2016 Nissan Leaf, 55k miles. AC stopped blowing cold. took it to Midas and they diagnosed a cracked connection fitting in the high-pressure hose where it connects to the condenser. $600 and change to repair. I can find the hose from Nissan for $90. Is it as simple as disconnecting the old hose at the compressor and back where it connects at the firewall, installing the new one, and having Midas do an evacuation and recharge? Or is it more complicated and not something I should DIY? I am fairly knowledgeable and handy (brakes, starters, plugs, etc.).
It might be that simple… but you will need the new O-rings if they do not come with the hose. And they need to be HBNR rubber, not just plain black nitrile O-rings. You might also need a new air-dryer as well.
Did Midas give you a quote on the evac and fill? You might be surprised to find you are not saving much money DIYing this repair.
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Do you have the equipment to recover and evacuate the refrigerant?
If not, then NO . . . it’s not a diy repair, as far as you’re concerned
The only way you’d save money is if you . . . or someone else . . . first recovered the refrigerant, and then you replaced the part(s)
But I’m 99.99% sure Midas won’t recover the refrigerant for you without them also doing the whole job
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If it has a cracked line, there probably is nothing to recover.
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I can repair a/c, but I don’t. Check around for a/c shops, don’t use a Midas. Do it wrong and the Freon leaks out (bad), do something really wrong and it leaks on you, could be dangerous.
Ps- it’s not simple
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Another vote to find an actual Air Conditioner shop . There are Midas shops that are able to do do this but most are not .
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We’re talking about an EV
Afaik, EVs and hybrid ac compressors use a different oil. Contamination could theoretically make it nonfunctional
Therefore, a dedicated machine that does NOT remove the oil is required
I doubt Midas has such equipment
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That price probably includes a new A/C Condenser since it looks like the Receiver/Drier (don’t know if the desiccant bag is replaceable) is, as with many/most vehicles today, part of the condenser assembly and needs/requires replacement…
A/C work is best left up to the pros…
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There’s no way a shop is replacing a liquid line, a condenser assy, and evac and charge the system for $600. If that car uses R1234yf the refrigerant alone will be over $100.
Furthermore, despite what you and I were taught years ago about opening A/C systems, many OEMs no longer require/specify that you replace the drier or dessicant simply for opening a system.
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Tester
Looks like the Leaf didn’t start using R1234yf until 2018, but my labor source is incomplete, I only show the discharge line and suction line, discharge is 1.2 hours (if correct) and it shows the drier at 1.9 hours (if correct) or the condenser w/drier at 3.9 (if correct)… Nothing about servicing the drier…
So yeah, I can’t get the math to work out right…
I’d like to see the breakdown of the estimate…
Do you need to Disable and Enable the High Voltage System while replacing the A/C parts on this thing??
Many OEM’s also recommend not to service the “lifetime ATF”, soooo… lol
I can see if the desiccant bag is recently new and you have to re-open the system after a short time to replace an O-ring or something, but if it is in a system that has been leaking (not completely sealed), then I am replacing it… Don’t want to repair the system and take the time to pull a vacuum and then charge it up just to find out the desiccant has absorbed moister and now causing a partial block…
The Leaf uses POE refrigerant oil.
Tester
Not if you’re just replacing an A/C line. Technically you would need to if you’re servicing the compressor, but I know several techs who would simply unplug the HV connectors.
I also know of some shops that tout themselves as hybrid or EV repair shops but don’t use dedicated HV A/C equipment or keep POE oil in stock for those vehicles.
Yes, but the problem is that now you’re taking a quick and simple hose replacement and adding hours of labor and the cost of parts to the bill to service the drier or replace the condenser assy, effectively doubling the bill.
I see a point in the not too distant future that an A/C repair will total a hybrid or EV car.
So you are saying according to your POE oil link, that the desiccant needs (required) to be replaced when opened the system for parts replacement??
Defiantly, the cost can skyrocket if/when replacing the condenser assembly, but if access to the drier isn’t to bad (haha) and it is serviceable, then the price shouldn’t jump up to crazy high…
Not me. The Refrigerant HQ says you do.
If pulling a vacuum on the system doesn’t remove the moisture, how else can it be removed?
Tester
That is my thinking…
And to asemasters point about the cost in the future, if the moister in the POE can/is damaging the compressors and what not, then the system will require a new compressor and all that entails if the system has a leak and is not repaired in a timely manner… Yeah, that don’t sound cheap… lol
And most manufacturers (like Toyota) have backed off on that. I sure as hell wouldn’t go a lifetime without ever changing the fluid.