Refrigerant System (page 6 of 9)

AIR CONDITIONING

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION

82-11

The condenser is installed immediately in front of the radiator. Side mounting brackets on the condenser end tanks 
locate to mounting points on the front of the radiator using bolts. The modulator on the LH end of the condenser is 
mounted in a dedicated bracket. Exact mounting position of the condenser unit is dependent on the engine variant for 
the particular vehicle.

The unit is classified as a sub-cooling condenser and consists of a fin and tube heat exchanger installed between two 
end tanks. Divisions in the end tanks separate the heat exchanger into a three pass upper (condenser) section and 
a single pass lower (sub-cooler) section, which are interconnected by the modulator on the LH end of the tank. The 
modulator is separately serviceable unit from the condenser, and it contains a serviceable desiccant pack and filter 
retained by a threaded plug.

Ambient air passing through the heat exchanger due to the ram air effect is supplemented by the two cooling fans, 
which combine to cool the refrigerant in the condenser sufficiently in order to form a high pressure slightly sub-cooled 
liquid.

The sub-cooled liquid is then passed to the modulator (which performs the same basic function as a standard receiver/
drier) which is of a canister type construction located at the LH side of the condenser. In the modulator, most of the 
remaining gas in the refrigerant separates off and the refrigerant passes through the desiccant and filter, to remove 
moisture and solid impurities before the refrigerant enters the sub-cooled section of the condenser. The refrigerant is 
cooled even further as it passes through the sub-cooler section of the condenser, resulting in the refrigerant at the 
outlet to the condenser being almost 100% liquid.