What an A/C Suction hose?

[dant98]

I just had the '05 Vue in the shop to diagnose the AC not working. they talked me into a $180 AC diagnostic and have decided the problem is a hole in the "A/C Suction Hose". I'm told that the warranty company considers this part a wear item and so the shop wans over $300 in parts and labor to fix it. $300 for a hose seems kinda reduculous. The Vue is my wifes car and she said she can do without for the time being.

Can someone else me what the "AC Suction Hose" is, what it looks like, and if I can replace it myself?

Thanks,

-Dan

[fdryer]

For starters; http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80107. This is to help you help yourself to find any leak without dye or the UV light that readily illuminates fluorescent dye when it leaks out anywhere.

The a/c suction hose would be the larger of the two hoses attached to the compressor. Usually the smaller one is very hot to the touch and the larger hose is at cooler temperatures when the a/c is running. The HOT side is the high pressure compressed refrigerant side while the low side is the suction side that the compressor uses to pull the refrigerant gas back from the interior of the car. Most a/c parts are replaceable but there's the inherent danger of pressurized refrigerant, freeze burns if not aware of the hazards, understanding a/c principles, and the equipment necessary to repair an opened system properly. A/C repairs aren't for the timid, untrained, unaware, ignorant, ill informed as it only takes one mistake to make a/c not work. Its unforgiving of mistakes but when repairs are done correctly it can be satisfying to DIY and have a great a/c system work again trouble-free. :cool:

If you decide to replace anything, think over what your abilities are to prevent from going over your head and to part out the work like the evacuation, final leak testing, and charging the repaired system with oil and refrigerant by a local a/c shop. You can save a tremendous amount of money as long as you're honest about your capabilities to follow through with part of the work. Read some of the past members attempts to DIY from here as there are some very good results from this.

[VTchemist]

The suction hose is on the "supply" side of the freon line to the compressor. The suction hose in the Saturn is attached to the dryer.

My suction hose/dryer assembly had to be replaced last year. The dryer had developed a crack. The shop first recharged the system with a dye and found the leak. Then, they replaced the hose. Cost was around $250 to replace the hose.

But, it was actually the dryer that was cracked. After having all the freon leak out again, they changed the dryer and the hose. I only paid the cost of the dryer (~$50). The shop (a Nissan dealership) did not charge me for labor or the refill.

The dryer/hose assembly is ~$75. But the cost comes from having to pump the system out and then refilling it. It is not something that you can do yourself.

The cost you were quoted is not out of line. Government regs stipulate what the shops must do with AC units when they are serviced. There are no (legal or environmentally safe) shortcuts.

[fdryer]

Uhhh, the suction hose attached to the drier? I don't think so. From the compressor high pressure side to the condenser coil, the filter/drier, to the input side of the expansion valve on the firewall, high pressure becomes low pressure output to the evaporator coil where the heat exchange takes place to cool off the interior, out the firewall as the suction side to the compressor.

[VTchemist]

I got my info from a site selling the dryer and hose unit for Saturns. They called the hose attached to the dryer the suction hose. It was only about 1 foot in length. Could have been mislabeled.

[fdryer]

Its understandable. Try Googling vehicle a/c systems for a general diagram and you'll quickly see the entire plumbing system. Some very good a/c sites will have drawings too for an overall view for identifying everything. :cool:

[dant98]

I really appreciate the insight.

I haven't done any AC work myself, aside from refrigerant. I did remove the system from an '84 Ramcharger once, but that was during an engine replacement and I never got to putting it back on.\

It sounds to me like if there were a component to replace myself, it is best on the low pressure side and being that it is just a hose and nothing like a compressor failure, the risk of system contamination is minimal.

We couldn't get any cold air out of the system at all shortly after they recharged the system with the uv dye. Is it likely that all the R-134 has already leaked out and that I can safely de-pressurize the system to replace the hose?

After replacing the hose, it sounds like it might be a good idea to take it to a shot to have the AC flushed and filled?

If the majority of the cost is in the flush and fill, I should probably just pay the $300+ and have the shop do it. If they're billing me 300 to replace a hose and a couple of o rings or something and $30 to fill the system, then I think I could do it myself.

[fdryer]

When a system is fully charged the equalized pressures throughout are around 75 psi without turning on the a/c. With recent EPA regulations and their oversight in the general business population of vehicle a/c repairs there's this air of importance about damaging Earth's ozone. We humans have wasted our resources for thousands of years and the latest ploy is make us responsible for our actions; recycling refrigerant, careful management of repairs when working around refrigeration, a more conscious effort.

There will be the inevitable release of refrigerant whether we release it inadvertently or otherwise. If its determined that your system has refrigerant then there should be a/c shops that can evacuate your system to contain the refrigerant for processing/recycling, similar to motor oil recycling. By doing our part this allows us DIYer's to repair/replace component parts. Depressurizing would be the first step before opening the system for repairs regardless of whether its the high or low pressure side. Since no refrigerant is in the system there's no danger of inhalation hazards, freeze burns, polluting our atmosphere, etc.. Removing refrigerant now allows any kind of maintenance almost anyone can do as long as certain precautions are taken.

A leak can be anything from the smallest microscopic ones to burst hoses. If the a/c died almost immediately then it must be a large leak. The larger the leak the easier to find them. The costs for evacuating, leak testing, and recharging can be anywhere from $75-$150. A/C shops aren't going to reveal costs, just what the market can bear so it pays to shop for some place that will work with you when negotiating repairs especially when you can replace most parts yourself within reason and use common sense understanding how a/c must be sealed to pressure proof it. High pressures can approach 250 psi during operation so a repair must be sealed correctly.