DIY: A/C Insulation

[texkid]

Originally Posted by mrbond

There's another section of the low pressure line pretty far down in the engine bay - right where the rubber hose ends and just before the a/c compressor. About an hour ago I spent about 20 minutes wrapping that in the foam insulator and the aluminum tape, then I drove the car for a while. The air temp dropped another degree. Just an fyi.

Sweet!

But keep an eye on it. Supposedly there might be a greater chance that section of the line could melt the insulation. If it doesn't over time then maybe I'll include in the DIY. I am still periodically checking my lines for excess heat or signs of damage/melting. Good thing I have a fire extinguisher in the car ready for anything.

[texkid]

Originally Posted by PK198105

...for now everything is a ok , except my nuts are frozen

For that you should use Glad ziplock bags to prevent freezer burn to your meat. I'll write a DIY for that as well.

[1NZYaris1]

Originally Posted by PK198105

thats what i do for now , i check each time i arrive home just to be on the safe side. for now everything is a ok , except my nuts are frozen

too much infomation , your nut's are not part of this thread ,
well they wheren't until now anyway

[texkid]

Originally Posted by PK198105

i shall provide pictures.... i shaved no worries

ROTFLMAO!

[darthbauer]

This looks like something I should do but as of right now, I have no shade and its like over 100 here in Orange.

[firebob]

I keep looking at this and thinking about the way I covered my oil lines on my old truck. I split some “heater hose” slid it over the lines and use cheap electrical tape to cover it.


I have not thought about doing this and have not looked at the AC lines to see if this would work. But I do think it would look cleaner than what has been picked and what has been talked about.

[darthbauer]

Originally Posted by PK198105

do what shave your balls or insulate the ac lines?? j/k

you can do it when the car is cold , it really takes about 10 minutes

The engine is cold as I have not gone anywhere in the last 24 hours in it, Its just to damn hot outside.

[texkid]

Originally Posted by firebob

But I do think it would look cleaner than what has been picked and what has been talked about.

I do agree that mine looks like it was "ghetto-rigged" but it is just a trial run. I am sure/hopeful that once it becomes established as a safe mod with reliable results that soon we'll start seeing some sophisticated modifications.

And as I said before, I am happy to post other user's pictures to replace mine. So long as they're clear images to reveal detail. Sorry, I don't like grainy, cell phone pics.

Originally Posted by darthbauer

The engine is cold as I have not gone anywhere in the last 24 hours in it, Its just to damn hot outside.

Yes, stay out of the sun. In the time I did this in the sun, my neck ended up with a little sunburn and I was dripping sweat on the engine.

What about those self-serve car washes where you have put quarters in and manually wash the car? Aren't those covered. I am sure if you go to one and do a quick install and maybe just rinse the car that they won't say anything.....maybe. Or one of those business parking garages?

[WD-40]

Thanks for the idea of aluminum foil tape .. I had the foam on last year for a trip to California .. made a huge dif .. then when I got home I removed it due to melting near the heat shield .. I just redid the lines but added the foil tape after reading this.

[yarisugi]

Since the tape is a little flimsy and a bit hard to wrap around the pipe, has anyone wrapped the foam around first and then wrap the tape around the foam? I was thinking this might be better...?

[texkid]

Originally Posted by yarisugi

Since the tape is a little flimsy and a bit hard to wrap around the pipe, has anyone wrapped the foam around first and then wrap the tape around the foam? I was thinking this might be better...?

I think that was the original idea?

[mrbond]

Yeah, that's actually exactly what I did: wrapped the foam around the a/c lines, zip tied them down, and then completely covered all the foam with the aluminum tape. At least this way you don't have to worry about the foam degrading faster than need be.

[yarisugi]

I just went to Home Depot - that aluminum tape is pretty expensive eh?!!
It was rated up to 260 degrees F. Is there any that's higher? 260 doesn't seem high enough.

[devinlamothe]

Originally Posted by PK198105

its rated for direct contact , it should be fine for what we use them. its about 5$ here.

What ... I just went to Home Depot and the cheapest I found was $15.

[mrbond]

$15? Yeah, that sounds right for the foam aluminum wrapping. I got my huge roll of just the aluminum for $6.10 with tax.

[hatchbackkid82]

I'm gonna have to try this

[Sandwash]

With such an obvious improvement to effectiveness (and efficiency) of AC system you would think Toyota would develop a standardized 'fix,' provide a service bulletin to their dealerships, thus allowing them to bill their customary 'arm and leg' charges for those customers willing and able to go that route.

[Yaris Hilton]

Really!