Lax07

glad to see another previous vw owner... what kind of vw did you have? do any work to it?

chronos

From your lack of knowledge I would suggest staying away from doing the AC repairs yourself. Once you disconnect the lines and replace the condenser you will have to evacuate all the air (moisture) out of the lines. Then it needs to be filled with oil and freon. You need specialized equipment to be able to do this correctly. You can't use a cheap Walmart gauge to do it correctly. Right now the system is probably in good shape and can be easily patched up. If you do it wrong and allow large amounts of air to get in your system it can ruin it. Air when mixed with freon will corrode the inside of all the AC lines and components. It turns into an acid. Pay the money and have Ford or a shop do it right and that way you have a warranty. For right now just throw some tape over the opening to prevent any more air or sludge from getting inside the condenser. DO NOT turn your AC on again or you will only contaminate the system further.