omgodzilla

2000 4runner 2.7

I dont know if its because its a 4cyl or not..
but My a/c is very weak. I live in Tx so the heat is very unforgiving.
I dont think That I have a freon leak because it is consistently cool.. it doesnt cut in and out.. The problem is that its not cold enough.
Should I get the system recharged?
The car is 10 yrs old and has probably never had the a/c serviced before.
Is it possible that its running low on freon?

stir_fry_boy

Probably a tad bit low. You can check it with a gauge for $5 at autozone and look up what the pressure should be at the ambient temperature. DO NOT OVERFILL! If you do, it won't work at all. You can also check to see if the compressor is spinning ALL THE TIME insead of engauging and disengauging. If it is spinning all the time, it is probably a little low and can be hard on the compressor.

omgodzilla

is it normal for the compressor to kick on and off while driving??
or is the compressor supposed to be constantly running???
Cause I can feel it kick on and off every few mins.
The air is barely meeting 'room temperature' when hot out.
Im still sweating a little bit.

stir_fry_boy

Yep it is normal for it to kick on and off.
Your A/C is limited to only cool a certain number of degrees, not to a certain specified temp.
I would definetly check the pressure though.

Check your cabin air filter. If you have one (I don't in my T4R) and it is clogged it can affect A/C performance.

bain

mine was doing the same thing last week..Got it charged and now its ice cold!!

omgodzilla

^^ what yr is ur 4runner??
where did you get it serviced and how much they charge you??

bain

mines a 98 Tacoma but it was $45 at a local garage. And they usually run die thru them to check for leaks also..

omgodzilla

did they suck out all of the freon and then restored it or just topped it off?

bain

they sucked out the old and put in new.

omgodzilla

and you noticed a DRASTIC change?
I think im gonna go get that done

bain

oh yea..it was like night and day

rowdy235

Yea my 98 Taco 2.7 has A/C and it is ice cold. I have to periodically turn it off. Get it checked/charged.

FogRunner

Because most Toyotas (tacoma and 4runner) have a TXV (thermostatic expansion valve) instead of a orifice and a accumulator like GM/FORD/Chrysler do, the refrigerant charge is much more critical. The TXV system maybe a little more complex but it gives much better performance because the TXV has a variable orifice that can maintain a constant superheat (level of refrigerant in the evaporator). As opposed the fixed orifice system which cannot adapt to the load and results in much more frequenct compresser cycling.

The best way to charge the Toyota TXV system is by weight which is stated in ounces on a sticker under the hood. I've seen way too many compressor failures by people using improper methods. The two most common are the "charge it to XXX psi on the gauge" or my personal favorite charge it till the suction line is "beer can cold" LOL.

Both a undercharge and over charge can drastically kill a compressor. A undercharge causes the compressor not to get enought dense refrigerant and causes a very low evap pressure which results in a high compression ratio in the compressor. This high compressor ratio makes the discharge temp easily get over 210 degrees which causes the refrigerant oil to start to break down.

With an overcharge it causes a similar fate but mostly too due to the condenser coil being stacked full of refrigerant and driving up the head/discharge pressure and makes the compressors discharge temps sky rocket and breaks down the oil.

So since R-134a is so cheap the best way is still to empty the system down to arount 5PSI (keep the air out) and charge by weight.

omgodzilla

tg

the odd thing is that the a/c is 'cold' right near the vent, but as i step back a little further the air seems neutral .. it seems as though its not 'cold; enough to cool the cabin..
but its super cold right when it comes out of the vent..
am i crazy or is this possible/////

DailyDrive

Before you get any professional working on your A/C, you should clean the condenser coil that is in front of the radiator. Even if it looks clean, it is not after 10 years. There is a very thin layer of road grime and grease on it, that is invisible to the eye, but very detrimental to its' ability to shed heat.

To do this you will need a good degreaser that will not eat aluminum, and an air compressor with a blow gun. The blow gun should have a small nozzle, and blow about 100psi. Spray down the coil with water, then degreaser, wait about 15min, use the air gun to go across all the rows on the coil, holding the blow gun very close. Rinse, then another cycle of degreaser and blown air, then just wash it out with a water jet. If you are doing it right, this will take 2-3 hours.

No shop will do this (unless you ask and pay a lot).

FogRunner

A much easier way to clean the front coil is to go to your local A/C supply and get a bottle of NON-ACID (alkaline) FOAMING condenser coil cleaner. The best is the NU-CALGON brand in the one gallon bottle that is blue.

You just mix it 50/50 with water and use a plant sprayer to spray the coil and then sit back and relax with a cold one for about 10 minutes and watch as the cleaner breaks all the gunk,grim and bugs loose and foams up like a rabid dog pushes all that stuff out. It also brightens the coil a bit too and is paint safe.

omgodzilla

where is the front coil and what does it look like/

anyone have a pic/

will this helop make the a/c cooler

DailyDrive

It's a nice product for the HVAC guys that don't want to spend too much time on a job, sometimes don't have a hose, and certainly don't have compressed air.

Use "magic" products that make things easy on other peoples' stuff, on your own, do it right.

Parker Runner

Post 16, 15 and 13 should be the 10 ten most informative posts on this forum. Thank you for taking the time to right them.

I spent the bucks to purchase a good pressure reader, bought the A/C manual and the Toyota manual. I charged it based on those specs and got nice cold air.

My Honda leaks freon and needs recharged every year. Do I care? Nope. It is old and is money in the bank until it truly dies.

I will degrease the condenser. I bet it is a mess.

Thanks again.

omgodzilla

?anyone????