How do you separate the A/C lines. My truck has what the shop manual calls a garter spring in the connectors on the a/c lines. I have tried pulling the lines apart by hand and am not having any luck.
The shop manual shows a little tool that goes around the connector and by pushing on it the spring is expanded enough to let the lip on the female side slip past the spring. I have read a lot of the threads on DTR and no one has had any issues with the connectors.
What am I doing wrong or haven't thought of that I can get this job done?
Stan

 

I've never taken the lines off a dodge truck but some lines do have basically a clip that needs to be pushed back before the lines will separate, I think harbor freight sells a set of the tools that will do the trick, <$10 last time I checked.

 

Most autoparts stores also sell the removal tool kit for around #10.

 

Thanks for the hints. I called the closest NAPA which is 45 miles away. They did not have anything. I tried a couple of other automotive suppliers yesterday and they were closed.
I called my local garage owner to see if he had a tool like that and he said yes for fuel lines but not the size of these lines. He suggested using some copper tubing to push in to push the spring back. I was desperate so I figured I would try anything. I was looking for some 5/8 or 3/4 tubing and found nothing. I had some of those pieces that will join 1/2 copper pipe. I cut it half length wise and used a vice grip to open the semicircle to go around the refrig line. I pushed the two pieces into the line coming from the accumulator which was the easiest to get at with a screw driver and figured here goes nothing. To my surprise the line separated!!!
It is interesting what one can come up with when things get desperate.
Stan

 

SWC, you can also use an Aluminum pop can in a pinch, just cut a piece of the side out, ( make sure you roll the lip that your fingers push ) and it works pretty decent for a roadside kludge.