I was wondering if JB Weld would be ok in patching up a hole in my A/C hardline. It's the thick one leading up to the compressor. I don't know if JB Weld is capable of holding up to that kind of pressure in this application.

Please let me know, thanks!

 

I doubt JB Weld, alone, will be able to hold. If you can't weld/patch the hole in the hard pipe you may get away with trying a combination of JB Weld and good old fashon pipe-patching.

As far as the pipe patching goes, get yourself a little strip of high-temp rubber that can cover the hole and about 1/2-1" on either side of the hole (you'll want it to wrap almost completely around the pipe, front to back) and a nice strip of cord that won't stretch, and won't warp/melt with heat.

Use the JB Weld as a "plug" then throw the bit of rubber over your plug. Take your cord and start securing the rubber strip to the pipe from the outside (if the hole is in the middle) in. Wrap that sucker as tight as you can get it and secure the wrapping with a knot that is not going to loosen.


I can't promise that this will completely fix your problem, but it's good enough to patch holes in pipes on Naval vessels (iirc they will hold atleast 100psi when done right) for temp fixes until a more perminant solution can be found.

Good luck!

I'd also suggest taking your car to an A/C shop, they may be able to fix this problem much more efficiently than how I've suggested.

 

Won't hold, very very bad idea.

 

Thanks Fendamonkey, I'll try just that. After I posted this thread I went online and google'd this same question. Seems like the exact repair process you depicted has been used before and effectively on the a/c hardline. Now all that would be needed would be re-pressurizing the system! Hope that's not expensive.

 

I don't know... I think if he plugs the hole, then patches it correctly it will hold. For a little while..

What PSI does the AC system run at?

I took care of possibly running into this problem, myself, by completely removing all A/C components when I went V-Mount

 

Come to think of it... I'd check in on the temp tolerances of "Spiderwire" fishing line and use that to secure your patch if it won't melt. It's fairly cheap, a very small diameter and that stuff WILL NOT break, period.

That and a bit of thin walled silicon hose (trimmed so the ends along the split will not butt up against each other when you tighten it down) should do the trick, so long as you can keep the line at a very high, even, pressure as you wrap it over the hosing..

 

You asked What PSI does the AC system run at? The High pressure side 270 to 299psi

 

If you take it to a Hose shop that makes hydraulic lines they should be able to weld it shut for ~$10. Typically those places repair tons of aluminum radiators / heat exchangers and hydraulic lines.

 

Damn, that's no joke! IIRC the fire main on my ship was running at 150psi. It's been about 5 years since I qualified in Damage Control onboard, but I'm pretty sure the patch I mentioned would hold if the fire main had a pretty damn big gash.

 

The OP says its the biggest line going to the a/c compressor. That would be the low pressure side which should never see 100psi (I think it sees something like 40ish psi). I would remove the hose and have a hose repair shop weld it or make me a completely new line. fendamonky's fix may work.

 

i can say jb will work, previous owner on my car actually did it, didn't know until i removed a line to fit new radiator and it cracked on me... but i probably wouldn't recc. if you can't find anyone to actually sell it to you, you can always make your own, that's what i did.

 

Fix it right. You can probably find an auto A/C shop that can properly repair the line, replace the dryer (it is cheap insurance while you've got the system open) and re-charge the system for a few hundred bucks.

When a chunk of JB weld flakes off inside the line and gets snarfed into the compressor you'll wish you had just fixed it right in the first place.