Aircon pipes. Replace with braided hoses?

edk

edk

Addicted to Torque
Staff member
Opinions please. Do you think it would be possible to replace the hard aircon pipes that come from the aircon rad with hoses? I would guess they would have to be braided too. Grind the hard pipes off, then replace with jubilee cliped braided hoses?

Reason is everything is a little tight down there with my aftermarket intercooler and pipes, and I want to keep my aircon as it's too good at de-misting windows to drop.

Thanks :)
 
The aircon pipes are under a fair bit of pressure, I've not heard of anybody doing it before, and you'd have to be very careful they are well held on. Not sure a jubilee clip would cut it, you might crush the hard pipe actually, getting it tight enough to hold it on well. Maybe getting something welded or braised on would be better?

I'm just thinking aloud :lol:
 
I think the welded metal tubes are used not only to keep pressurisation but to maintain lower temps too. I'd imagine hoses do not have the same properties and would not maintain the cold temps to function correctly as an Aircon. The hoses would leak engine bay temps possibly heating the gas before it enters the firewall.

I'm sure you don't want that fungal smell coming in!
 
I think the aircon rad does the majority of the cooling. The larger diameter hard pipes I can keep so propably just the small pipes near the rad itself.
 
Here, check out where '22' points to and the canistor '23'. It's those pipes joining that up that's the problem (mines on the other side of the condenser). Oh and possibly pipe number 19, near where it meets the condenser.

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in short... yes you could do it as the N15's have hoses at some point in the system.

Jubilee clips are a MASSIVE nono. all the joints on the air con system are bolted together.

i honestly wouldnt recommend fiddling with it mate, the gas is under enormous pressure, thats how aircon works - expansion and contraction of gases. all it takes is one bad joint and you have an expensive, very poisonous mistake.
 
RAJackson said:
...hoses at some point in the system. Jubilee clips are a MASSIVE nono. all the joints on the air con system are bolted together. i honestly wouldnt recommend fiddling with it mate
Click to expand...

I appreciate that so I'm looking for how to do it properly. As you say there are hoses in the system already so can't be bad to have more hoses, it's just how to go about getting them in without bodging. As you say, best to leave jubilee clips out of it.
 
you could get pipes made up proffessionally, thats the only way i can see you getting rubber piping in there without bodging cause its pretty spec fittings.

i think im going to have this problem soom... my aircon rad is taking up all the space for my intercooler but i dont wanna get rid of my air con.
 
Id imagine you need some snug fitting hydraulic hose (suitably pressure rated) and t-bar type clamps that will clamp evenly to avoid crushing the pipe. Jubilees tend to go oval shaped. Critically You probably want the metal pipes 'beaded' on the ends where you cut them for a leak free secure joint.

Just my input...although admittely i know nothing about Air con.
 
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