I have one problem that I think caused another. I had a small power steering leak (1/2 quart over 6 months) that I think has now caused my a/c hose to burst?

The p/s appears to be located above the a/c compressor?

I heard a pop followed by a release of air. I thought I had a blowout and pulled over. I did not have a blowout but quickly realized that my a/c wasn't cooling. I turned it off for fear of burning out my compressor.

My question is:

Is the a/c hose and steering rebuilt kit above a do-it-yourself job?

If it is not a DIY, what would I expect to pay for these 2 repairs?

I want to make sure my first trip to a mechanic with it is fair.

 

the A/C hose can easily be replaced by yourself, but filling it with refrigirant is another thing. you must have the tools.

have you seen the hose burst or was it really broken? you have a pressure release valve on top of the filter/drier bottle with will purge the freon at more than 20 bar.

 

I heard what sounded like a blown tire. It was a loud pop then a hissing sound for about 5 seconds. I thought I had run over something and pulled over. When I saw the tires were ok, I wasn't sure what it was. I then got in the car and within a few minutes realized it wasn't cool in the car. I turned the dial down all the way and realized my vents were not blowing cold.

My guess is the a/c hose burst. I tried looking with a large flashlight last night but did not see an obvious burst. so many of the hoses are covered in the aluminum protection that it might take a while.

I did do some searching last night and almost had a heart attack! It looks like the hose cost more than any other part on the a/c system? I was seeing prices in the $500-600 range for the hose?!!! How can the hose cost more than the compressor?

It also was referring to it cooling the fuel? Should I even be driving the car at this point?

I wasn't originally alarmed at the breakage because I felt the compressor was fine. I am now concerned that this could be a $1,000 repair?

I did notice that you said I could change the a/c hose but did not mention attempting the steering leak?

Was I possibly correct that the steering leak might have dripped down on the a/c hose and deteriorated it?

 

I did just go out and pressed the valve in the release that you mentioned. Nothing! So I do know now that I have no pressure/freon left. I will have to search for the bad spot in the hose. It must be down low. None of the hoses I see on the top side appear broken unless it is within the aluminum protector. I also have to start at the compressor and make sure I am following the correct lines.

It is just 2 as an American car correct?

 

the purge valve i am talking about is the one with the arrow. not the service valve on which you fill the freon.

yes, you got two service valves.

the upper hose is $348 while the lower is $32.

if you don't want to dig deeper in your pocket, there are shops who can press the hose for you at a fraction of price. they usually do hydraulic hose fabrication for heavy equipments. i used to do that on those who want to save money, and it was really strong.

the P/S fluid cannot damage the A/C hose because it is not corrosive and the A/C hose is resistant to other chemicals on the car.



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I really appreciate the help and the graphics! I like the idea of having the hose built but even with that..the $348 you have listed looks alot better than what I was seeing online.

I am wondering if a shop would insist on using their parts(independent shop) I am going to have to look into that. As well as replacing it myself then paying for the recharge.

Is it common for these hoses to burst? I know that seems like an obvious question, but I have never had one do this before and I have had several cars much older than 10 years old with a/c.

I see 3 lines in the diagram you sent. I am going to have dig around and find these. One has to have a hole. I can also see that I was indeed on the service valve and not the purge.

 

Your diagram got me stirred up and I went outside to take a look!

I do not believe it is the large hose going from the service valve. I do not see any damage along it, though it is covered in an aluminum protector. So I cannot rule it out.

I also do not believe it is the shortest left lower hose.

The longer lower hose which does not have aluminum wrapping does not appear to be damaged either.

However, there is a hose that appears to be coming from the compressor...though it could be the P/S due to all the coverings blocking my view. This hose which appears to be coming from the compressor and running along the framerail is also covered in metal. About halfway along its run, the aluminum is torn and i do not feel pressure in the line. I am still thinking this might be a P/S line though. It just appears to be connected to the compressor because the metal end starts low and the P/S is above the compressor. There is a flat metal shield alogn the side of the compressor which blocks my view right along where the upper hose connects to the compressor. This line that I am referring to runs right along next to the non-protected longer lower line.

I can tell this is going to take some work to locate and possibly to replace.

 

anyway, if something purge out or leaks, you can check the oil that goes with it.

if it is light with strong chemical smell, it is from the A/C.
if high in viscosity and dark, it is from steering.

 

I think the A/C service guys use a freon with dye to find a leak.

Also, freon refill kits are pretty cheap at auto parts stores. About $20 or so for two pounds of freon and the hardware to connect to the low-pressure side service valve. Unless, of course, it uses the older freon, in which case you need to convert the service valve to accept the newer freon. You can get that done for less than $200.

 

It is a bit hard to determine the chemical due to the already present steering leak. The lower drivers side has a light coat of steering blowback on most surfaces in that area. This is what made me initially think the steering leak had ruined the a/c hose. You corrected me on that.

I am afraid to peel off the aluminum hose protection. It appears to have been installed prior to the metal hose ends being crimped. If I peel the bad hose, no problem. I wouldn't want to peel it off of a good hose though?

I do not see any obvious damage on any hose other than the one I mentioned earlier which I think is part of the steering. Does the p/s have such a hose? Running from the pump area down along the framerail towards the firewall?

Could anything else other than a hose have burst?

Tonight I will try and get in there much deeper and see what I can find. All of my experience has been on Chevy trucks. My MB has a MUCH tighter engine compartment, quite a few additional lines and gadets as well which throws me off.