Advice? Want to clean Front Air Conditioning condenser

[lettereleven]

Surprise! Amongst all the other treasures I keep finding, my van doesn't have a functioning A/C system.
There are a few things I will investigate based on similar posts I have seen; they seem likely culprits:

1) fuses
2) refrigerant level

However, while poking around in the hood, I noticed the condenser was covered in muck. The fins of the AC radiator were barely visible. I thought this could only be a negative, so I thought cleaning them might help.

My question is:
Is there anyway to clean the A/C condenser without removing it from the vehicle? If not, what is the best way to clean it once removed?

Of course, if I am going about this all wrong, I would truly appreciate redirection!

Thanks in advance,
Jamie.

[legionnair]

Only way to remove it is evacuate all the refridgerent then remove. In your case I would remove the fan shroud and use a garden hose with a sprayer and reverse wash thru the rad then soak the condensor with a citrus degreaser and spray from the front and repeat this until clean.

[lettereleven]

Thanks very much for the assistance. Evacuating the refrigerant didn't sound like fun. Blasting it with a hose is greatly preferred. I assume it's ok to fire the water through the "normal" radiator (ie I don't have to drain ATF and remove it). Is there anything I should be mindful of when spraying around there?

Thanks again.

[legionnair]

Not really you don't want to spray directly at any electrical components but spraying thru the rad is totally ok take your time.