AC Problems

I have a question and need help/advice. I have a 02 Explorer, 4.6 and the ac is inop (doesn't work). I had it checked out and was told the suction line needed to be replaced. Was quoted $600 repair cost. Can I possibly change this hose at home? Is it safe to do this repair myself. I know most of the system is under pressure. If I can change it myself, it there a link to youtube or a website I can look at? Any advice/help/info would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for being so long winded and I don't know if the question has been asked before. Thank you all.

Before we get into your question, tell us what your AC is or is not doing. You said the shop told you the suction hose needs to be replaced. Did they tell you why? Does it have a leak? Does the compressor run?

If its leaking, is it leaking from a hole in the hose, or from one of the connections (it could be $.10 O-ring that needs to be replaced).

The ac is not cooling. They said the line was leaking. Compressor does run. Thank you for your interest.

Replacing the line itself is a fairly simple operation. Its managing the freon thats a pain. You'll have to have the system evacuated (you can't intentionally vent Freon into the atmosphere), then after you replace the hose, you'll have to draw a vacuum and then re-fill it with Freon and the right amount of oil.

If you don't have a lot of skills with cars and stuff, I'd recommend you take it to a reputable shop and have them do it. Taking it apart is easy. But when you put it back together, you can destroy your compressor pretty quickly if you do it wrong.

Thank you Bobmbx for your answers. It looks as though some body will be getting some money from me. Appreciate the help.