Just replaced my rear ac line in my 2004 100 series with about 79k miles and wanted to share more info about replacing the lines, seeing that there will be more people having this problem as time goes by.
There are are two options people have done- change the line for about $105(retail -tax included) or cap or the rear ac lines for about $40-50 (Airsept products that others have used/suggested on other posts)
This line that leaked for me is the thinner (high side?) line that runs from the front of the passenger wheel well to the top of the muffler. This is my suggestions and observations for replacing this approx. 5 foot section of line.
Cruiserdan does not ship this part because it is too long so don't waste your time asking him. Toyotapartscheap.com sells it for over 70 bucks but since it is an over-sized part and about 30 bucks to ship, it comes out about the same price as buying from the dealer directly.
There's a metal protective cover for the ac where the passenger front wheel well and the running board meet under the the car. There are three 10mm nuts that hold down this cover. There are a total of 4 harnesses/brackets that hold this particular line to the body of the vehicle. One of the harnesses is behind the muffler and there is one nylon zip tie also.
Unless you lose all of the refrigerant, always assume that your lines are under high pressure and will expel oil and gas when you open up the system. I will now describe these 4 harnesses from left to right starting from the wheel well to the muffler(as if you were looking up from under the truck after sliding under from the passenger side of truck). These harnesses are crimped/corroded so you might have use pliers to work them loose. The first two harnesses are pretty easy to figure out. The third one is the trickiest.
The third one, I unbolted the supporting arm ( to large line) and cut out the THIN leaking refrigerant line on each side of this main bracket. This allowed me to shift(left and right) and spin the bracket around the larger line. I pried the bracket slightly open to slide it to the right of the large line where the line thins down. This way I could pull out the bracket.
This bracket you could replace or drill new holes to accept new nuts and bolts that hold the two halves of the bracket together. The original bolts are not worth dealing with because of corrosion.
The fourth bracket is not too much more difficult than the first two, but you will need an socket extension. Don't forget to cut the nylon tie along the way. Remove the two bolts that hold the metal muffler shield to the body for easier access to lines. I couldn't remove the shield from the area but was able to shuffle it around to keep it out of the way
Other suggestions is to leave the last cut line section (third bracket to behind muffler) alone till you are ready to replace. This allows you to study the angles and positions of how to place the new line in. By not trying to bend/force the old line while pulling it out, you can gauge how to put in the new line in. Amazingly I was able to get it in on the first try by studying how I twisted the old one out.
Inspect the rubber O rings for damage.Wipe off any debris on threads and connectors before reassembling to ensure a tight seal.
I found a mom and pop auto shop in the NW Chicago area that charged me $83 bucks to evacuate and recharge the AC system.
My observations is that the leak occurred near the first bracket. Road dirt and debris got between the bracket's rubber grommet and the refrigerant line and wore down the soft aluminum tube. Moisture retention also didn't help also. Annual cleaning might prevent further problems.
I also removed corrosion from the metal cover with a wire wheel and repainted with many coats to slow down rust while I was repairing.
I did this on the ground without a mechanic creeper without the stock truck lifted and found this easy because I did the work lying down on my back. Making it easier to reach behind the muffler to tighten bolts and lines. I am on the thinner side of body proportion and the behind the muffler section might be the toughest section of the job for larger tummies and arms.
Hope this helps somebody along the road, wondering whether to repair or cap this section of the AC lines.
Good luck!
There are are two options people have done- change the line for about $105(retail -tax included) or cap or the rear ac lines for about $40-50 (Airsept products that others have used/suggested on other posts)
This line that leaked for me is the thinner (high side?) line that runs from the front of the passenger wheel well to the top of the muffler. This is my suggestions and observations for replacing this approx. 5 foot section of line.
Cruiserdan does not ship this part because it is too long so don't waste your time asking him. Toyotapartscheap.com sells it for over 70 bucks but since it is an over-sized part and about 30 bucks to ship, it comes out about the same price as buying from the dealer directly.
There's a metal protective cover for the ac where the passenger front wheel well and the running board meet under the the car. There are three 10mm nuts that hold down this cover. There are a total of 4 harnesses/brackets that hold this particular line to the body of the vehicle. One of the harnesses is behind the muffler and there is one nylon zip tie also.
Unless you lose all of the refrigerant, always assume that your lines are under high pressure and will expel oil and gas when you open up the system. I will now describe these 4 harnesses from left to right starting from the wheel well to the muffler(as if you were looking up from under the truck after sliding under from the passenger side of truck). These harnesses are crimped/corroded so you might have use pliers to work them loose. The first two harnesses are pretty easy to figure out. The third one is the trickiest.
The third one, I unbolted the supporting arm ( to large line) and cut out the THIN leaking refrigerant line on each side of this main bracket. This allowed me to shift(left and right) and spin the bracket around the larger line. I pried the bracket slightly open to slide it to the right of the large line where the line thins down. This way I could pull out the bracket.
This bracket you could replace or drill new holes to accept new nuts and bolts that hold the two halves of the bracket together. The original bolts are not worth dealing with because of corrosion.
The fourth bracket is not too much more difficult than the first two, but you will need an socket extension. Don't forget to cut the nylon tie along the way. Remove the two bolts that hold the metal muffler shield to the body for easier access to lines. I couldn't remove the shield from the area but was able to shuffle it around to keep it out of the way
Other suggestions is to leave the last cut line section (third bracket to behind muffler) alone till you are ready to replace. This allows you to study the angles and positions of how to place the new line in. By not trying to bend/force the old line while pulling it out, you can gauge how to put in the new line in. Amazingly I was able to get it in on the first try by studying how I twisted the old one out.
Inspect the rubber O rings for damage.Wipe off any debris on threads and connectors before reassembling to ensure a tight seal.
I found a mom and pop auto shop in the NW Chicago area that charged me $83 bucks to evacuate and recharge the AC system.
My observations is that the leak occurred near the first bracket. Road dirt and debris got between the bracket's rubber grommet and the refrigerant line and wore down the soft aluminum tube. Moisture retention also didn't help also. Annual cleaning might prevent further problems.
I also removed corrosion from the metal cover with a wire wheel and repainted with many coats to slow down rust while I was repairing.
I did this on the ground without a mechanic creeper without the stock truck lifted and found this easy because I did the work lying down on my back. Making it easier to reach behind the muffler to tighten bolts and lines. I am on the thinner side of body proportion and the behind the muffler section might be the toughest section of the job for larger tummies and arms.
Hope this helps somebody along the road, wondering whether to repair or cap this section of the AC lines.
Good luck!
They look a little corroded, sadly I wonder if this is on the radar for me.
