This will be expensive I think, AC leaks

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thorgal

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Hi guys .
Yesterday , while doing routine engine and front diff oil change, I discovered something nasty.
Every time my LR3 is on the jack stands , I try to look everywhere for irregularities and potential problems by gliding under the car with a flashlight and poke things around.As I was sliding along AC lines , by the air reservoir , I discovered wet substance on the AC pipe connection , also traveling upstream ,by the rear differential, there is another pipe joint , that looks wet as well. It feels oily and probably means , that I am loosing refrigerant and oil at the same time. By looking at the hose clams that hold AC pipes to chassis , I can conclude, that they are rusty as hell and could hold water behind the black insulation, causing aluminum AC lines to corrode, but right now the damage is visible by both connectors and be the primary suspect of this leak.

My question is , has anybody done a pipe replacement before, especially the rear one or even gained access to a connectors to change O rings ?
Has anybody replaced just O rings on AC pipe connector joints ?
Has anybody have any experience with dealer pricing and labor involved with pipe replacement and recharging the system ?
Since I have a rear AC upgrade LR3 ,Does anybody have any info regarding disconnecting the rear lines all together and switching to non rear AC front pipe and by pass the rear AC system entirely ?

Thanks
 

Codename Duchess

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On my LR3 I lost refrigerant. It leaked out at the elbow where the mid AC Line is that runs under the doors.

General pain in the ass. Dealer pricing was actually the cheapest I found, as I'm in Canada and our Dollar is ****. It was still $350 for the one stupid line.

Also, when I bought the line, the connectors were reversed. No idea why, but I had to essentially twist the length of the pipe to match up with the connectors.

I would say your best option is to replace the o-rings only. If you actually have a leak in the pipe itself... Godspeed. Removing it from where the air canister is was especially painful because of all the corrosion/mud that now lives in my eyes.

Also those lines are SENSITIVE to any sort of damage.
 

thorgal

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Are you having issues with AC cooling?

It is still blowing cold air, but for a long time I hear a whizzing from a compressor area that changes pitch with RPms, but also recently I can also hear some sort of whistling from the same vicinity .I can definitely see an oily, odorless substance on both pipe joints, under door sill and upstream around rear axle.
 

Airstream345

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The best way to be sure would be to clean off those AC lines and add leak detector to the AC system (DIY kit or at an AC service center). You could also have them run a pressure check as well which would indicate issues with the AC system.
 

thorgal

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The best way to be sure would be to clean off those AC lines and add leak detector to the AC system (DIY kit or at an AC service center). You could also have them run a pressure check as well which would indicate issues with the AC system.

This is what I am gonna do to start with...followed by new O rings.
 

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