So there I was..... going up an easy road kind of rocky but nothing bad considering Dodge Caravans were going up (although I'm sure they were grinding most of the way). There's a "Y" in the road that we slightly pass, "oh crap, we're supposed to go that way". Back up, BF says "just don't hit any boulders haha". Stop, proceed forward slowly, not going very far, Patriot rolls back and then horrible noises, steam coming from under hood.
A rock, not too huge but about 2 feet in the widest spot is lodged between the passenger side bumper and the ground. I must have started rolling over it and didn't make it because I wasn't going over too fast and when I rolled back it came up and ground into the bottom of the bumper (inches from the skid plates of course) and pushed the bumper up into the A/C lines. It was wedged in so tight that we had to push the patriot off of the rock. Wish I had taken a picture because it was a totally freak thing but I was too busy cussing thinking my radiator just bit the dust. Plus the horrible noise almost made me want to puck, still don't know exactly what that was except maybe the compressor. It stopped after heading back down the road a bit but still doesn't sound right.
Soooo....haven't really surveyed the damage yet but it looks like the A/C suction and liquid lines may have been affected. I have the service manual that I downloaded from here but it's hard to identify the parts since I can't find an general overview pic. Has anyone ever had to replace these parts? I've identified the accumulator and it's the plumbing below and to the right (towards the driver side) of that. Is it going to be a major pain in the rear end and should I have someone else do it or should me and the BF be able to handle it (minus recharging the system)?
For those that care to know, I was on Rainbow Road (off of Fall River Road, Clear Creek County, Colorado) getting ready to turn off to head up to Chinns Lake.
A rock, not too huge but about 2 feet in the widest spot is lodged between the passenger side bumper and the ground. I must have started rolling over it and didn't make it because I wasn't going over too fast and when I rolled back it came up and ground into the bottom of the bumper (inches from the skid plates of course) and pushed the bumper up into the A/C lines. It was wedged in so tight that we had to push the patriot off of the rock. Wish I had taken a picture because it was a totally freak thing but I was too busy cussing thinking my radiator just bit the dust. Plus the horrible noise almost made me want to puck, still don't know exactly what that was except maybe the compressor. It stopped after heading back down the road a bit but still doesn't sound right.
Soooo....haven't really surveyed the damage yet but it looks like the A/C suction and liquid lines may have been affected. I have the service manual that I downloaded from here but it's hard to identify the parts since I can't find an general overview pic. Has anyone ever had to replace these parts? I've identified the accumulator and it's the plumbing below and to the right (towards the driver side) of that. Is it going to be a major pain in the rear end and should I have someone else do it or should me and the BF be able to handle it (minus recharging the system)?
For those that care to know, I was on Rainbow Road (off of Fall River Road, Clear Creek County, Colorado) getting ready to turn off to head up to Chinns Lake.
