A/C Low pressure suction pipe troubles

[ghowell6]

I've been attempting to diagnose a slow leak in my A/C system. When I first bought the car, it worked for about two weeks then stopped, due to the pressure switch flipping. I bought a 134a kit that was designed for converted R12 systems from BiMart, a co-op in Portland. I took the car to an A/C service and had them pressure test it. It holds pressure but there is a small pinhole leak on the suction pipe below the battery. Normally, I'd just get a new hose from Honda, but the part is no longer available through Majestic Honda and my local dealers in Beaverton and Portland, for a 1991 SE. I'm pretty sure they carry it for all the other trims in 1991 and 1992, and even have the 1993 SE. The PN for the 1991 SE suction hose is 80321-SM4-G05 and the 1992 EX one is 80321-SM1-A81. The SE hose is different because of the placement of the ABS reservoir, so I am wondering if a 1992 hose would fit, due to the post refresh CB7's having ABS (for EX models, anyways). I have photos of the route of the hose, and measurements of the hose and at which point it turns. Does anyone have a photo of the hose routing? The part diagrams are the same for both years on Majestic Honda. I think there's another '91 SE at the junkyard but I'd rather buy a new hose than pull one from the junkyard that may have a lot of corrosion on it or be bent.






And the hole that someone drilled through the battery tray, causing the pipe to corrode in the first place.

[wildBill83]

That hole in your battery tray is from a bracket that holds the A/C tubing. Looks like an identical tube as my 93 SE. But I have ABS and cannot remember if it has a different curve there. I'll take a look later today.

[Stoner51]

You can disconnect the line, take it to an ac repair shop and get them to patch it or refit it with rubber hoses. Anyway they can fix it and it will prob be cheaper. You do have to remove the line and take it to them which if you were replacing the line you would do anyway.
Just call around and ask if they repair ac lines.

As far as the different lines fitting. I'm not sure.

steve

[wildBill83]

You can disconnect the line, take it to an ac repair shop and get them to patch it or refit it with rubber hoses. Anyway they can fix it and it will prob be cheaper. You do have to remove the line and take it to them which if you were replacing the line you would do anyway.
Just call around and ask if they repair ac lines.

As far as the different lines fitting. I'm not sure.

steve

If you do this get a new receiver/dryer as well.

[ghowell6]

Good to know about the new receiver/ dryer. I"ll be sure to get one of those too. The hole towards the top of the picture normally isn't there. It was definitely drilled after, as there is fibers from the plastic sticking out on the bottom. The one with a metal plate on top if it definitely bolts to the AC line, as I removed one as I was taking the pictures. I just hadn't reinstalled it yet.
The AC guy I took the car to said that aluminum lines are really hard to patch, even for a small leak like that. He said that if they were copper lines, it would be very simple to seal the line. I wouldn't mind getting it retrofitted with rubber. He's an experienced tech, works on big industrial systems.
My '91 SE indeed has ABS, so I'm assuming that the routing would be the same as a '92 or '93, but the different part number makes me suspect that it may not. I know that the new line would be more expensive, but if I'm going to the trouble to fix it, I'd rather do it right and not have to worry with it down the road. I get a 20% discount on parts through Honda, so it's a relative deal for me.