A/c hose ruined? Suggestions needed.

[JIMJAM]

When it rains it pours....
While rooting around the front I ran into this jewel. A new a/c hose that runs up by the steering was getting knawed. I forsaw this issue and had wrapped it in rubber,tie wrapped it away. However, a recent radiator replacement must have jarred it loose.
Well its hards to tell by pics but what ya think? Its one of John's 2 piece hoses, and no he does not sell sections so I am looking at a $200 plus a/c recharge.
That is IF its needed. Its rubbed through the smooth surface and into the meat approx 1mm. Could last 20 years or blow tonight. Dunno?
But looking at the cost, If any one has any ideas on how to beef it up I am tempted to run it till it cuts loose. I mean, if it was to blow it probably already would have.
All ideas welcomed :smile:

[sean]

Yeah, that does not look so bad you need to prevent further rubbing. Coolant hose with a slit in it wrapped around the hose and clamped in place will prevent further damage. You'll just need to be mindful and monitor it from here on out til you decide to replace it.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Agree. As long as it's only the outer rubber cover and no cords are cut it will probably be fine.

[Evildeli]

I have John's 2 piece hoses. John doesn't have it on his site, but I contacted him when I needed to replace 1 section of the high side. He charged me $35.

[JIMJAM]

Ok my list of things to do has officially turned into a book.
What sucks is that I saw this coming. Wrapped it in part of a tough rubber floor mat and zip tied it away.
Guess it was meant to be. Lots of ticking time bombs in this car.
So guys its a good thing to check next time you are in the area.

Edit- Evildeli thats good to know- I want to go ahead and get it and add to to my room full of" just in case" parts. Enough to build 3 cars by now.

[David T]

The hose should be on the other side of the steering, strap-tied to the frame. It does not look like you damaged it enough that it should be replaced.
David Teitelbaum

[Nicholas R]

If it's not leaking, just get it clear from future rubbing.

[82DMC12]

I had the exact same problem, except my original hose got worn through. The R12 dumped out and I had a huge chunk of ice hanging from the gas tank closing plate!

I drove the car to a tube and hose place and the cut out the bad part and spliced in a new section. So, it can be repaired on the car if needed.

Andy

[David T]

The hose cannot reliably be repaired. Especially if it is an old, original hose. Another great thing about the 2 piece hose set-up is you don't have to replace the whole thing if you damage one part. That was not the original intent of the 2 piece but it is an additional benefit. I don't know if SpecialT will sell just one part of the 2 piece but why not? As bad as having the steering damage the hose, if the hose is not secured away from the steering it is possible you could jam the steering and that would be a LOT worse!!!!!!!! Just another area to inspect on a regular basis, like the underside of the L/H cooling hose by the water pump. You don't want the vee belt to cut the hose so the bracket must hold it up and away.
David Teitelbaum

[JIMJAM]

Like I said what peeves me is I saw this coming,wrapped it and tie wrapped it away. I must have unzipped it when I was tugging at the radiator and condesor when I recently replaced it. Yeah its not old at all. We replaced the entire a/c system 2 summers ago. I am fighting with 2 courses to take. Try and beef it up with some sort of wrap. Which with my luck will lead to unforseen negatives. Also this car seems to get upset if you try to intercede and fix a issue that I was not supposed to know about.- Or B, just leave it be.
Now that I know the hose is rubbed it going to drive me crazy. Ive had the same line soon after I bought the car go off like a shotgun just behind my head in heavy traffic doing 70:shocked:
So loud explosions,smoke,mystery smells,vibrations are just par for the course.
Cmon a/c hose. Come get some!

[David T]

The problem with wrapping the hose is there is not a lot of room and if you make it bigger (thicker) it is just more to get caught up. The outer jacket isn't all that important as long as you didn't go through more than the first layer. You can "repair" it with some electrical tape. If you have the room you can get a piece of heater hose, slit it lengthwise and slide it over the A/C hose. Then strap-tie it securely away from the steering.
David Teitelbaum

[Ron]

I am fighting with 2 courses to take....

Flip a coin Jim and quit worrying about it, bud!

...now you are stressing ME out....just jump in your D and bring it here this weekend and I'll fix you up. If all else fails the local NAPA can make us another hose. If you have R12, my reclaimer is complaining that it is full anyway...