PA4runner

Hello all, I have searched the threads before posting here regarding my a/c question. If you can lead me to a related thread I appreciate it. Anyway, this truck sat still in a garage for 5 years before I got it (I am the third owner). I only needed to drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel pump and battery before it ran like a champ (and still does) with ice cold a/c. About 2 years ago the a/c suddenly quit working. I took it to a garage where they purged, refilled and injected dye. They found no leak and it worked great for 3 months until fall. The following summer it only blew ambient air. I took it back to the shop, they re-filled it and, again, found no leak. This time it lasted 2 months before blowing ambient air and having no compressor activation. I checked the fuses, connections, belt tightness and all were working well. This past summer, I bought an a/c recharge kit from AutoZone. It was a $40 kit with a re-usable hose/gauge. According to the gauge, the system had 70# of pressure before I added the charge. As I added it, the compressor began working and I was able to get the temp down to 63 degrees. This lasted 30 minutes, then the compressor stopped and it began blowing ambient air. I have an infrared light that i used to look for any dye leaking out and there was none. I'm wondering if the evaporator is the culprit and would like info on how to get to it. I purposely made the story long in case someone might see something I missed. I am willing to go to (another) shop, but I'm a do-it-yourselfer as long as I can be. I thank you for any advice/knowledge you can offer.

mholme

The evaporator is under the glove box. You need to have the system evacuated first and then disconnect the lines going in/out of the evaporator in the engine bay. It simply unbolts and pulls straight out after you disconnect a few wiring connections. These systems are very modular and easy to get to once you remove the interior bits in front of them. https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-r134a-284801/

Once you find your leak, do not recharge it with one of those autozone kits. Your system will be empty and there will be no better time to pull a vacuum on it and recharge by weight with a proper manifold gauge set.

PA4runner

Thank you mholme, I'll check this out!