LR3/4 Rear AC Line relocation

dsm02c

Adventurer
I have used the search function to no avail and only seen mention of relocation of the rear ac lines in the passenger rear wheel well on the LR3/4 relocation.

Is there a DIY guide somewhere for this? I know where the lines are but have not pulled the fender liner yet and am trying to get an idea of what is required to complete the modification.

Running 285/65/18 for an upcoming trip and will be working on that body seam and wanted to do it all at the same time.
 

DiscoNels

Adventurer
I seem to remember reading such a post a year or two ago (sorry no idea where I saw the post) where someone moved the line that was in the RR fender well along the seam you want to fold. Turned out this line is Not AC fluid/gas (freon) but is a coolant line so no high pressure fixings are needed. Once he discovered this he just ran some hose with clamps in a different route well away from the path of an articulating tire.
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
dsm02c, my box was full. open now.

I didn't do the job myself but being part of the planning and seeing how it was done, they were basically pushed over and I think more or less tied off to stay put. the body metal seam has to be flattened though so be prepared with proper materials to cover any metal that is exposed.

The most annoying thing about this process is that you'll learn by seeing what's in there that the 32" - maybe 33", is pretty much the true maximum for the lr3/4 without getting into WAY more involved cutting and rebuilding of the fender itself. It's just so damn tight in there.
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
Turned out this line is Not AC fluid/gas (freon) but is a coolant line so no high pressure fixings are needed. Once he discovered this he just ran some hose with clamps in a different route well away from the path of an articulating tire.

I'm going to ask a tech about that. Would be great if total reroute were more DIY simple.
 

dsm02c

Adventurer
Thanks! Looks like I might get the opportunity to modify it without a DIY.
 
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Jwestpro

Explorer
First? Plenty of people have done it themselves. They just aren't aware of this thread. There is for sure a DIY thread somewhere like on disco3uk or the land rover forums
 

dsm02c

Adventurer
I spent quite a bit of time searching the all the online LR resources I could and could not find one. If anybody has any big tips please chime in.
 

DiscoNels

Adventurer
Well, I thought I'd help you out and find the post about someone moving the rear coolant lines but it doesn't appear that the website is working anymore. Originally found the post here. https://lr3tips.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/will-bigger-tires-rub/ But, like I said, it appears that www.lrrforums.com is no more, the whole site is gone. The link we're looking for is: http://www.lrrforums.com/showthread.php?t=11406&page=10

If anyone knows how to access any archives that might be available, please post the info.

From what I remember of the original post it's an easy fix since they're just coolant hoses. Splice, reroute, and clamp, you're done.
 

DVD

Adventurer
I followed that thread too and couldn't find it today. The big job was pounding the fin flat. I did a little judicious grinding on the fin make it easier to bend and then bashed it 90 deg. flat.
 

zelatore

Explorer
I've done it both ways - just bending/re-routing the existing aluminum lines and by replacing the with rubber heater hose lines. Certainly the easiest is to simply replace them. As pointed out, these are just coolant lines, so standard heater hose is up to the task. If I remember correctly, you'll need about 12' for the pair of lines, and I think it's 5/8" though I'm not totally sure on that. There is a break-point just fwd of the wheel well under the rocker, and another inboard of the aft part of the wheel well so you can do it without cutting anything. If I were doing it again, I'd probably just go straight to the rubber hose. Trying to bend the aluminum lines without kinking or cracking them is tough, so there's about a 50% chance you'll end up replacing them with rubber anyway.
.
285/65-18 will be a tough fit any way you go. I run 275/65-18, and most people stick to 267/65-18 since that requires the least trimming. What tire did you go with? I've found as heavy as these rigs are when loaded/built I really want an E rated tire and that limits the selections.
 

DiscoNels

Adventurer
Ok, I did even more digging for some archives from the lrrforums.com website and this is about as good as it gets. I've copy/pasted the original post below but unfortunately the photos did not archive (as far as my search went). This should at least give you 90+% of the information you seek. It sounds pretty simple and once you dig into it I'm sure you'll figure it out.

For the record: my personal experience with tire rubbing on the seam in the Right Rear wheel well with my 275/65/18 Goodyear MT/R Kevlar tires has been as follows. I have Johnson Rods installed and in the beginning there was some rubbing when making hard/fast left turns, but I pounded this seam down with a large hammer as best I could with the hoses in the way. I estimate moving the seam down maybe 1/8th inch or so, not much, and haven't really had any/much rubbing since. So, moving the hoses seems unnecessary (to me).

Original Post from: (http://www.lrrforums.com/showthread.php?t=11406&page=10)
06-21-2009, 08:51 AM #98
craiglud

It's just heater hose!

Well after hitting the trail last week with the new tires I noticed some good rubbing on the passenger wheel. I decided to get in there again and see if I could reroute the A/C lines. I dropped my slider pulled off all the trim and headed to my local A/C shop. Upon closer inspection it was pointed out that those hoses are not the A/C lines but the routing for the heater hose for the rear ac/heat unit. Guess I should have looked closer initially.

This just became a lot easier! I stopped by the autozone on the way home and picked up some 5/8 ID heater hose and some hose clamps and got to work. I cut the lines using a tubing cutter and drained about a gallon of radiator fluid into a bucket. Then spliced in the new tubing and routed in out of the way to the right of the seam. I then used my hammer on the seam and pounded it flat. Followed up with a little application of heat to the plastic wheel liner to make it fit the new flatter wheel well. It was not that hard to do and took about 4 hours with all the work on cutting the hose to the lengths and shapes that I wanted.

I am now able to run at the stock height without rubbing and put the rodmod on for a trip to the trails. I still have warranty coverage out to 100k miles and this makes the dealer much happier when I show up for service at stock ride height!


Original heater hose routing.


Hoses tied out of the way and slot cut in seam with grinder for new hose routing.


Hoses rerouted and seam pounded flat.


Hoses tuck out of the way in outer wheel well.


Plastic wheel well melted flat and refitted.​
 

dsm02c

Adventurer
Thanks for all the help DiscoNels and Zelatore!

285/65-18 will be a tough fit any way you go. I run 275/65-18, and most people stick to 267/65-18 since that requires the least trimming. What tire did you go with? I've found as heavy as these rigs are when loaded/built I really want an E rated tire and that limits the selections.

Thanks for the advice, I might try fully replacing the aluminum, we'll see how much coolant I feel like dealing with... In terms of tire I chose the nitto trail grappler, it's an e sidewall and you can tell as soon as you pick them up, wheel / tire is 95lbs.

I knew it would be a challenge but it seems there are a few people running this size, this combo is only going to be installed for off road, so we'll see.
 
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dsm02c

Adventurer
Heater location DIY

Over the weekend I completed the passenger side rear heater line relocation. I am running 285/65/18 which is an almost 33" tire. This was a pretty simple process and I can state the heater works and there is no leaking. Below are the photos and the steps I took to relocate the lines. Big thanks to DiscoNels for finding the old LRRF post from internet archives. I can understand after completing the operation why there is not more information on it, it is really that simple. The only challenge IMO is the heater line is no longer supported by the brackets that are originally intended to support them, the soft heater hose is being held up by zip ties

Items I required to complete the install:

12' of 5/8'' ID heater hose
1/8'' to 7/8'' tubing cutter
Slotted & Philips screw driver
Angle grinder
Primer, paint, clear coat (to cover newly exposed metal)

1. Remove the fender liner and exterior trim, make sure to remove all the screws for the siemens sensor
2. Remove the lower rocker trim
3. You should now be looking at the heater lines and the fin that is the culprit.
LR34%20Rear%20Body%20seam%20.jpg


4. I then pulled the lines out of the way and used an angle grinder to create a notch in an attempt to get the existing heater lines through. I was unsuccessful (or unwilling) to bend the heater lines enough to get the existing lines to fit. Below is the photo of the notch before and after.
Lines%20Pulled.jpg

Notch%20.jpg


5. After giving up on bending the lines I then went to the "In Line Connections" and disconnected both hard lines from the rubber and patched with the 5/8'' ID hoses between the existing rubber line to the hard lines on the outside portion of the wheel well where there is ample room to run the lines in a protected fashion, the upper wheel arch on the interior of the wheel well will be the limiting factor of travel now which IMO is better than the OEM configuration. Photo of the union and heater diagram.
LR4%20Passenger%20heater%20connections.png
In%20Line%20Connections%20.jpg


6. I painted the areas I pounded flat, I also ground off the stud that previous held the clamp for the hard lines running to the left of the fin.

7. I patched the 5/8'' hose to where the existing hard lines run completely vertical in the wheel well. I used the existing crimp clamps from the in line unions and an additional clamp for peace of mind.
Completed%20relocation.jpg


8. The biggest flaw in the relocation is that there is no support for the lines, I do not have a welder but in the future I may deal with the heater lines once I have nothing else to do. This is a photo of the finished product, I used zip ties and tucked one of the lines behind the lip that is formed by the fender. Everything is tucked neatly and is out of danger of rubbing.
Completed%20relocation.jpg


9. Refill the coolant that leaks out of the lines once you open them up. The instructions per Land Rover are as follows:

LR4%20Coolant%20bleed%20procedure.png


The LR4 uses Pentosin coolant, its the pink stuff.

I will have to deal with the driver side seam this weekend but the process is the same. Final food for thought is there is another "in line connection" over the spare tire in the back of the truck, based on spending 4.5 hours under the truck (I know, I work slow) it seems like you can safely run the soft line directly back to the second "in line connection" and avoid the issue of supporting the lines in the wheel well or the lack thereof.
 

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