In automobiles, is an air-con condenser the same as a radiator? Specifically in a 2000 Toyotal Celica?

Question

The reason i ask is the toyota dealership said i had a damaged air-con condenser a couple of years back and recently another garage said i have a damaged radiator. Are they talking about the same thing? Thanks

Answer 1

no radiater cools the engine, air-con cools you

Answer 2

No they are not the same.

The air-con condensor works a bit like a fridge to chill air prior to entering car. It has gas in it.

Radiator is filled with water to keep engine temperature down.

Regards. h

Answer 3

Functional as well as operation wise, the two parts are completely different. However from a lay-mans perspective they both look exactly the same, they are both "Radiator", the condenser normally sits in front of the engine radiator.

Ja.

Answer 4

Yes, they are 2 different parts, and it is very understandable how you would have damage to both. The both sit in the front of the vehicle, and the condenser  is in front of the radiator, so if something damaged your radiator, it may well have damaged the condenser as well.

As for the person who told you the condenser sit in the engine compartment and is attached to the engine, he means the "compressor".

Answer 5

no they are not the same thing the condenser sits in front of the radiator... the air will pass through the condenser first then the radiator,

Answer 6

Well, the air con condenser is effectively an extra radiator which usually sits in front of the coolant radiator; it's possible they ARE referring to the condenser if you've been asking them about problems with your aircon.  Only you will know that.

Answer 7

No; they're talking about two distinguishable parts. The radiator is the big, rectangular (usually) metal piece with fins on it that sits the furthest to the front of the car, just inside the grill. The A/C condenser is cylindrical in shape and has a belt attached to it and is mounted directly to the motor.

Answer 8

air con condenser looks like a radiator and is normally fitted in front of the coolant radiator

it may be damaged but if your air con works ok then it isn't leaking and you don't need to worry about it.

Answer 9

The condensor is a radiator, but not the same one as the engine radiator. If you had foreign object damage to the radiator, it had to go through the condensor to get there, so it could have damaged both.