Where Is the Orifice Tube Located?

Q: Where Is the Orifice Tube Typically Located?

A: One of the most important parts of a vehicle’s air conditioning (A/C) system is the orifice tube, which controls the amount of refrigerant that enters the evaporator.

Its exact location can vary depending on the vehicle’s make and model, but you can typically find the orifice tube between the condenser and the evaporator in the small liquid line.

Manufacturers put a crimp in the evaporator’s inlet line to keep the orifice tube from moving, so it should be easy to spot from other lines.

Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.

Pro Tip: Not all systems use a fixed orifice. The thermal expansion valve (TXV) is a variable orifice, so if you have this kind of system, you won’t have a fixed orifice.

On most General Motor (GM) and Ford vehicles, you can find the orifice tube inside the inlet line to the evaporator. In some vehicles such as the 1997 Chevy 1500, the orifice tube is located in the condenser outlet pipe instead; the grille has to be removed to access the line that contains the orifice on those.

Tips on How to Access the Orifice Tube

Sometimes, the plastic material of the orifice tube can crumble, making it hard to pull out in one go. Usually though, it comes out very easily with a pair of needle nose pliers. There’s also a special orifice tube removal tool that you can use to make the whole thing easier. If you can, try to use those instead of needle nose pliers.

Here’s an important tip: if you’re dealing with a clogged orifice tube, then you’ll want to flush your entire A/C system with a specialized cleaner. Even if you replace the orifice tube, it’ll most likely end up clogged again unless you get rid of whatever’s causing the blockage in the first place.