I have a 1992 xj Cherokee, inline 6, 4wd. I hit a deer and my radiator got smashed in. I have 2 questions: In front of the radiator is another radiator like unit, about the same size as the radiator. I presume this is the A/C condenser unit. But in front of that is another, smaller radiator like unit, about 3 inches high and about 14 inches long. What exactly is that unit? That's the first question. The second question is, do I need to release the pressure on the A/C before removing the condenser unit? Thanks for any help.

 

Small unit sounds like it might be the factory tranny cooler.
Look like this?

And if there is refrigerant in the condenser you have to have it evacuated before you remove it.
Pretty sure by law you are not allowed to just release it into the air.
But cause of the accident there might not be any in there anyway if the condenser got ruptured.

 

That is it. Thank you for the reply, and the info on the A/C condenser. I know the radiator was ruptured for sure, the other two are a bit smashed in in the middle. The impact was enough to smash in the front of the radiator, but by that point, it had dissipated and the back side is not even misshapen, so nothing else in the engine compartment was damaged. Bumper is a little tweaked, headlight enclosure smashed, and the front fender is a bit scrunched. I have my work cut out for me, but I want to have as much info as I can find about the cooler and condenser. At least now i know what I am looking for. Thanks again.

 

I would not be too concerned about letting gas out of the system...its probably already leaked out

Its not easy to get the old condensor hose connectors to unscrew without destroying an old condensor anyway, the alloy gets very brittle..it needs to be up out of the way with 2 correct spanners, and you would still be lucky

You must get a NEW condensor imo, not a used one, (probably replace the reciever/drier, although I didnt)

 

Okay, here's where I'm at. In the collision, the condenser is what got ruptured and spewed out pressurized fluid, not the radiator. I am replacing the radiator (because it got pretty smashed on the front side), the condenser, and the tranny cooler with new units. I got an entire grille assembly from the junk yard. My biggest questions now are about the condenser. I know for a fact that it was ruptured and pressurized refrigerant was issuing forth from the crack. I am assuming that means the A/C system is no longer under pressure. I have never done anything myself on any A/C components, but this past winter, I actually had the non-working A/C system entirely revamped. So parts had been replaced, seals checked/replaced, system drained and new, legal refrigerant put in, etc. I've read that when replacing the condenser, you should also replace the drier.

1)Do I need to replace the drier even though it's less than a year old and wasn't damaged at all? I do not have a good understanding of how it works, so I just don't know.
2)To remove the condenser, is there anything I need to drain? Can I do this without towing the vehicle into a shop for that, since it was depressurized when it ruptured?
3)If I need to drain any remaining refrigerant, what do I do with it?
4)Anything I need to do to any of these new units BEFORE installing? I read something about adding some small amount of oil or lubricant to the new condenser before installation, I think.

My goal is to get everything repaired and put back together, then bring it in to my mechanic to have him do the remaining A/C work. But I don't want him to have to remove everything because I failed to do a crucial step before installation. Thank you all so much for any help/info you offer. I have been a "learn as you go and as necessity dictates" mechanic for about 30 years now, and I've done a lot of stuff on my vehicles. And I've never been afraid to ask questions of people with experience. But this is the first time I've even had a working A/C system and never had to deal with it before.