I recently bought a 1996 Jeep cherokee for $700. I bought it knowing that the AC condenser was not installed because it was in a previous wreck, causing the condenser to break. When the condenser was taken out, nobody blocked off the hose going to the condenser, leaving the entire AC system to be subjected to moisture for multiple years. If I buy a condenser and install it, will the AC work or will I have to replace the entire system because of the lines never being blocked off? Thanks.

 

You must get a drier as it will be at full capacity. Its job is to pull moisture out of the refrigerant so it doesn't form ice within the system. You also need to make sure there is no dirt in the system, how to do so properly, I don't know.

 

Replace drier and condenser, then rent a vacuum pump from Auto Zone or whoever and pull a vacuum on the system for a while, you need to do this anyway when the system is opened to atmosphere. As for dirt, debris there's no way to know for sure without replacing everything. I maybe use compressed air in one side and try to blow the system out maybe, or replace the drier and condenser vacuum it down as required then recharge and let it run.

 

If you are interested in getting further into auto AC, here is a great article that also lists the equipment you'll need (and can get from amazon). I finally got the equipment to do auto AC a few years ago and it has paid for itself many times over.

 

It would not be a bad idea to flush out the AC system, get rid of all the old moisture-saturated oil and any debris.