Advice on broken air conditioning line

Disclaimer: I know basically nothing about AC.

I recently bought a 95 Tacoma. The previous owner had a minor collision on the front end, and it broke the AC. The collision caused the front bumper to bend the AC line that crosses the condenser to bend inward. It also caused another AC line running from the drier to become completely detached. See attached photos for more details.

Supposing I can find replacements for the bent and broken AC pipes, is there anything else I should take into consideration? The AC system has been like this for 2 years at most, I think, if I go completely on the previous owner's word. Given the exposure, are there other parts of the AC system that I should replace/clean before/after I replace the lines and run new refrigerant?

 

what engine?

 

either way i guess. you really should get the accident straightened out at a body shop. then you'll probably need an a/c kit plus that 1 broken hose. i wouldn't re-use any old components as they haven't ran for a long time and are more than likely contaminated by outside air. the evaporator should be the only good thing out of this. you might need to replace the a/c pressure/cycling switches. i would 'cause it's a lot of labor to replace them since they would later have to drain the system, test it again, and refill. that's costly. these systems are supposed to be fully vacuumed and refilled with refrigerant/oil ONLY. outside air destroys the components on the inside. youre probably looking at a 3k fix total

 

2.4

This could be pretty expensive relative to the truck's worth. I don't know. As far as I can tell, there's little to zero damage frame-wise. I can replace the bumper, grille, etc., and it looks like I can detach the bent brace connected to the hood latch and straighten it with some beatings. What am I not accounting for that would make taking it a body shop worthwhile?

I'm sorry, I don't follow you completely. At this point, everything on the truck is an old component and within the AC system, I assume it has all been exposed to the natural environment. Are you saying that I should replace every single component of the AC system if I want reliable AC?

 

the truck will serve you for a very long time. if the only damage it has is in the pics, it would be worth straightening out early on in your ownership. i say fix it any way you can on the cheap. even if you have to pay a body guy on the side to use pry bars to straighten things out a little more.

additionally, if you're going to have the a/c system replaced, you don't want the condensor to sit on a messed up body part. it might not fit properly and get damaged by something that is crooked.

before i go any further i need to say this. a/c systems can ONLY be repaired by EPA certified mechanics. refrigerant is harmful to the environment so certs are required everywhere. they are the only ones that are allowed to have the machines that will evacuate the systems, test them for leaks, and then refill them with the correct amount of refrigerant. this is going to be costly on it's own. anyone else doing this saying they can do this on the cheap is full of shit. finding a friend or family member that is certified is your best option.

Now to why you should replace all the components.

1, you need to replace the drier in any case. it's purpose is to remove any moisture left over from the installation process. being opened to the elements for so long im 100% certain it's fully saturated with moisture and can not do it's job and will even release moisture in to the system if you have it all put back together the way it is. anything in the system that isn't refrigerant or lubricating oil is it's enemy. when you buy these new, they actually come vacuum sealed so they don't accumulate moisture while sitting on the shelf of an auto parts store.

2, dust has traveled to the darkest recesses of the system which is where your expansion valve is. you can't clean those unless you take it out and clean it by hand. the labor to do this costs more than the part itself. not to mention there's a lot of labor just to get to this component to be able to take it out.

3, moisture and dust has touched your compressor for too long so rust has built up and dust will cause micro scratches that will snowball in to bigger problems within minutes after putting lots of money in to get it all recharged.

4, a little bit of dust has most likely gotten to the orifices of the switches and sensors. they'll most likely be contaminated.

5, if you take your truck to a shop to have the a/c system recharged the way it is, the shop will not give you a warranty on their labor or materials. your system will fail either on the spot, after the repair, or within months. the shop will charge you full prices again for any further attempts to get it working. most shops will not warranty their labor unless you replace all of the components anyways

again, anything in the system that isn't refrigerant or lubricating oil is it's enemy.

your only option really is to have a shop replace the components and the hose. luckily there isn't TOO much to the system. compressor, drier, and expansion valve. 3 items plus 1 or 2 sensors/switches, the hose, and you might as well swap out the condenser since it was right there up front for the accident. rockauto sells a replacement kit for all this for about $250. buying this from a parts store will cost $300-$500. a mechanic will charge you around $800-$1000 for this kit plus the labor, oil, and refrigerant. you're looking at probably $1300-$1700 for the total parts, labor, and materials install.

 

How do you feel about running without AC?

 

I rebuilt the entire AC system in my old 94 pickup. It's not that hard.

-My system was open (although the tubes were taped over) and un-charged for 5+ years. I cleaned it out with some flushing solution (except the pump) and replaced what I needed to in addition to the drier (always replace this)

Looks like rockauto has all the lines you may need.

You used to be able to rent the vacuum pump and gauges at autozone (at least outside california) if not they are not expensive on Amazon.

I pulled a vacuum, left it for 24hours to make sure it held and charged the system. Worked great for 5+ years until I sold the truck.

 

R134A is not that bad. You can buy the canisters at the auto parts stores...

Pull a vacuum and make sure it does not leak for 24 hours and you have a very good chance it's sealed again.

 

It doesn't sound particularly enticing. I live in Texas.

 

Thanks for the info CodeSeven and ZColorado. It sounds like I'll be needing to replace multiple (if not all) components of the AC system, and it will largely be a question of whether I feel comfortable learning how to do that myself. As someone who hasn't done any AC work, it does look slightly intimidating -- mostly the pulling a vacuum part.

 

Depending on the climate you live in and how long the system has been open I would at a minimum replace the line and the dryer. As mentioned you may want to consider flushing the system as well.

My bumper rubbed through my AC line and the system was open for months to a year. Here in CO there is very little humidity so I replaced the line and the dryer and made sure the system held vacuum. It charged and worked fine for years now. As always YMMV. I'm not telling you I did it the right way but I did it the "good enough for me" way

 

I'd replace the drier ($10) Condenser ($70) and the lines (8-20). Flush the system (autozone rents the parts) and watch a couple youtube videos about pulling a vacuum and charging a AC system.

Frankly, thats exactly what i did when I was in a similar situation.

 

Thanks, I think I'm gonna give this a shot. Stupid question -- if I'm replacing the drier, condenser, and lines, what am I flushing? The other lines (e.g., condenser to the compressor)?

 

1. Replace what's broken, replace drier no matter what
2. Evacuate the system using vacuum pump and A/C manifold to check vacuum
3. Refill (add a little compressor oil first)

You're not flushing anything. The refrigerant is long gone.

 

You may not need it, but if you have road funk and dirt and rocks, the orifice tube/TXV might not like that so much.

It's been exposed for years... it should be cleaned.

This tool should be rentable
https://www.autozone.com/a-c-chargi...air-conditioning-flush-kit/466308_0?rrec=true


I am not sure if it's a good idea to run the flushing solution through the compressor. I did not, and took the risk that it was contaminated, I wont that coin toss and it ran fine though.

 

oh yeah, now I remember I also ended up having to do the TXV behind the dash

 

Isn't R134a being phased our for GWP, and being replaced with R1234yf?

 

It's being phased out in new build for 1234YF but it's not being made illegal like R22 and R12.

So we will still be able to get it, but the demand will decrease as it wont be used in new builds.


https://refrigeranthq.com/does-r-134a-have-a-phase-out-date/

 

Good ol' gub-mit,,, what would we do without their leadership

 

Anyone can work on MVAC without certification as long as they're not charging money for their services. All the tools, equipment, and refrigerant are readily available to the general public with the exception of the reclamation equipment which must be done by certified personnel. If you're handy with tools, have a general understanding of how your air conditioning system works, have some patience and willing to learn you can absolutely do this.

Per the book The only time you would need to take this to someone certified is for evacuating the system. After that you're good to go.