My 95 Maxima has a leak in the evaporator. When trying to find a replacement I found that the 94-4/96 had model evaporator and the 4/96-99 had another. From pictures it appears that the piping changed slightly. Does anybody know if I could use a post 4/96 evaporator in a 95 if I used the matching pipe (high side from evaporator through firewall), is the size the same?

 

Anyone? bump

 

The pipe is just for drainage right? Should be fine, just make sure the pipe doesnt kink or moisture will back up and your car will stink like a moldy sock.

 

I would get the correct evaporator, using the right parts makes the job go smooth.

 

The pipe I was talking about is the pipe that runs from the expansion valve through the firewall and connects with the high side pipe from the condensor. From pictures it appears that pipes that connect the expansion valve to the evaporator are at a slightly different angle on the post 96. I'm guessing that the pipes exit the fire wall in the same locations and the lines in the engine compartment are identical but I'd like to confirm this.

The reason I'm interested in this is because I need to replace my evaporator core and I have not been able to find an aftermarket replacement for the 95 and the dealer price is around $300. Therefore I'll probably be looking for a used evaporator and I would believe that a 99 core would probably be in better shape than a 95 core.

 

Nissan used a few different setups. I ran into this problem when I had a leak too.

Best thing to do is remove the old one. Bring it to the parts store and match up the right one.

Some 98 models use a 96 system. I think 97s are on their own. Some 98s use a 99. It's baffling. I don't know why they didnt just pick one design and keep it.

 

Do you remember what brand of evaporator you bought? After more digging I found Parts America's website lists one, but Napa, Orielly's, Autozone do not. The brand they list is "Ready-Aire.

 

New update... in my last 3+ weeks of seaching and only finding one aftermarket evaporator ($180 at PartsAmerica), I have found 2 cheaper alternatives in the last 2 days. The first is oem.thepartsbin.com for $112.52, the other is a seller on ebay for $95 shipped.

 

I just looked in my shed. I have a new/used evaporator. Its for pre 1998 systems.

It's in the box. I used it on the car but it never held freon because the pipes going to it were a different size. I'll sell it to you for a good price. Email me at redgiant66@yahoo.com