DIY auto air conditioner tube repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of auto-air conditioner pipes from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Automotive air conditioning is one of the most significant and significant achievements of the modern automotive industry. The ability to cool the air inside the machine is worth a lot. The use of a car air conditioner is especially important for countries with hot climates, where high ambient temperatures persist throughout the year.

Heat has a depressing effect on the human body and negative factors tend to increase with age. The presence of an air conditioner in the car allows you to regulate the air temperature to optimal values. The air conditioner, like any air cooling unit, has its own system for distributing cooled air masses throughout the vehicle interior.

The elements of the transport system of freon gas, used to reduce the air temperature, are pipelines running in the engine compartment. Aluminum is used for the manufacture of pipelines. This is a rather "capricious" material with low resistance to temperature extremes and external factors. During long-term operation of the vehicle, it may become unusable in some areas.

Damage to the piping of the air conditioner leads to leakage of freon. It is a gas that cools the air circulating through the vehicle ventilation system. Freon leakage can lead to failure of the vehicle's air conditioning system. That is why it is very important to know how to repair the air conditioner tube with your own hands.

The pipeline for the vehicle air conditioning system is located in the engine compartment of the vehicle. In modern cars, even a finger cannot be pushed under the hood. All working elements of the engine and other systems are located very tightly. Unsurprisingly, there is a risk of damage to the air conditioner pipes when repairing the machine.

Video (click to play).

Often, the active operation of the vehicle leads to wear and tear of the elements of the air conditioning system. Despite the fact that the tubes are made of aluminum, it is quite easily damaged by careless handling of car service specialists or external factors (temperature drops, corrosion, friction and vibration).

Freon begins to escape through the cracks in the air conditioning pipes. It is a volatile gas that evaporates quickly. It is not possible to determine the leakage of freon visually or by smell.

The peculiarities of the country's climate suggest seasonal operation of the air conditioner. Active use of air cooling occurs only 4 or 5 months a year. The rest of the time the air conditioning system is idle. During the downtime of the air conditioner, the pipes of the system become contaminated with dust or dirt. All this negatively affects the efficiency of the system in the future.

Despite the appearance of a sufficient number of car service stations, garage repairs are popular among the majority of drivers. Some motorists spend the whole weekend on repairing their "iron horse". This is a real national hobby that combines passion and a real opportunity to save money.

In most vehicles, one push of a button is enough to activate the air conditioning and air cooling. If warm air flows continue to blow from the ventilation system, then the air conditioner compressor is not working. You need to look for the cause of the malfunction.

If you have any concerns about the performance of the air conditioning system, do not hesitate. Early diagnosis makes it possible to quickly identify malfunctions and take measures to eliminate them.

Connecting special equipment for diagnosing the machine's air conditioning system allows you to determine the location of the freon leak. It is very convenient and saves a lot of free time for the car enthusiast.

Detecting a refrigerant gas leak allows the vehicle owner to take other actions to repair the air conditioning system.

Small cracks on the surface of the air conditioning system pipes are easier and faster to repair using special repair compounds. As a rule, they are realized in aerosol form and applied to the damaged site through spraying. It does not take much time for the working substance of the repair composition to harden. After 12 hours, the conditioner can already be used.

The presence of a welding machine, despite its availability, is not common. You need to know how to use the device correctly, otherwise the repair efficiency will tend to zero. If the piping of the air conditioning system resembles a sieve, it is best and more profitable to use welding.

If the car is early years of release, pipelines have to be repaired often. Often, a month does not go by without repair work. In this case, it is easier to replace the air conditioner piping than to try to "patch" it. It will be cheaper and more efficient.

Aluminum or rubber air conditioning lines can be purchased for almost all vehicle models. The difference lies in the cost and complexity of the installation. Rubber piping is more affordable and easier to install.

The choice of means for repairing the piping of the air conditioning system is wide and varied. That is why it is difficult to make the right choice and purchase an effective remedy. The savings will have a negative effect on the repair effect, since it will be short-lived.

The following tools, which are popular among motorists, can be distinguished for repairing car air conditioner pipes:

1. Mannol Epoxidkitt Stahl + Metall.

A special repair compound for restoring the surface of air conditioner tubes. Convenient for quick DIY repairs. All damage is effectively filled. Suitable for the repair of metal elements. Complete hardening of the composition occurs in 15-20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature.

2.MANNOL EPOXY-METAL (30 gr.).

Special repair compound based on epoxy resin. Provides fast adhesion of damage on the surface of the air conditioner piping. Complete hardening of the product occurs within 5 minutes.

3. Self-sealing rubber tape Mannol MULTI-TAPE 5M.

Insulates and protects the elements of the air conditioner piping from corrosion. The tape is resistant to mechanical stress, temperature extremes and aggressive media. An easy-to-use and effective tool for repairing air conditioning systems.

If desired, and a small area of damage to the air conditioner pipelines, all repair work can be performed independently without outside help. Actions will help restore the functionality of the vehicle's interior cooling system.

Thank you for your attention, good luck on the road. Read, comment and ask questions. Subscribe to fresh and interesting articles on the site.

The repair of the auto-air conditioner pipes can be carried out both for the reason that they have broken, and for the reason that they are dirty and cannot be cleaned. In winter, when the air conditioner is not working, aluminum hoses and pipes can become clogged, especially in the gaps between the engine radiator and the air conditioner radiator. Contaminants can accumulate and can contaminate the lines.And all this together can impede the correct circulation of the refrigerant and mixing of refrigerant and moisture is simply inevitable.

The tubes themselves are made of aluminum, so external factors can destructively affect this material. Temperature extremes, violation of moisture levels, the presence of reagents - all this can lead to the destruction of aluminum. And besides this, there are O-rings and rubber gaskets, which, under the influence of various factors, can deteriorate even faster.

The performance of aluminum tubes is affected by the country's climate, temperature regime, road surface or its absence, general loads on the car and getting into road accidents.

All this negatively affects the operation of the cooling unit, and as a result, the repair of the air conditioning pipes is simply inevitable.

You might mistakenly think that nothing depends on the performance of the tubes, but how long the autoconditioner tubes are repaired will depend on its durability. Tightening can provoke the compressor to depressurize and a complete replacement of the device will have to be performed. Worst of all, if in the process of wear and tear, the car owner does not notice this and the climate system becomes contaminated with particles of compression rings. In this case, not only the entire system is endangered, but also the health of the car passengers will be disrupted. Many have already felt that the cooling system can cause real health problems.

Repairing air conditioner pipes is easy if the cracks are very small, which are barely visible to the eye. In this case, you can not use argon-arc welding, but use special compounds. The so-called soldering of holes in the form of patches is performed. It is possible to apply such mixtures in several layers so that their thickness is 2-3 millimeters. Thus, we achieve a quality car air conditioner repair.

Welding the tubes of the air conditioner will be required if the size of the cracks exceeds the norm of 2-3 millimeters. In this case, we will acquire argon-arc welding and go ahead to work.

Soldering the tube of the auto air conditioner

Car air conditioner tube after soldering

If you want to save a lot on repairing the air conditioner pipes, you will have to do it yourself. I want to note that this still requires soldering experience, albeit a little. It is important to stock up on a specific tool: a pipe cutter, a special bending machine and welding. Please note that the pipe cutter can also be replaced with a metal file, but this will not be the quality that we expect in the repair of air conditioner pipes.

The pipe bender can be either universal (for different diameters) or specific (for a specific diameter). When choosing this tool, it is worth knowing what dimensions are used in your machine. Often it is 6, 8, 10 sizes, which corresponds to the inner diameter in millimeters. You can see the size on the vehicle system or in the technical documentation. This is a fundamentally important repair issue because different machines use different measuring systems.

Repair of auto-air conditioner pipes begins with the fact that you need to buy or make parts. Next, we cut off the required length and bend them using a bending machine. When the tubes are ready, we cut the fittings and connect it all into a single system. Before soldering, it is worth rewinding the parts with electrical tape and see if you did everything right. If everything fits, then we start soldering.

When repairing tubes of an auto-conditioner is performed, it is not always possible to resort to the above method. Sometimes the tubes of the air conditioner are replaced with hoses that are made of rubber. Although they are made of less durable material, replacing them will be very quick, simple and cheap.Welding of the air conditioner pipes is not used here, usually the hoses are screwed in.

Welding of the tubes of the air conditioner is also used if they are made of copper. The copper type of joints is more durable than aluminum, but it is expensive. In this case, it is necessary to perform flaring work. And this is a job for professionals with a high-quality specific tool (it is present only at good service stations). Sometimes for such parts, insulation is performed, which saves from freezing in winter and performs thermal insulation of the system.

At the end of the article, I would like to note that the cooling system needs to be closely monitored: listen to the sounds in the operation of devices, to smells and to the general characteristics of performance. All this can tell you in time about problems that are easy to fix in the first stages. Take good care of your car and it will serve you for many years!

On the recording, an auto expert shows how to properly solder a copper pipe of an automobile air conditioner.

The air conditioning system consists of many elements that can wear out over time and lose their primary functions. One of these is the pipes through which cold air and gas is transmitted, which are necessary for the normal operation of the condender. In what cases are car air conditioner pipes repaired and how to do this task with your own hands - find out from this article.

The need to repair the air conditioner tubes may arise as a result of their breakage or contamination. Moreover, the contamination can be so serious that the hoses themselves are no longer subject to cleaning. In the cold season, when the condender practically does not turn on, the system lines can become clogged, especially dirt collects in the area between the radiator devices of the engine and the air conditioner. Accordingly, contamination of the air conditioning pipes of the car can interfere with the optimal circulation of the consumable, which will subsequently lead to the mixing of freon and moisture.

Air conditioning lines are usually made of aluminum, respectively, various external factors can negatively affect this material. Due to temperature extremes, a violation of the moisture level, as well as the presence of various reagents, aluminum can simply collapse. In addition, the pipes of the system are also equipped with gaskets and seals, which, in turn, also break down, only even stronger and faster. The service life of the tubes depends on many factors - the conditions for using the car, the climate of the region, temperature, loads on the car as a whole..

So, for what reasons the tubes fail:

due to temperature extremes;
as a result of exposure to road reagents;
due to clogging;
due to changes in humidity;
as a result of severe frosts;
when the car gets into an accident.

If hoses are being repaired for car air conditioners, then, as a rule, cracks can be patched using argon arc welding. In particular, if the cracks are large enough. As for the smaller damages, you can get rid of them without a welding machine. To remove such damage, you can use special compounds, which must be sprayed onto the surface of the tube in several layers. It is desirable that when welding the tubes of the conditioner, the total thickness of the patches is about 2-3 mm.

It should also be borne in mind that usually the process of producing new pipes for the condenser is much cheaper for the car owner than purchasing them. For manufacturing, it is important to correctly calculate all dimensions and prepare the necessary tool. So that the production process does not cause difficulties, it is necessary to prepare in advance a high-quality pipe cutter, as well as a pipe bender.The first will allow you to cut the edges of the pipe with the highest quality, and the second can be used, if necessary, to bend the pipe at an angle (video author - Denis Chesnokov).

If you decide to repair the hoses, then first of all you need to decide - you will buy parts or make them yourself. During production, you need to be careful and correctly measure in accordance with the technical documentation for the machine. In practice, our compatriots quite often confuse meters with inches, as a result of which the repair procedure can be difficult.

A few points to consider when carrying out repairs:

In any case, if you want the air conditioning system to work for a long time and without complaints, its condition should be monitored, especially during the off-season. You should always pay attention to the sounds that appear during the operation of the air conditioner, as well as smells that may come from the blowers. Of course, you also need to pay attention to the efficiency of the system - if you notice that the condender has become less efficient, this may indicate various malfunctions. Moreover, as practice shows, most often it is better to eliminate them at the initial stages.

The video below shows the process of repairing the hoses of an automobile air conditioner (video author - Tim Service channel).

Repairing air conditioner pipes in a car is an inevitable problem that sooner or later every motorist faces. In the event of a crack or defect in the tube, freon will leave the system, which will lead to the breakdown of the car's air conditioner. Armed with the necessary tools, materials, patience and time, repair work can be done on your own.

Many passenger car models are designed so that the piping to the A / C compressor runs next to the exhaust manifold. Due to the constantly high temperature, these elements gradually burn out, cracking and drying out.

The winter period is characterized by blockages in pipes and hoses, as a result of which the space between the radiator, cooling the engine, and the car air conditioning system fills with dirt. In addition, factors such as exposure to road reagents, temperature changes, and an increase and decrease in humidity have a significant effect on aluminum tubes.

When repairing an automobile air conditioner, TIG welding is required in many cases, especially when it comes to large cracks. However, minor damage can be dealt with without using a welding machine. In this situation, special compounds are used, which are sprayed onto the surface in several layers. Thus, a kind of patch is obtained. It will only take you a few minutes to make it. Image - DIY auto air conditioner tube repair

After applying the funds, it is necessary to put on a rubber tube of a larger diameter, which would completely cover the repaired part.

In many cases, making new parts for a car air conditioner will cost significantly less than buying them. If you decide to take such a step, it is very important to correctly measure the necessary parts and have the right tools. In order for the manufacturing to go smoothly, you must have a high-quality pipe cutter, pipe bender and several other tools in your arsenal. The pipe cutter will allow you to achieve high-quality trimming of the edges of the tube, and the pipe bender will make it possible to bend it at different angles without the risk of breakage.

An equally important point is the choice of the tubes themselves. Be careful - the manufacture of parts should be carried out in the measuring system, which is indicated in the vehicle registration certificate. Very often, drivers confuse inches for meters.To select suitable elements, it is necessary to measure the part on the fittings of the system, cut and, if necessary, bend in the right places, and also connect by welding.

Some cars are equipped with air conditioning systems, which cannot be repaired using the above method. Rescue hoses for car air conditioners made of rubber. This material, as you know, tends to crack and dry out, in addition, rubber in comparison with metal is much more susceptible to mechanical damage. Image - DIY auto air conditioner tube repair

In case of minor damage to the rubber hose, you can also make a patch on it using special tools and compounds. However, in case of large defects, the hoses for the car air conditioners must be replaced with new ones, fortunately, their manufacture will cost you a small amount.

It is very important to carry out repairs related to the car's climate system on time, since otherwise malfunctions can lead to depressurization of the air conditioning compressor. And this, in turn, will cause clogging of the car's climate system with particles of compression rings, which can lead to more serious damage and financial costs for repairs.

How to quickly repair an auto air conditioner tube with your own hands? Before buying a long-awaited car, the buyer makes more and more demands on it. Simple audio preparation, increased ground clearance, and other things are no longer enough. The future owner wants to have increased noise and thermal insulation, sufficient ventilation, optimal temperature.

Therefore, the car must be equipped with at least a cruise and climate control to ensure ease and comfort of movement. For more demanding buyers, heated steering wheel and front seats, rear disc brakes, front and side airbags.

Many automakers, in order to attract more and more customers, try to fit the maximum possible number of options into the budget cost of the car.

The Japanese and Koreans are especially generous in this regard, who often equip the interior of a car of an average cost with the "Lux" package. It may not always be profitable from an economic point of view for the concern, but in conditions of tough competition, you always have to sacrifice something, sometimes profit, in order to increase demand.

How to quickly spend DIY auto air conditioner tube repair lacking skills and experience? First, you need to carry out visual diagnostics and make sure that the unit is inoperable. If, when you press the power button for the climate system, nothing happens and the indicator on the center panel does not light up, then there is a freon leak.

You should quickly open the hood and look at the piping of the air conditioner. Clear visible oily spots will directly indicate cracks in the pipes and gas leaks. As a result, the compressor will automatically shut down for safety and overheating protection. After 100% confidence in the cause of the breakdown, we proceed to eliminate it.

It should be noted right away that the reason for the appearance of cracks in pipelines can be:

Factory defect of the product;
The consequence of strong and frequent vibrations in the power unit. This is possible if the rubber cushions on which the motor is attached break off;
Close proximity to exhaust manifold. Typical for old-style foreign cars;
Dirt clogging and temperature fluctuations that negatively affect the aluminum pipes.
We drive into an inspection pit or overpass, turn off the engine, squeeze out the handbrake, turn on the first speed for safety;
We inspect the integrity of the mounting cushions from below. In different modifications, there can be 2 or 3. As soon as we see a break, the rubber seal should be changed immediately. Otherwise, replacing the pipelines will not help us for a long time, the cracks will go back to the first hundred kilometers;

If there are no defects in the pillow, then we proceed to replace the hoses;

After reviewing the entire conditioning chain, we select the critical areas for replacement. Next, we inspect the radiator and aluminum tubes for integrity and cleanliness. If necessary, blow through with compressed air and clean;

Unscrew the flanges with an open-end wrench to "14" for foreign cars or to "17" for domestic cars with a branch pipe and replace them with new ones. Be extremely careful, as the remnants of freon can be sprayed on the face;

All that remains is to pump gas into the system and check its performance;

It is possible to pump refrigerant into the air conditioner and its branch pipes only with the help of a special compressor. If one is not available, then you will have to seek help from a service station for gas injection;

If there is, then we connect two pipes to the supply and return on the compressor, start the unit itself and fill the system with R-113, R-11 refrigerant in accordance with the required amount. The norms for each car are different. Specific data can be found in the operating instructions in the section refueling capacities;

We start the engine, turn on the compressor, set the required temperature in the cabin. We carry out visual diagnostics of the branch pipes for the presence of freon leakage.

Sometimes it happens that the honeycomb of the air conditioner radiator is damaged. Actually, there are two ways out: if you have money - buy a similar new one, if not - fix it using argon-arc welding with spraying. Before carrying out work, you should download the refrigerant from the system, dismantle the radiator itself, use a burner to seal the defective place, install and test for operability. The main reason for the failure of the radiator is the negative impact of the environment and corrosion.

In conclusion, consideration of the topic, do-it-yourself auto air conditioner tube repair, I would like to note that the average service life of the climate system is from 5 to 7 years. Depending on how the owner conducts preventive maintenance and operates the air conditioner, its duration of continuous operation depends.

Each driver strives to choose a car where he will always feel pleasant and comfortable, with different gadgets and certain amenities. These include a directional on-board computer, a radio tape recorder and an air conditioner that saves us from the heat. Anyone who is used to using an air conditioner in a car will go crazy if it becomes unusable one day. Therefore, it is worth knowing in advance what to do if the car air conditioner stops working, and how to repair the air conditioner with your own hands of climate technology.

A large number of car owners who have an air conditioner under the hood of their car rush to turn it on with the onset of heat. But only a few of them succeed. It's time to worry about the "health" of the air conditioner as soon as the cold recedes. Its inoperative state is quite simple to determine: if, after turning on the button on the control panel, no visible results occur, that is, nothing comes from the ventilation system, then it does not work unambiguously.

But you shouldn't worry ahead of time: before repairing the air conditioner, you should carry out diagnostics, open the hood and carefully examine all the tubes of the air conditioner in search of freon leaks. If you find oily emissions on the metal tubes, it means that freon has leaked out, and the compressor has been automatically turned off.

Dangerous engine vibrations are usually to blame for refrigerant leaking out of the system. Of course, all pipes in an auto-air conditioner have their own adapters - rubber hoses, which are distinguished by high pressure, from the clamps of which freon sometimes seeps out. To understand which parts will have to be replaced, and which ones are suitable for further operation, you will have to pump up freon.

The situation when it is necessary to replace a failed air conditioner compressor is usually associated with neglect of the rules for the installation and operation of a car air conditioner. Often, after detecting darkening of the thermal insulation or a refrigerant leak, service services are limited to installing a filter on the liquid line, refilling the air conditioner or eliminating the leak, although at this time radical measures are needed to repair the air conditioner compressor.

The need to save the compressor arises in such cases: when moisture enters the freon circuit or when the freon circuit loses its tightness. Urgent resuscitation will help prolong the life of the air conditioner. For flushing the compressor, it is customary to use freons R-113, R-11 or carbon tetrachloride. Washing is carried out in two stages.

First, the refrigerant must be evacuated using an evacuated cylinder. First flush until the liquid is clear and drains from the compressor. After that, the compressor must be filled with a mixture of half oil and half of flushing liquid, and turn on the compressor for 10-15 minutes. Then drain this mixture and flush if necessary until the bad oil is completely removed from the compressor.

The compressor is evacuated to completely remove the flushing liquid from the unit. After that, you should start filling the air conditioning compressor with oil. Remember that refrigeration oils are highly hygroscopic and can easily absorb moisture from the air, thereby deteriorating the properties of the oil. To prevent this, contact between oil and air must be kept to a minimum. Therefore, after refueling, purge the compressor with gaseous refrigerant or dried nitrogen and plug its pipes with plugs.

One of the main parts of a car air conditioner, as you already understood, is the compressor. Regardless of its type, the compressor design includes an electromagnetic clutch that separates it from the drive pulley. Remember that it is common for different types of clutch to use the correct oil to lubricate the mechanism.

As for replacing the air conditioner clutch, many motorists are accustomed to doing this on their own. To diagnose a breakdown of this unit, it is necessary to understand the process of its correct operation. During operation, a functional clutch rotates continuously thanks to the belt. At the beginning of the clutch operation, a small click is heard, which dates its clutch, and then it moves in a circle.

If the air conditioner unit is faulty and the air conditioner clutch needs repair, then the following is observed: when the clutch rotates, extraneous noises are heard, which indicate bearing damage, the smell of burning is felt in the air. If you do not hear the click of the clutch clutch after turning on the air conditioner, then this is not the case.

In any case, the diagnosis of a malfunction is carried out only with the help of special equipment at the repair station. A big problem is associated with a malfunction, when the air conditioning compressor only simulates the functioning of the clutch, which moves freely at the same time. At the same time, a click is heard, but the interior of the car is not filled with cold air.

I am glad that the couplings have a rather long service life due to the peculiarities of their structure. The main thing is to notice the malfunction of the unit in time in order to prevent additional costs. And the purchase of a serviceable clutch itself is not difficult.

It is customary to repair the radiator of an automobile air conditioner by spraying or using argon-arc welding. After repair work, it is necessary to check for tightness with a pressure of up to 20 atm. To repair the radiator of an automobile air conditioner, it must be removed from the car.

It should be noted that the repair of the radiator is considered advisable only in cases where corrosion has not done its job, for example, after minor mechanical damage or after a minor accident. In a situation of depressurization of the radiator of a car air conditioner due to corrosion, it is worth replacing it.

The price of an original radiator and, accordingly, the price of repairing an air conditioner for some cars reaches several hundred euros. In this case, you can replace the radiator with a non-original unit of European quality. It is also possible to fit a universal spare part with some tube alterations.

Repair of pipes and hoses of a car air conditioner allows you to eliminate defects in the operation of the air cooling system and ensure its resistance to high refrigerant pressures. Many car models are assembled in such a way that the hoses leading to the compressor pass near the exhaust manifold, and in turn this provokes their gradual drying, cracking and burnout.

During winter, hoses and pipes can become clogged when dirt fills the space between the engine cooling radiators and the car air conditioner. Dirt builds up in many pipes, which clogs the lines and prevents the refrigerant from circulating well by mixing with moisture.

Aggressive environmental factors affect the structure of aluminum from which the tubes of a car air conditioner are made. Changes in temperature, increased humidity and exposure to reagents lead to the destruction of spare parts. A mixture of harmful substances can accumulate in aluminum tubes and contribute to their oxidation and decay.

The mobility of the components and assemblies of the system in combination with vibration loads causes the destruction of the contour formed from non-plastic elements. Due to accidents, driving on bumpy roads or violations of installation rules, hoses or pipes are frayed or twisted mechanically. An additional factor is the drying out and aging of the O-rings and rubber gaskets.

If the repair of the air conditioner pipes and its hoses is not carried out in a timely manner, then such malfunctions will provoke a compressor depressurization. If the machine is operated with damaged hoses and pipes, the oil will drain, the expansion valve and the compressor will corrode. This leads to clogging of the climate system with particles of the compression rings.Depending on the location of the malfunction and the level of destruction of the damaged system part, the following types of work are performed related to the repair of air conditioner hoses and tubes: replacing O-rings, flushing the air cooling system in a car, crimping a torn hose, restoring complete tube tightness using argon welding, replacing a tube or hose completely.The most common cause of a car air conditioner malfunction is a freon leak, which is a drop in the level of refrigerant in the system, which can cause a compressor failure, the price of which reaches half the cost of the unit itself. Freon leakage is normalized or caused by poor-quality installation. For a person, the leak does not bring danger, because freon is classified as inert gases, is not poisonous, has no odor and color.However, the refrigerant used in car air conditioners is heavier than air, and therefore displaces air and accumulates in the room, and also releases phosgene, which is dangerous when it comes into contact with open fire. Therefore, if signs of freon leakage are detected, it is necessary to stop using the car air conditioner and eliminate the malfunction in a timely manner.A car air conditioner is a fresco refrigeration machine, the elements of which are connected to each other by threaded freon lines. When exposed to temperature changes and vibrations, the properties of such seals change, as a result of which freon gradually evaporates from the system. This is why the car air conditioner needs to be refueled periodically.On a new car, the refrigerant must be refilled once every couple of years, after 5-7 years the leak rate increases and refueling is required once every one year, even if there are no obvious defects. It is customary to lubricate all elements of the auto-air conditioner with oil, which is added to the refrigerant, and this is precisely why the recommendations to turn on the air conditioner in the car in the winter season for ten minutes are connected.Timely repair of a car air conditioner will save you nerves and health. Agree that endless traffic jams spent in the heat are pretty exhausting. And the coolness in the car interior is the result of timely maintenance, refueling and repair of the car air conditioner.So spring has blossomed in lush color. And along with it, numerous foci of rust bloomed in no less luxuriant color on the metal elements of air conditioning systems: pipes, fittings, etc. The process, in general, is natural, nothing can be done about it. Unfavorable operating conditions in winter, salts, chemically aggressive reagents, etc. - all this has the most negative effect on the freon lines located mainly in the lower part of the car, made of both aluminum and other materials. The highways, especially those passing under the bottom of the car (as a rule, going to the rear evaporators), by the spring take on a very deplorable look: they crack, damage, rub, collapse, oxidize and, of course, are affected by the ubiquitous corrosion. , and therefore, in the spring, numerous motorists begin to actively pull themselves up to service centers, wishing to correct the situation and ensure their usual travel comfort.However, often everything is not solved as easily as it seems at first glance. It seems to be something: I changed the hose and go for a drive with all the conveniences. But a part ordered in May can easily appear in the warehouse only at the beginning of July, and sometimes even at the end of summer, when the relevance of pleasant coolness in the cabin fades away. In addition, it is still unknown in what state she will come after a long journey. An aluminum tube is a fragile thing; in the process of traveling from supplier to customer, overcoming several thousand kilometers, it can be damaged - pinched, bent, i.e. make it completely unusable.The situation is aggravated by our extremely "variegated" vehicle fleet. Sometimes there are such samples of vehicles on the roads, especially with the right-hand drive, for which there are no spare parts left in nature. There are quite a few rare cars that were not originally intended for the Russian market, and finding components for which is a task with a large number of unknowns. How to be here? I don’t want to refuse a client, we need to help a person. So the servicemen go to all sorts of tricks, somehow restoring the system's working capacity in simple ways. Although, it must be admitted, the rolls of electrical tape, only partially sealing the freon lines, even with a very strong stretch, cannot be called a technologically adequate method of solving the problem.Special conditioning hoses are able to withstand pressures up to 40-50 bar. Of course, there is no such pressure in air conditioning systems of cars. There it averages 30-33 bar, so the safety margin of such a hose is very significant. Simple, as everything is ingenious.So it would not be known how much more auto repairmen would have suffered, and with them their customers, if not for the crimper (from the English.Crimper - crimping pliers), and in Russian - a crimping device, simple and functional.This device allows you to make a hose to replace a failed one or replace an aluminum tube (aluminum section of the line) with a freon pipe made of a special freon oil-resistant rubber hose. Photo 1 shows an example of such a hose. Please note: the inner insert is even visually different from the outer braid. It is completely sealed to prevent the refrigerant from leaking out, and at the same time, it is quite flexible, very resistant to the low temperatures that we deal with in air conditioning systems.To repair the freon line, in addition to the hose itself of the specified length and diameter (there are 4 basic sizes: b, 8, 10 and 1 2), you will also need special cups (aluminum or steel) and fittings of various configurations (with and without filling ports) with the corresponding thread the same four standard sizes. But we can provide the necessary degree of tightness of the obtained joints just by means of a crimping device.

There are two types of crimpers: mechanical and hydraulic. The first ones are much cheaper, their cost fluctuates around 10-12 thousand rubles. Due to the fact that it is necessary to apply a powerful enough force to squeeze the hose, it is strongly recommended to firmly fix the mechanical crimper on the workbench bed or in a vice. Because of this, there can be no question of any device mobility.In contrast, a portable hydraulic crimper can be repaired on site, in the immediate vicinity of the car, which simplifies and speeds up the operation, making it less laborious. Nothing will prevent you from squeezing the hose directly on the weight, since the hydraulic drive is able to increase the force applied by the mechanic several times. However, the price of such a crimper is 2-3 times higher. This is understandable - you have to pay for the convenience.The working nodes of both types of devices are absolutely identical. The only difference is that a much more extensive set of crimp adapters is included with the hydraulic crimper, including adapters of intermediate sizes for thin-walled hoses (differ in the depth of insertion and crimping of the fitting) in the same standard sizes. In fact, this is a more professional, so to speak, set.Sergey Meshcheryakov, Purchasing Director, Avtomatika company:- The resulting freon duct is in no way inferior in its characteristics to the original, manufactured at the factory. You can safely give a 1-year warranty on it.It is unlikely that anything will happen to the trunk if it is not specially damaged. The rubber stably holds the pressure generated by the air conditioning compressor, provided that it is the air conditioning rubber hose that is used as a consumable.Moreover, I can state with full responsibility that such a hose lasts much longer than an aluminum hose, especially if it is installed in the lower part of the car, since it is much less susceptible to corrosion and aggressive environmental influences.Well, ending with a description of the devices, we note that hydraulic crimpers, as well as mechanical ones, are quite reliable. Their operating experience shows that they are well adapted to the conditions of the auto repair shop. Moreover, the hydraulic crimper does not require periodic maintenance. If the oil seals do not leak, there is no need to change the oil in it throughout the entire service life. The device is sold already filled and ready to use. Its resource, if handled correctly, lasts for a very long time - at least 5-6 years it will serve for sure.There is nothing complicated in the technology of self-manufacturing hoses.Usually, special air conditioning hoses are sold per meter, so the first step is to prepare a piece of the required length. Further, cups and fittings are selected for the diameter (hose, glass and fitting, prepared for installation in the order of assembly). Moreover, the glass is selected to the hose in such a way that it can be easily put on it, but also does not dangle, corresponding in size.The fitting must also match the diameter of the hose. To simplify installation, it is best to lubricate its herringbone.When all the necessary elements are at our fingertips, we insert the fitting into the hose until it stops (the depth of entry is large enough). Then we install a suitable adapter into the crimper).After fixing the glass in the clip (somewhere in the middle between the adapters), we begin to pump until the limiter either works, or we ourselves visually make sure that the hose is tightly squeezed out.It is highly discouraged to use sealants in air conditioning systems - only gaskets to achieve maximum tightness! The fact is that the sealant can negatively affect the operation of the refrigerant, harm certain parts of the compressor. It should always be remembered that the gaskets cannot be reused. They are unambiguously changed to new ones at any disconnection of the system elements. Here it must be borne in mind that with an incorrect, excessively strong compression, compression and, as a result, damage to the section of the passage of the fitting are possible. Therefore, you do not need to overdo it.That, in fact, is all. We repeat the operation on the other side of the rubber tube - and the hose is ready. At the same time, as you can see, it practically does not differ from the original one, but it costs a car repair company and, accordingly, is much cheaper for the client. And even if we ignore the numerous problems with ordering and delivery, the economic effect that the independent production of hoses gives is very, very good.- We are approached by a lot of services: "Please make a new hose."We ask them: "Why don't you do it yourself?"- "So let us teach you - it's as easy as shelling pears!"In principle, for one self-made hose from the client, you can take 1.2-1.8 thousand rubles. It turns out that it is enough to make a dozen hoses - and the equipment has already paid off. At the same time, an original or non-original hose of the same size produced at the plant can cost 2, 3, and 4 thousand rubles, so the interest for the client is obvious, and therefore the profitability for the service is considerable.Look, for example, for a BMW 3 Series in the 46th body, the original hose at retail costs 4.7 thousand rubles. Self-made will be more than 2 times cheaper. So, a car air conditioner with your own hands will be much cheaper.And take "right-hand drive Japanese" or some old foreign cars - today there are no spare parts for them. For them, crimper technology is generally the only solution to the problem.

Video (click to play).

To all of the above, it remains only to add that at present, special air conditioning rubber hoses of good quality from well-known manufacturers are sold at the rate of 200-250 rubles. per 1 m. Fittings for 20-40 rubles. - depending on the configuration. Plus glasses and labor costs (each enterprise will calculate the labor intensity standards for itself individually), perhaps - simple welding, i.e. the output cost is extremely low. But the profit may turn out to be much higher than even the one that the service gets by selling the "original". So maybe you should really roll up your sleeves and start crimping?