As I alluded to in the "Show us what you broke today" thread, there are only three bolts holding this in to the system, and the only one that's hard to access snapped off where it passes through the firewall into a blind hole. 
Initially, I couldn't remove the connectors, but I sprayed it down with penetrating oil and let it sit overnight. The next day, I was able to wiggle it enough to loosen it up and separate the parts. This was just a case of galvanic corrosion between a steel bolt and the aluminum parts that it threaded into.
This left me with the stub of the bolt in the inner aluminum housing that mounts under the dash. Access was poor, but I have a right angle drill and some reverse rotation drill bits. I started with a small pilot hole to try and keep it centered and then followed with the proper sized reverse bit. Unfortunately, I still wandered off a little and the extractor wouldn't remove what was left behind. After declaring it "close enough", I retapped the hole and now I'm just waiting for the new bolt to show up at the dealer. It's a weird size and I don't really know exactly what it goes into. There's enough slop in the outer aluminum piece that I should be able to line it up.
As I've found with any kind of pre-formed hard lines, fit is basically "ballpark" and they need a little tweaking. For now, the lines are installed, with everything connected except for that one bolt.
Nothing about this particular job was fun or easy.
Nope:
I'll add that last bolt tomorrow.
UPDATE:
Gray car: A-OK. All systems normal and functioning well.
*
Green car: Everything on the car functions, but I can't get the new a/c line to seal properly.
I know exactly what the issue is. I removed the broken bolt and chased the threads, but with a small, 6mm steel bolt going into a block of of aluminum with repaired threads, I just don't have the confidence to crank down on it hard enough to get a good seal.
Broken bolt, center punched before removal:
I'm not sure if I have room for a Heli-Coil. I'm half tempted to open up the hole a bit and just tap it for 1/4"-28, but I'm worried about punching through the bottom of the hole.
This is the last thing that's holding me back from listing the car for sale at this point.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:
UPDATE:
Gray car: A-OK. All systems normal and functioning well.
*
Green car: Everything on the car functions, but I can't get the new a/c line to seal properly.
I know exactly what the issue is. I removed the broken bolt and chased the threads, but with a small, 6mm steel bolt going into a block of of aluminum with repaired threads, I just don't have the confidence to crank down on it hard enough to get a good seal.
Broken bolt, center punched before removal:
I'm not sure if I have room for a Heli-Coil. I'm half tempted to open up the hole a bit and just tap it for 1/4"-28, but I'm worried about punching through the bottom of the hole.
This is the last thing that's holding me back from listing the car for sale at this point.
That green one looks like a gem. Should sell very fast.
In reply to Cooper_Tired :
Thanks. It's a little lumpy, but it's a solid car.
Did you ever experience the droopy sunvisors? And if so, did you find a good solution? (Sorry for the mundane sidetrack.)
In reply to DancesWithCurves :
Yes. I've replaced both of them on the green car. I think I found new replacements on Amazon.
In reply to DancesWithCurves :
$31.99 on Amazon
Installation was very easy.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:
In reply to johndej :
I think you could only get a 6MT V6 Accord sedan through 2007.
Look for the red V6 badge on the back. Only the manuals got those.
this is the deep dive info i browse GRM for
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Thank you. OEM is apparently a flawed/fragile design, so I am happy to try aftermarket. Even if it has the same failure mode, at least it's a better value.
In reply to DancesWithCurves :
I've replaced them in multiple Hondas. Getting the old one off can be a little fiddly, but installing the new one is pretty easy once you understand how it goes back in. Just be careful pulling the wiring out. There's a plug in there, but it's tucked up inside a hole in the sheet metal and wrapped with foam. I'm sure there's a three minute video out there on it.
I've told my daughter to expect a pending failure of at least one of the original visors in the gray car, but she knows how to replace them now.
Not a huge surprise here, but I'm having a hard time getting the a/c system to seal at the firewall connection. While I'm disappointed, it's not a huge problem. It held long enough that I was able to confirm that all other components work, and the parts are fairly cheap. I ordered another new set of underhood lines and a new evaporator for less than $100 shipped, so that covers both sides of the firewall. The evaporator won't be a super fun job, but I've watched the videos and it doesn't look all that bad and I should be able to knock it off in about an hour. Parts should be here tomorrow.
PennsylChina's finest vacuum pump:
That's the last piece of the puzzle, so I've listed the green car for sale here:
2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 for sale
Parts from Rock Auto arrived a day early.
Delivery driver asked how much I wanted for the car.
I wonder if there is a classifieds website exclusively for delivery drivers? That seems to be your target market for the car!
So I learned something today, thanks to YouTube.
I knew that the system was leaking at the firewall connection. I watched a video on evaporator replacement, and even there was no audio for the first half, I decided that the job would be miserable, but doable. I ordered a new evaporator (goes under the dash) and another new engine side hard line (cheap insurance).
The new parts arrived, but it's been crazy hot and humid, so I kept postponing the job... long enough that I wanted to watch the video again.
When I went to do that, I stumbled upon another video on replacement of the expansion valve. Knowing very little about air conditioning systems, I didn't even know that this was a thing. It turns out that it's essentially a small cheap block of aluminum that goes between the engine side hard line and the interior side evaporator, and it was the precise location of the aforementioned broken bolt and subsequent leak.
The valve can be replaced from the engine side and would eliminate hours of work under the dash of the car.
Amazon and Rock Auto would have taken a few days, so I picked up a new valve at Advance Auto for $40. Removal and installation took less than an hour. I'll return the evaporator that I don't need, but I'll still install the new lines tomorrow so I can do a little cleaner job on the bends this time.
Old valve coming out:
I used the 1/4-28 bolt to get a good grip and some leverage.
Evaporator connections:
Replacing the evaporator O rings that were tucked into the firewall was tricky. I was afraid of losing them into the engine bay or behind the firewall, so after lubing them up, I sent a chopstick through the center of the O ring (one of my favorite shop tools!), inserted it into the evaporator tube, and then used the chopstick as a guide to send them home, leaving the O rings with no opportunity to make a run for it. Access was tight, but it worked very well.
Sorry, no action shots because I would have needed a third and fourth hand to take pictures. I needed to use another chopstick and a dental pick to get the O rings over the end of the tubes.
I bought some extra O rings, just in case I need one.
It works! Everything works!!
I'll add some photos later, but the under hood lines look a lot better this time and everything is sealed up tight with no leaks. AC blows nice and cold and now I'm finally ready to list it on CL and FB Marketplace. Very happy.
Photos, as promised.
I removed the grill for better access.
I chased all the threads where steel bolts go into aluminum things.
New lines and new O rings all around. Nylog Blue sealant on the joints as recommended by some very helpful GRM'ers.
Zip tie moment! I added protection where delicate aluminum parts might come into contact with badass steel neighbors. If Honda had done this from the get-go, it would have prevented this whole debacle.
Running cool, with no lights on the dash. Everything works. This is a good car.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
Now you do.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
Words come from the laptop, photos come from the phone.
It's a bit of a two-step PITA.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:
I bought some extra O rings, just in case I need one.
I did end up needing one of those O rings... so now I only have 594 left for the next car.
The car sat untouched over the weekend because I was away and then working, but I jumped in it this afternoon, fired it up and it's still blowing cold on a 90 degree day.
I'm calling this a win.
