I have a 100 series land cruiser that has a leak in the ac lines to the 3rd row A/C. the leak is in a 6ft section of line that is a $120 part that is damn near impossible to replace. I don't even have the third row seats in it so I decided to cap them. I bought some caps from airsept I had read about, installed them, but can't get them to hold a seal. took them off and put them back on a few times and no luck. Is there an easier way to do this? With the weather heating up having AC is a must. Would it be possible to have someone crimp and weld the lines? Or is there another solution?

 

A weld would be best but finding someone to do it in the car might be an issue.....and pulling the line out doesn't sound like an option.

Is there a "join" in the line a little further up that will still have the second row working?

 

Well there is no line for the second luckily it is just borrowed air from the front. There is a pretty easy to access part right in the engine bay where the line splits off from the rear that looks like it would be easy to weld shut.

I rigged the cap on with some added epoxy last night and it seemed to hold under 20psi. Gonna check it today and see if the pressure has dropped but even then not sure how permanent this will be

 

I checked this afternoon after about 24 hours of the pressure being in the system. It had dropped about 1psi. But not sure if thats just the system dissipating it more, some actually leaking out, temperature change changing it, inaccuracy in the gauge etc.

This is where the lines split at the front, i have circled the line that goes to the rear.

 

I hope it holds this time.

A risk I know but if you cut the "T" out and just did a straight splice Do the offer that piece without the third row option? Again I'm just guessing the "straight splices" are more common and might work better?????

Dorman Products has many of those AC splice kits - can say they would be better than others, just throwing that out there. You can look online and see if there are reviews and that.

I've often thought about and even looked at options I might do if the rear AC on the Pilot ever had an issue....the lines run under the car and at some point mother nature will get at them (even though we don't get much salt here in NC) or something from the road will bounce up an take one of them out.

 

I saw the splice kits, but it seems like they wouldn't hold up as long as the factory piping. I really want a permanent solution.

I don't think it was available without the third row option. I was recommend "brazing" the line closed. Basically cut it off at the T and crimp the line closed as best as possible and then use this brazing(basically looks like soldering for aluminum) to close it. People seem to think it would hold up to the pressure.

Since the brazing rods are only $5 or so at lowes and I already have a torch I might buy some and mess around with it and see how well it works.

 

Yea that is an option, leave a little extra line for the "oh shoot that didn't work" . Didn't even think of that, I was thinking of "tig" welding this morning.

Not sure if you are thinking of towards the back where it is bad or the pic location - I don't have to tell you as you've done enough of these types of things that you know, more for anyone else that might ever run across this.......that kind of heat, you have to be sure of the other "stuff" in the area doesn't get caught up in something you didn't mean to happen. Yes, alum has a pretty low melting point but heat is heat.......fire...fire...fire

Might send a PM to TX and see what he thinks or has to say? My AC skills vs his are nothing so I'd seek him out and see what he thinks.

 

Yeah it would certainly be easier at the T but it would run into the situation you mentioned of it didnt work and now the whole line is junk. So I think first I'd cut off a piece of the garbage line and try on that and see how it works etc. Then try it under the vehicle. But first I'll monitor the pressure over the next few days and see if this cap is actually holding but i'm guessing I'll see the psi drop every day.

 

Well after a few days the pressure remained the same with just the caps+epoxy so went and got it filled so hopefully it holds now. It was rough driving it around without AC in the meantime.

 

Got it just in time for a cold spell? They're actually talking temperatures in the high 20s this weekend around here!