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OTR AC Hose Burst
Hi, had a first today on my ‘96 XL. Was running the bus vent (vent/heat side on dash rocker – not AC), and heard a really loud bang in rear. Pulled over and the hose from the AC compressor to the bus (runs over the bus batteries) had exploded throwing AC oil all over. The line is one year old as we redid the hoses last year due to Freon leaks (it is a 134 system).
Wondering if anyone has heard of this and has any thoughts. We are in Maine right now so AC is not a must have, but obviously concerned now what would cause that type of pressure and if it did any further damage to the compressor or system.
Lastly, we are in the Portland, Maine area and wondered if anyone has used any shops up here for service. Can always head to Prevost NJ on the way out but that isn’t for a while longer.
Thanks for any experience you can share.
Mike Harper
2004 Marathon XLII -
12 Replies
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Sounds like a defective hose to me, either material and/or workmanship. Where did the hose come from? Who installed it? Was it pre-made? Was it custom made?
There are 2 ac hoses in that location, one high pressure side(discharge) and one low pressure side(suction). They appear identical to each other in construction.
When the OTR ac system was OFF, the pressure in the system equalizes. Neither of these hoses should burst, especially when new.
Our OTR ac hoses I believe are original and the system(R134a) has never leaked.
Here’s a pic of ours. My finger is on the high side hose.Mike Harper
2004 Marathon XLII -
Don,
Thanks for the quick reply. The hose was from Prevost Parts and I put it on. Prevost Jacksonville recharged and checked for leaks after my replacement and all was working well until now obviously.
It was the high pressure side per the picture I attached. I can get another hose and replace then I guess I will have to have to get a shop to service it (add oil/freon) and do a check. My biggest concern is what would have caused that kind of pressure when the AC is off. I will also contact Prevost about the hose but I suspect it is out warranty coverage.
Thanks again!!
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On a refrigeration system such as the OTR on our coaches at normal ambient outside temperatures a system at rest and at ambient temperatures the entire system is going to be in the 70 PSI range, higher if outside temps are elevated.
When operating the pressure side of the system can be as high as about 200 PSI (I am guessing and not looking at the charts) so that failure is an indication the hose was defective.
The entire system needs to be vaccuumed, oil level restored, a new dryer added, pressure tested with nitrogen at around 300 PSI, and then filled with 134A.
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From the picture, it looks like the hose blew out of the crimped on hose end?
Maybe a bad crimp job.
Mike Harper
2004 Marathon XLII -
Thanks for the info and thoughts.
Anyone have any experience with places in the northeast? Otherwise I’ll start calling around to some bus shops and see what I can find.
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Ideally if you can get to Prevost in NJ that would be the best solution, but any bus charter company that works on other coaches would be a good alternative. If the part is relatively new, Prevost stand behind them and might provide a warranty of some sort.
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I will likely schedule a stop in NJ for the AC work and get the hose locally here. That was my thought to see if any bus companies here do outside work which I have done in other parts of the country with success. Will see…
I spoke with Prevost and they have a 1 year warranty on the hose which ended late July, so I am out of luck on that.
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Mike,
I would call Prevost PASS and ask them to find a place near you.
Mike Harper
2004 Marathon XLII -
John, I have never used them. I will give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion!!
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Mike and Mona: Where is Home? Where are you headed to?
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Dick and Cathie,
Our home is in Vienna, VA but we spend about 6 months on the road. We spend August-October in New Hampshire and Maine then back to VA till December then to Florida. Some years we head West but not this year.
Sorry it took a bit to respond. For some reason I didn’t get an alert on this message.
Thanks.
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Good luck! Keep us posted.
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