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Perhaps you know this already...
A Receiver / Dryer, or Accumulator, can and will be ruined within a matter of moments if exposed to the environment. I was going to try and re-do mine last year and discovered this in my research.
Basically, if I remember correctly, the inside has membrane-like material that will soak up moisture, and the moment it is exposed to the atmosphere, it begins that process - hence, if exposure is not minimized to the extreme, the membrane-like" material can absorb up to it's capacity before you even complete the installation, and then, the new unit is basically not doing anything.
To go through a shop though, it is a pricey repair for what it is in that the evac and new freon are not cheap... A good deal with a new accumulator from someplace like FCP will probably run you between $200 and $250 - installed - complete. There is a guy selling new "Accumulators" on eBay for $15 each + $8 Shipping, but I emailed him and these units are made in Taiwan or China - supposedly to OEM specs - yeah right.
For the cost of the labor and process, I would just as soon go through FCP and get a quality one for $45... and then have it installed by a pro who will gaurantee the work. Besides the work guarantee, a pro has the tools and the know-how to properly test the system pressure, load etc.
Last year, when I did not have the money to go for the replacement, I bought a kit at Wal-Mart which had the oil, the freon, and a pressure guage for about $20 or so. As we speak, I am re-evaluating if I will do that again this year, or go for the replacement. What concerns me is any kind of pressure or freon release / failure that then could compromise my compressor - or worse yet my evaporator which is very expensive to fix due to the dash removal.
Just my 2 cents.
Anyway, good luck to you
Cheers
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1995 850T Wagon 120k
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