topic of parts, it’s important to see if there are any other parts that may warrant replacing while you’ve got the evaporator out on your car.  Replacing multiple parts at the same time can save paying for labor to do the same job a second time.  Your evaporator is one of the few parts that is actually mounted inside the cabin of your vehicle, but the lines going to and from the evaporator might be worth checking to make sure they don’t need to be replaced while you’re mechanic is already in there.  Also, many vehicle air conditioning systems are equipped with an orifice tube that is located near the evaporator.  The orifice tube is a common place for clogs so we recommend replacing them anytime you have your evaporator replaced.

Once you’ve got the bill of parts together for the job of replacing your car AC evaporator, it’s important to understand why it’s such a length job.  The evaporator in any cooling system is where the air is actually cooled for your comfort.  This also means that it needs to be placed near the ventilation fan and in a place where the cool air can be easily directed to the cabin of your vehicle.  In most passenger cars and trucks, the ventilation system is located behind the dashboard so it’s easier to get to the vents on the dash and near the floor boards.

What this means for car AC evaporator replacement is that you need to remove lots of components to get to the evaporator like the glove box, the center console, ventilation ducting, the blower motor and in some cases the dashboard itself.  Of course, once you’ve got the interior of your car ripped apart you still need to do some disassembly in the engine bay of your car where the air conditioning lines go through the firewall to make sure you can access those as well.

All this adds up to a long and expensive job!  The most likely reason you would be replacing your car AC evaporator is because it has a leak in it.  The evaporator is a heat exchanger with thin metal tubing and lots of places for leaks to easily form.  If you suspect you’ve got a leak in your evaporator, don’t go through the hassle and cost of replacing it.  Simply seal the leak from the inside out using Red Angel A/C Stop Leak.  Red Angel A/C Stop Leak is a non-particulate leak stop agent that can be injected into your air conditioning system.  At the leak point, Red Angel A/C Stop Leak will form a chemical weld sealing your leak and keeping your refrigerant safely inside your system.  Red Angel A/C Stop Leak also will not harden or crystallize over time so it’s safe to stay in your system.

For more information about Red Angel A/C Stop Leak, visit our product information page here: Red Angel A/C Stop Leak

You can find Red Angel Stop Leak at any of our partnering local auto parts retailers like:

  • AutoZone
  • Advance Auto Parts
  • Bennett Auto Supply
  • CarQuest Auto Parts
  • NAPA Auto Parts
  • O’Reilly Auto Parts
  • Pep Boys
  • Fast Track
  • Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
  • S&E Quick Lube Distributor
  • DYK Automotive
  • Fisher Auto Parts stores
  • Auto Plus Auto Parts stores
  • Hovis Auto & Truck Supply stores
  • Salvo Auto Parts
  • Advantage Auto Stores
  • Genuine Auto Parts stores
  • Bond Auto Parts stores
  • Tidewater Fleet Supply
  • Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts
  • Any Part Auto Parts
  • Consumer Auto Parts

Pictures Provided By:

car_ac_evaporator.jpg – By Winai_Tepsuttinun – Licensed by Getty Images – Original Link

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