Leak in driver's side hydraulic suspension line - repair methods

[Minjin]

I've finally got a suspension leak in my 2001 LX. The underside has always been a little rusty (from when I bought it) and one of the the lines has finally sprung a leak. It is the big 1/2in line running along the frame rail right under the driver's seat. See pic below. You can even see the white line of the fluid spraying out under pressure.

I know that there are generally two options: repair or strip out the hydraulic suspension and put LC stuff in there. I'd like to try option 1 for now, fully recognizing that it may become whack-a-mole. In this case, the leak was clearly caused by the plastic bracket that captured dirt and held it against the steel line until it developed a pinhole leak 20 years later. It looks like it would be a PITA to completely remove this line due to its length and attempt to repair or replace it (is it even available and if so, is it stupid money?). So, I'm wondering two things. What is the pressure in this line? It seems to be the supply line so I'm guessing it is a lower pressure line. And does anyone have any suggestions on how to repair it that they have seen work before? I'm thinking flareless compression union but that requires cutting the line and cleaning up the line really well on both ends. I already tried epoxy but I couldn't get the line clean enough. A hose holds pressure for a while but eventually leaks out. On vehicle welding? Any other clever ideas?

Thanks for any input.

 

[2001LC]

If you feel rig worth keeping. Replace the line with new.

 

[jLB]

I believe AHC working pressures were discussed in this thread:

Ahc pressure

forum.ih8mud.com

I suspect that any “half assed” repair is going to be a losing proposition, and if one line is rusting through, how far behind are the others?

 

[hoser]

In this case, the leak was clearly caused by the plastic bracket that captured dirt and held it against the steel line until it developed a pinhole leak 20 years later.

Did you just say that with a straight face?

 

[YvesNL]

I've used "Cutting Ring Coupling/Fitting" from the company "Voss" and some hydraulic pipe in the past to make AHC line repairs.

You can get these for the high pressures involved in the AHC system.
I made a few repairs on my rusty AHC lines with these, drove for years and they never failed (other parts of the line did).

 

[jsloden]

I think your best option is to start looking at the conversion kits to convert it to traditional suspension. These usually end up saving you money over trying to keep the ahc going once they get this bad. If you have one leak there are more usually not far behind. From the looks of those lines it's headed that way.

 

[Kabanstva]

Rip out that whole system and throw it in the trash. With that much rust god knows what will blow next.

 

[saudi]

I've finally got a suspension leak in my 2001 LX. The underside has always been a little rusty (from when I bought it) and one of the the lines has finally sprung a leak. It is the big 1/2in line running along the frame rail right under the driver's seat. See pic below. You can even see the white line of the fluid spraying out under pressure.

I know that there are generally two options: repair or strip out the hydraulic suspension and put LC stuff in there. I'd like to try option 1 for now, fully recognizing that it may become whack-a-mole. In this case, the leak was clearly caused by the plastic bracket that captured dirt and held it against the steel line until it developed a pinhole leak 20 years later. It looks like it would be a PITA to completely remove this line due to its length and attempt to repair or replace it (is it even available and if so, is it stupid money?). So, I'm wondering two things. What is the pressure in this line? It seems to be the supply line so I'm guessing it is a lower pressure line. And does anyone have any suggestions on how to repair it that they have seen work before? I'm thinking flareless compression union but that requires cutting the line and cleaning up the line really well on both ends. I already tried epoxy but I couldn't get the line clean enough. A hose holds pressure for a while but eventually leaks out. On vehicle welding? Any other clever ideas?

Thanks for any input.

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I live in uk and I got a flexible pipe with compression fittings each end , rather like plumbing ones and they take pressure far exceeding the suspension pressure and work a treat . I got from a compo called Pirtek but I’m sure you’ll have same . I hated the consensual suspension

 

[Minjin]

I appreciate the sentiment to just replace the line with a new one. However, I spent an hour in the local Lexus parts department this afternoon and the clerk couldn't figure out what line this was. His parts diagram wasn't very helpful and he was very apologetic. I told him I'd look into it more and let him know.

Did you just say that with a straight face?

I'm not sure I follow. Can you please explain the joke?

I've used "Cutting Ring Coupling/Fitting" from the company "Voss" and some hydraulic pipe in the past to make AHC line repairs.

You can get these for the high pressures involved in the AHC system.
I made a few repairs on my rusty AHC lines with these, drove for years and they never failed (other parts of the line did).

I'll check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.

I think your best option is to start looking at the conversion kits to convert it to traditional suspension. These usually end up saving you money over trying to keep the ahc going once they get this bad. If you have one leak there are more usually not far behind. From the looks of those lines it's headed that way.

I was resisting doing that as the AHC was one of the reasons I bought the vehicle and it has given me no issues until now. The rest of the system is working fine. Plus, I plan on selling the vehicle and I didn't want to eliminate features that the next owner may want. But I will do it if I have to.

I live in uk and I got a flexible pipe with compression fittings each end , rather like plumbing ones and they take pressure far exceeding the suspension pressure and work a treat . I got from a compo called Pirtek but I’m sure you’ll have same . I hated the consensual suspension

I stopped by a hydraulic line shop today and asked their opinion. A hydraulic hose doesn't seem like it would have the necessary bend radius. I asked about hard steel lines and the guy there said he didn't know anyone in the area that did them custom. I find it hard to believe though.

 

[Kabanstva]

Why don’t you post in the regional forum here and see if someone local saved their AHC lines when they removed the system….it’s unlikely but you never know.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I would consider two approaches to repair.

1: replace with new and lift body off frame if needed. If you lift the body, replace all of them. Probably ~$1000 in parts.

2. Cut the hose out and have a hydraulic shop (there should be many in any major city with industrial shops/plants) create a new one with the proper OEM end connections. Pirtek is a common chain.

Either way I'm sure that's an annoying repair. Rust sucks.