When it’s time to repair an ac line in your vehicle you have a few things to consider.
Do you use an AC line repair kit, a block off kit, line splice kit or just replace the aluminum ac line? Here’s where we’ll break down everything to take into account before you decide on the repair you’re going to undertake.
First you need to be sure you know your ac line is leaking.
If you’ve already found the leaking hole or fitting, you’re in good shape. If you haven’t found the leak but you know there has to be one because your ac isn’t working, read on. If you need to track down where the leak is happening in your ac system, there is ac refrigerant with dye added. You can fill your ac system with refrigerant that has dye and let it run for a few hours or a few days. Sometimes leaks are slow and you may not find them in a couple hours. So, this dye will start to show on the outside of the system and that will show you where your ac leak is at!
If your ac is leaking at a fitting or connection point, you’re going to have to replace that connection.
You have the option to get the piece of aluminum AC system line that is an OE remanufacture (a replica of the part on the system already). This is usually a little costly and who knows, down the road you may find you have the same issue at the same fitting connection! Or another option would be an ac line repair kit from Auto Cooling Solutions. This method would involve knowing the size of the fitting at the connection. If you don’t know the size we can usually match the fitting with a simple emailed picture of your fitting. This line repair kit would have a compression style fitting on the other end. This will allow you to cut back on the line leading to the fitting that’s leaking. Our repair kit line will have your fitting on one end and the compression fitting on the other. The compression fitting end would then be connected to the existing ac line. You can get these ac line repair kits in a variety of lengths. However long you need it, we’ve got it. They start at 6” lines and can go 100 feet if you want it to.
If You’ve found that your ac is leaking somewhere in the mid section of the line, like a puncture or a corroded area that broke through you have a couple options.
Which option is best will be determined by how you want to repair it. One option would be our ac line repair kit. Same as above accept you can get compression fittings on both ends. This would be a good option if your ac leak is on a bend or is in a difficult spot to get to with tools. These kits are really just a great easy solution! If the leak is in a hard to get to spot, you can cut out enough of the line to bypass the hard to get to spot and just order length enough to fill the gap.
Another option for this type of leaking ac line is the splice kit type of repair. This is another compression fitting type of repair, but they are very limited because they are rigid. You can’t use them on bends. If the leak is in the hard to get to spot, you may not be able to get the tools into the area to tighten the compression fittings enough. So, if the leak is in an easy to get to straight piece of line, the splice kit can work. Again, our ac line repair kits will do the same and they’re about the same cost and they come with a LIFETIME WARRANTY! So, if you want to not worry about that ac leak again, our repair kit is the way to go!
Now last but not least, if your leak is somewhere in the rear ac lines here are a couple more options.
You could use our rear ac line replacement kit.
These take the place of your existing rear ac lines. For many vehicles you won’t even have to fully remove the existing ac lines. You can fish them through and around wherever they need to go easily and the hook up to your existing ac fittings! This method will allow you to fully restore your entire ac system in the vehicle.
If you’re a little short on money and that’s the biggest concern, we also make rear ac block off kits.
These are designed to bolt up to your existing fittings that feed the rear ac system. Blocking off the rear ac can resolve the ac leak issue. However, your entire vehicle will now rely on only the front system to cool it all down. This can work for some people. Others who usually have more passengers in the rear of the vehicle may find that some of the riders in the back aren’t quite as cool as the riders in the front. If your good with that great, the ac block off will work for you.
The great thing is that if you go with our block kit you always have the option to replace the rear lines later to restore your ac system to full functionality without spending extra for repairing the front lines.
Others out there are advising to just use a compression cut off or cap off kit. This option will block the line, but you have to cut the fitting off the front lead line to use a compression cap fitting on it. Which just means if you do want to fix the whole system later, you will now have to buy the front lines. If you choose our rear block kit, your front lines and fitting will stay intact!