The AC Line issue - Finally the REAL CAUSE! (and the fix)

[G6Performance]

Okay, so I've been pondering this for some time now. I have absolutely no problem with my AC lines so I went under the hood and did some digging. I yanked the lines around, pulled, pushed, etc. I got nothing, still plenty of space, even enough for some bumping around with no touching. SO... one last hard pull. (DO NOT TRY THIS, you could break something) Then, FINALLY, they were different. I didn't hear a snap, pop, crack, nothing.. but the lines were hanging down.

So I started looking around.


Here's what I found....


Mounted to the firewall is a plastic bracket/clip that holds the large AC line in place. This clip is a piece of shit. Totally, it's one of the most difficult to use clips I've seen on this entire car. If you ask me, I'd say the additional clips on the top of the line (that connect to the factory air box) were ADDED because this clip sucks so much. Anyway...


After popping the line back in place, everything lined up fine, plenty of space, etc. Everything is perfect (again)

[bristol16]

good to know, but if you had to yank it that hard to get it to pop out how would it do it on its own? i know i wasn't putting any pressure on my a/c lines at all when i installed my intake.

[Interfire]

Maybe they just forgot to snap it into place at the factory? Anyway nice find, I don't have a problem with mine but I'll still check it out.

[TLS2000]

Or you may have hit the AC line hard enough when you were pulling out the air box that it unsnapped it from that clip.

[G6Performance]

I think it's both. I can only imagine people yanking the crap out of it or knocking it out when removing the box (read: you shouldn't be working on your car if you do this sort of thing! )

On the other hand, it is VERY difficult to pop it back in to the clip. You have to push the line ALL the way to the very back of the clip (hard to do because the clip moves with you when you push on it. If it doesn't go in all the way, it will slowly (a couple seconds, not immediately) slide right back out. Probably factory workers just pushing it in place and moving on to the next one. Not realizing of course that it has come out, obviously. That's why I said the top clips are the only thing saving this from immediate failure, even on stock vehicles.

[Interfire]

Is that clip metal or plastic? Just wondering...

[G6Performance]

good to know, but if you had to yank it that hard to get it to pop out how would it do it on its own? i know i wasn't putting any pressure on my a/c lines at all when i installed my intake.

Then you did it properly! I didn't stand on top of the engine and pull with both hands or anything, but I gave it a good tug (sorta like a frustrated beginner, trying to get the stubborn box out). Anybody familiar with mechanical stuff would know that the pull was too hard, you might even cringe a bit.

[G6Performance]

Is that clip metal or plastic? Just wondering...

Plastic.

[GTPGuy82]

oh that thing's always popping out of that clip on my car when I'm tinkering under the hood. Never comes out by itself though. It pops right back in for me very easily though.

[blkGTPcoupe]

thanks for pointing at the AC line in the last pic i wasn't sure which we were talking about

[G6Performance]

[blkGTPcoupe]

well said :warped:

[ElecBlueG6GT]

Good job on resolving that issue.

[Guest]

ill be damned...... wtg....will check mine tomorow

[GTPGuy82]

Now that I look at it I don't know...that first pic Kyle posted shows the lines pretty close to the belts...even when my lines fall out of that clip they aren't that close to the belts.