Do-it-yourself air conditioner pipe repair

Repair of car air conditioning pipes can be carried out both because they are broken, and because they are dirty and cannot be cleaned. In winter, when the air conditioner is not running, aluminum hoses and pipes can become clogged, especially between the engine radiator and the air conditioner radiator. Contaminant particles can accumulate that can contaminate the lines. And all this in combination can interfere with the proper circulation of the refrigerant and mixing of refrigerant and moisture is simply inevitable.

The tubes themselves are made of aluminum, so external factors can destroy this material. Temperature fluctuations, violation of the level of moisture, the presence of reagents - all this can lead to the destruction of aluminum. And besides this, there are sealing rings and rubber gaskets, which, under the influence of various factors, can collapse even faster.

The performance of aluminum tubes is affected by the climate of the country, temperature, road surface or lack of it, the overall load on the car and getting into traffic accidents.

All this negatively affects the operation of the cooling unit, and as a result, the repair of auto-conditioner tubes is simply inevitable.

You may mistakenly think that nothing depends on the performance of the tubes, but its durability will depend on how timely the repair of the tubes of the auto-conditioner is carried out. Tightening can cause the compressor to depressurize and you will have to perform a complete replacement of the device. Worst of all, if during the wear process 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 the health of the passengers of the car will be impaired. Many have already felt for themselves that there can be real health problems from the cooling system.

Video (click to play).

Repairing air conditioning 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 compositions. The so-called soldering of holes in the form of patches is performed. Such mixtures can be applied in several layers so that their thickness is 2-3 millimeters. Thus, we achieve high-quality repair of the air conditioner of the car.

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

Soldering a car air conditioner pipe

Car air conditioner tube after soldering

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

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

Repair of auto air conditioning pipes begins with the fact that you need to buy or make parts. Next, cut off the required length and bend them with 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 car air conditioning pipes, it is not always possible to resort to the above method. Sometimes the air conditioner tubes are replaced with hoses that are made of rubber. Although they are made of a less resistant material, replacing them will be very quick, simple and cheap. Welding of air conditioner tubes is not used here, usually the hoses are screwed in.

Welding of air conditioner tubes is also used if they are made of copper. The copper type of connections is more resistant than aluminum, but it is expensive. In this case, it is necessary to perform flaring. And this is a job for professionals with a high-quality specific tool (it is present only at good service stations). Sometimes insulation is performed for such parts, 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 you need to monitor the cooling system very closely: listen to the sounds in the operation of devices, to smells and to general performance characteristics. All this can tell you in time about problems that are easy to fix in the early stages. Take care of your car and it will serve you for many years!

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

Repairing car air conditioning pipes is a common problem that every driver has to deal with at some point. Minor damage to the tube leads to the fact that freon begins to leave the system, due to which, in turn, the air conditioner ceases to function. Armed with knowledge, the necessary tools and finding some free time for all this, you can fix the pipes and pipes of the air conditioner with your own hands.

Tubes can be repaired not only due to mechanical damage, but also in case of severe contamination, when the product cannot be cleaned. In winter, for example, when the air conditioner is not in use, all aluminum connections can become clogged. Often, the area between the radiators of the air conditioner and the car engine suffers from clogging.