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AC question - where to buy O rings

7K views 29 replies 10 participants last post by  mavster 
#1 ·
Was everyone smarter than me and ordered their o-rings ahead of time online?

Getting ready to charge the AC system this weekend and can't find a few of the o-rings anywhere local. Napa has a few but couldn't even order me a 7.5mm o-ring. Guy pulls out a huge catalog and the closest thing he could find was 7mm. He's trying to convince me that stretching it .5 mm is fine and I'm not buying it. A few of the one's they sell are within .1 or .2 mm which seems ok but I'm still short the 17 and 7.5mm and can't seem to find them anywhere?

Where did you guys get yours?
 
#2 ·
Two questions:

Where does it go ?
What is the other dimension ?

How do you know your used o-ring is not distorted ? (third question)
 
#5 ·
Well thats 3 questions ;)

The 7.5s are for the drier, the smaller line into the expansion valve, and the condenser outlet
The 17 mm is for the larger expansion valve line and the bulkhead lines

I have to answer your third question with the same question back. How do you know if theyre deformed without something to compare them to?
My car is an 05 so theyve probably lost a little of their suppleness and distorted some. Im sure I overtorqued a few of the nuts a bit before I found the correct specs as well. But all of my torque wrenches are ratchet type anyway and you need an open-end on all of those fittings. I can use a crows-foot on a few I have the sizes for and get close, but the bulkhead fittings are pure seat of the pants.
 
#3 ·
i got mine from a Car Quest. Some NAPAs and Autozone's have a kit in the back to match up. Also, check out Harbor freight if there's one nearby.

I'll try to find the part number tomorrow..i wrote it down somewhere.
 
#6 ·
Thanks. I bought the NAPA kit but it doesn't have anything close to the 7.5 or the 17mm. I think the same thing for the HF kit. I have the Lotus PN's from the service manual but when the NAPA guy looked them up they told him to order from Lotus Online which means I'm at least 2 weeks out from getting this wrapped up.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I know what you're saying. The NAPA guy was making the same argument. The thing is it's under pressure, a lot of pressure on the high side and I don't know the effects coz I'm no expert.

Troubleshooting AC leaks is right up there with troubleshooting random electrical problems and root-canals on my list of things not to do on the weekend. Plus ripping the clam off again is not an enticing thought, which is why I want to replace all the o rings in the first place, so I don't have to do it again.

I think AZAC does AC repair for a living, want to see what he thinks about being .5mm off.

M
 
#12 ·
I recall stacking the old and new one on top of each other and they seemed very close. However, it would still be good to confirm. I think that's the one I'm talking about, but you'll have to double check since I'm not 100% as it was earlier in the year-maybe we are talking about 2 different locations. I also replaced the drier with one that NAPA had, if you want the part # for that too. It's not exactly in size, but plug and play for practical purposes--the stock one had to be ordered; i needed it immediately and the NAPA one cost just a few dollars less. i dont remember having to buy extra o-rings on account of replacing the drier.

An alternate would be 407006 (which I wrote on the back of the receipt), but my receipt shows I only bought 1 of TEM 407009. I remember running around to a bunch of different stores to get this (as well as the o-rings for RC550 injectors which was even harder to get).
 
#13 ·
O-ring saga

Well there's some hope then and these part numbers may help. Also, I agree with you, the best thing to do is to pull them out and try to match them up physically. Wall thickness etc. can really change the shape and Lotus doesn't publish that info. I'm somewhat doubting the research skills of the NAPA associate I spoke with yesterday also. The right person can make all the difference. I did purchase the NAPA replacement drier already, but mine didn't come with o-rings so I moved the old one's over from the stock drier.
 
#14 ·
ahh.. yeah. i went to a few NAPA's as well. I notice how some of the older smaller stores can be more helpful than some of the newer megastores they have. good luck!
 
#17 ·
Thanks for all the help guys. My second trip to NAPA armed with correct part numbers (thanks Niral) and a more knowledgeable clerk proved fruitful. The correct part number for the 7.5mm is (TEM) 407006. Those are pretty much dead on: 7.56mm.

The other part number for the 17mm is (TEM) 407079. And those are exact 17mm replacements as well. He had to order those from another store so I won't have them until Monday but better than 2-3 weeks with DeRoure or other web/mail order.

AZAC - thanks for the response as well. For whatever reason, those out of the industry don't seem to understand #6,#8, etc. and Lotus doesn't publish based on those sizes either.
 
#18 ·
you're welcome! glad I was finally able to help someone for a change :)
 
#19 ·
zombie thread alert

So this is a total PITA

'standard' number 6 8 10 12 do not seem to mean anything, on top of the fact that there are also metric standard numbered o rings

regular ac kits do not have the same size o rings as on the car

does anyone have the actual dimensions for the o rings that belong on the car, measuring old crushed o rings is not that accurate, and what is the name of the scale the numbers 6 8 10 and 12 come from?

It probably refers to tube diameter in 1/8s, although I am not at the car to check, but oring standards are a completely different set of numbers so a #6 would be a 0012....maybe

aggravating that the simplest thing is virtually impossible

I am not inclined to make a 2 hour trip to overpay for o rings at the dealer, then drop one under the bench somewhere, when I could have a box of them at my door in a few days.......
 
#20 ·
The [mostly] definitive answer

I like vintage air, they make nice stuff and they do not overcharge on replacement parts

#6 oring pack of 10 p/n 331016 price list says a buck
# 8" " 331008 same
#10" " 331010 same

I bought them summit
Vintage Air Rubber O-Rings for A/C Fittings - Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 at Summit Racing

use the part number I listed for 10 packs

VIntage does not use #12, so I had to break down and drive to the dealer, who does not charge much for the orings, but the drive is a pain, plus it is good to have a bunch extra for dropping, refitting yada yada

These guys will sell you a lifetime supply:

https://coldhose.com/specialty-fittings/orings.html

I have not bought from them tho

I bought the NAPA part numbers listed, and they are NOT the correct orings, the #12 in particular failed to seal.

Summit is faster shipping than Vintage themselves....
 
#21 · (Edited)
O-Rings

Second time around on the Blower Fix. and now the condenser has to be repaired so I'm adding addition napa p/n's for other O-rings:
[post edited with corrected part numbers]

Suction Line Bulkhead connectors and expansion valve to suction line:
This is a 17 mm i.d. O ring. Lotus P/N A082P6081F Napa P/N TEM 407012

High press. line bulkhead connectors, condensor inlet, exp. valve to evaporator:
11 mm i.d. (#8 metric O-ring) Lotus P/N A082P6079F Napa P/N TEM 407008

High Press valve, condensor outlet, rec drier, inlet pipe to exp valve:
7.5mm i.d. Lotus P/N A082P6078F Napa P/N - TEM 407006

A/C Drier - Napa P/N TEM 208312
 
#22 ·
Some of these same NAPA part numbers did not work, and are in fact not the correct id/od. While it is possible I got shipped the wrong thing, it is unlikely as it is an entire box.
 
#24 ·
407079 replacement for the large #12 is not the right size.

this is not saying that you cannot get it to seal, but if you tried to wrap it with teflon tape it might seal too if you try hard enough

this part number is not correct, it is .008 in cross section larger and would not seal on my car.

the parts I listed are the correct parts, identical in diameter and cross section.

I believe I tried the #10 replacement part number and it was also not correct, but I do not have that in front of me and could be mistaken, I ended up going to the dealer and they are cheap enough, I just wanted to avoid that particular drive

Again, I have a complete NAPA box of the 407079 and they are not correct
 
#25 ·
407079 replacement for the large #12 is not the right size.

this is not saying that you cannot get it to seal, but if you tried to wrap it with teflon tape it might seal too if you try hard enough

this part number is not correct, it is .008 in cross section larger and would not seal on my car.

the parts I listed are the correct parts, identical in diameter and cross section.

Interesting. I looked back and saw your post noting you had trouble. So since you noted this as a standard #12 O-ring, I went back and cross referenced the napa part for a standard #12 o-ring (AC Delco 15-3615) which is a different napa part # - TEM 407012. I didn't originally source it as a standard #12 because Lotus doesn't denote it that way in the service manual, instead by id and od with no cross section, so I found an exact match for the id/od stated in the manual but could definitely have had an incorrect cross section. Though I didn't have any trouble with sealing on my last endeavor with those but could have just been lucky on that.
If it is indeed a standard #12 then 407012 is actually the correct part number. So I'm on my way back to Napa, thanks for that info, it's all making sense now.

Now that I realize they are all standard sizes I cross referenced the others - 407006 is in fact the correct part # for a standard #6 o-ring. And 407008 is the correct part # for a standard #8. So those should be good.

I did not replace anything that required a #10, so I don't have a part # for that. Maybe that came from another post.

But if you look at the pattern to the standard part numbers for Napa O-rings 407-xxx , I'd put money the #10 o-ring is part # 407010. Its too bad the guys behind the counter don't know these things.

Thanks again for the info.
 
#26 ·
Sharing a page of the service manual to help identify the o-ring size and location throughout the ac system.

Also, I went down to my local auto shop that specializes in AC to see if they had my o-rings. Sure enough they’re standard metric size o-rings, and even the color of the o-rings match. Yes I say color because the original o-rings were green, and my aftermarket replacements were also green. I guess it's an industry standard where o-rings are colored based on standard/American (black) and metric/foreign (green)??? Anyhow, my tip would be to go to your local automotive ac shop as they should have them readily available, and for a reasonable price.
 

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#27 ·
It is the type of rubber that determines the color

They might call them metric, but they are not metric, as you can see by the thread chart, it is all US threads, US fittigns, for whatever reason.

Be very careful using orings that 'look' right, they do no always seal as I have found out
 
#29 ·
This is a useful thread, just wanted to say thank you!

I used post #21 (which was updated apparently) to order everything from Napa today, my local store didn't have any of it in stock but it should be here tomorrow. I'll let you all know if I have any trouble.

Also, I had to order the o-rings in 10 qty for each so if anyone needs some just let me know.
 
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