If you look closely at your front-most aluminum heat exchanger, you'll see that it has what appears to be tubes running horizontally/laterally, that are made of lifted sections of the cooling fins themselves. A flying rock from a vehicle in front made a significant ding in the lowest row/tube, to where if it is in fact a tube it is compromised because the rock pushed the fins apart and made an "opening" in the "tube" (if that's what it is).

Does anyone know what if anything runs through that "tube"...do I need to replace the heat exchanger?

A couple of pics are attached...both are the same damage; one closer that the other.

Thanks!

 

a/c condensor

 

You might want to get the dealer to look at it. It may not be leaking now, or never, but now that the tube in dinged, you should have it looked at.

 

Thanks. BUMMER! I guess I need to remove the C&L CAI and return it to stock tune so they don't see I've messed with it...

 

You might find a radiator "comb" at an auto supply store. Pull the comb through the grill to straighten the bent fins. Mine looks exactly the same as yours. It's not an issue until you get about 15% of them bent.

 

It's very unlikely it penetrated the tubing. Just use something thin (small screwdriver, nail file, etc.) and straighten the bent fins out. If it was compromised you'd have oil dripping out of it by now.

 

If the tube has been dinged it has been over stressed in that area, and depending on the nature of the ding, its possible to create local stress riser, which will one day turn into a leak. If its a broad depression, not likely a problem. If its a concentrated sharp depression, very good chance it will fail one day.

 

Yeah I understand the heat exchanging efficiency would go down as more fins are bent.

Ok, I don't know enough about AC, but you're telling me there's some sort of oil flowing through there? I though the R134a or whatever is used in out systems was liquid under pressure, but is very volatile and would turn into gas as soon as it is in the open atmosphere...but there hasn't been any oil dripping out of it...so I take it that would be a good sign?

Unfortunately it is more of the concenbtrated sharp depression.

Here's the thing: those horizontal things that are apparently tubes (of which there are about 30) are actually made of one layer/leaf of the heat exchanger being bent out like a volcano shape, which is inserted into the next one, and so forth, essentially forming a tube. It just doesn't seem to be a very tight seal for a gas to be rinning through there to begin with...are we sure the refrigerant runs through those apparent ubes?

 

Yes, refrigerant runs through the tubes, the fins just increase the surface area so more air can contact the hot aluminum and cool it down. There is no oil running through the tubes and you won't find an oil leak coming from an A/C condenser.

 

Part of the process of cooling is changing refrigerant state from a liquid to a gas and then back to a liquid form again. There actually is a small amount of lubricant in the system to lubricate the compressor.

If its a sharp ding, for piece of mind get the dealer to look at it. Might even seek a second opinion.

 

Ok, I installed my license plate frame to reduce the open area a little bit, and then sat there and carefully examined the fins tubes.

The bottom front tube (there is a front and back tube to each "layer"), shows darkness in the minute triangle where one fin inserts into the other, whereas the layer immediately above shows metal in that tiny triangle, so I looked more closely at the edges of the heat exchanger, and discovered that for each tube, there is a corresponding fitting (one the left as you look at the radiator) and a U-shaped tube (on the right as you look ay it), but not for the bottom-front one! The bottom back one has it, but no the front!

SO, I may have dodged the bullet (I don't want to "cantar vistoria" just yet, though...). Looking at it I realized that when they assemble these things, they probably have all the fins in a row (probably in a box to keep them in line) and they insert the aluminum tubing (it would be a tube shapes like a U, so that it actually gets inserted in two rows at a time, and those tubes then have fittings fitted at the other end, that feed the gas.

It makes sense...no wonder the little rock made so much damage in that row, pushing the fins aside to show the cavity where the tube would have been....it didn't have the tube that would give it structural rigidity, like the ones above it. I guess the proof is still in the pudding...driving it. The opening is such that if it is in fact part of the closed loop, I don't have anything (R134a) left in there, so it will be immediately evident. I'll report back. In mthe mean-while, if y'all feel inclided, take a look at the lower row, and see for your self....look at the tiny triangles between the fins on the bottom row, not the empty look, adn then look at the row immeduately above.

 

+1 on the comb.
Don't get freaked out.... Just comb it and save it. You'll use it alot once you have it. PS: It works on your home A/C unit as well.

 

Thanks for the advice: I'll be getting the comb tomorrow!

 

A 1/4" wire mesh , cut to fit and mounted in the lower grill opening works great to give some stone protection ...

 

I was looking to see if anyone is having the same problem I'm having and found this thread. My GT/CS's a/c condenser looks like the surface of the moon. The lower tube is open in two or three areas from rock damage. I was afraid something would leak out like refrigerant or something but haven't noticed anything yet. The a/c seems to be working still and blowing cold air.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...c/DSC03838.jpg


MrClean...how is yours holding up?

 

Universal Fin straightening tool, Harbor Freight for all your cheap china junk needs

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=37892

 

The tubes you see are the actual passages for the liquid. The fins that easily get damaged are there to help dissipate the heat. Tube/fin heat exchangers aren't as efficient as stacked plate coolers (like the ones typically used for ATF coolers or engine oil coolers) due to the reduced surface area but they benefit from less restriction.

 

Well, like yours it's suffered multiuple impacts, and in fact I have one like yours where the lower tube was split open, but when I spent some time looking at the tube arrangement, it turns out that the lower tube isn't connected to the liquid-flow tubes...it's like an extra tube, so that's hy you haven't noticed any change in your AC performance or leaking.

What I did, which has reduced the impact significantly, is that I installed the license plate holder with the lic plate. Not as clean a look, but here in TX we're required to have both front and back plates, and it's a $100+ fine, so I killed 2 birds with one stone, so to speak.