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When up on the hoist the mechanic pointed to two pinholes in the a/c line just before the driverside rear wheel.
Could the holes be fixed with expoxy or does the whole line need to be replaced?
Does anybody have a diagram to see where the line starts and ends?
The line services the rearseats (UL)
The mechanic recommended to change the a/c line to the rear.
Part is ca 140 but they want over 800 + taxes for labor.
I think I will just have the line crimped in front and after the pinholes.
They tried expoxy but it did not hold and they said there are more holes in the line.
Question: if the line to the rear gets crimped will the front a/c be functional?
The diagram below seems to suggest that the front and rear refrigerant lines are split in the engine bay. I've circled the spot where you may find the splits. Crimping the rear refrigerant lines downstream of the splits will not impact the lines for the front unit.
you might check the polish guy with the "presidential" LS thread about fixing a similar problem. he did it without parts, but by fixing what sounds like the same thing. way above my skill set.
you might check the polish guy with the "presidential" LS thread about fixing a similar problem. he did it without parts, but by fixing what sounds like the same thing. way above my skill set.
Otherwise if you still want to go with the "crimping" route, I would suggest doing a clean cut near the splits (see diagram in Post #6 above) and instead of just crimping, maybe add fittings at a convenient and accessible location in case if you change your mind later and decide to re-connect the rear A/C. It doesn't hurt to have a backup plan, right?
I really don't know what effect you will have crimping the rear A/C refrigerant lines, since the compressor is supposedly sized for running both unit. I know in residential A/C if you over-sized the compressor, the A/C will cool the space too quickly and does not stay running long enough to sufficiently lower humidity in the air. I believe (I'm guessing) the LS430 is designed to remove moisture in the air and at the same time maintaining temperature by running both the A/C and the heater concurrently.
the shop recommended crimping to avoid getting moisture and dirt into the lines as a temporary measure. They tried epoxy but it did not hold, rather they now discovered more pinholes. The best is probably to replace the line. I will not use the a/c in the meantime
Was just wondering - if the pinholes release refr. fluid would it damage the compressor or other components
By now with pinholes on the lines, your system is likely to be emptied of refrigerant. It's also possible that some moisture has infiltrated your system especially if you ever run your compressor with the presence of pinholes.
I would think someone could pretty easily fabricate replacement lines in a situation like that, I would find a shop that specialized car ac if you can, not just any random shop.
$800 in labor for just replacing a line is pretty steep, sounds like a job he doesn't really want to do. They also make epoxy specifically for HVAC work and sealing lines, but the system can't be charged while it is setting.
I don't know what kind of leak it currently has, are we talking a slow leak or is the system empty and won't hold a charge?
I know on my other Lexus, there is a tiny leak on the rear evaporator, and the dealer gave a jaw dropping quote to fix it because of all the labor just to get to it. I simply top it off before the summer month myself, cost about $7 a year.
hard to say for me since I have the car only a very short time. Bringing the car back from another province the a/c ran cold. It is sitting on the driveway for ca 8 weeks. Now that they mention leak I checked under the car for leaks on the driveway. Nothing dripping out that I can see but I do noticed some spots on the driveway with a greenish looking fluid. Nothing I could swipe off with my fingers, just a spot. Also the spots are on the left and right side, in other words not following a line. Could be something else.
Are the two lines on the driver side under the car the only a/c lines to the rear? Also I cannot identify which is the suction and which is the supply line.
the "polish" guy is a gem. Unfortunately local shops are not like him. They want business, the costlier the better. I will throw the splicing at them and see what they say. A pipe is a pipe. Even gasfitters splice lines
The "green" you're seeing could very likely be the UV dye they mix with the refrigerant oil to find leaks. If you get a UV black light you can look under the car and see the leaks (if that's what it is).
When they tried the epoxy, did they fully evacuate the system?
If you're getting a quote for something like $800 to fix the rear line with some sort of splice job, I personally would just price out what a Lexus dealer would charge to replace that entire section of line because that's definitely not a smoking bargain. That's sort of a hack job in my opinion that you're paying top dollar for.
a/c line
