Just wanted to see if any of you feel that the A/C in the 2002 4Runner is weak. Its been about 95 -100 degrees here in NC and I have to put it on the 2nd to highest fan level to even get cooled off. But it still feels like the air is warm.

I've taken it to the Stealers but they said nothing was wrong and that it was fine but they still re-filled my freon. After a week it seemed fine. But now its gone back to the way it is.

The only thing is....after about 20-30 minutes of being in the rig, then it cools off but only when I'm on the gas do I feel really cold air coming through the vents. Should I get a 2nd opinion at a different Stealer? I really doubt that I have a leak or maybe I do but I couldn't tell if there was a difference from the time that I bought the vehicle since I never used it in October of 2001. I really hate having to deal with an issue if this is an issue especailly when the vehicle only has 15k miles.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Danny

 

Hey DLO,
What was you previous experience with AC? In 94 they quit using R12 freon and went to R134a. R134 does not work as well as the R12 used to. Also, in areas of high humidity, the air conditioners don't dool as much as in dry areas, but they do remove a lot of the moisture.

R12 was great for cars, but bad for the ozone layer. I can remember when they didn't know about the ozone damage and all the freon in the cars was dumped out (2-5 lbs of freon) and then the systems refilled every couple of years (R12 used to cost $2-3 a lbs., now $75+ if you can get it) Now the AC equipment recovers and recycles the freon (both types) to save the environment.

Most auto parts stores have those small thermometers to put into the AC vent. See what the air coming out of the vents is compared to the outside air. Do you have the controls set for recirculate (if the 2002 has that)? Recirculate cools the air in the interior over and over, normal cools outside air and blows it into the interior.

Lastly, the interior of the 4R is large, so there is a lot of area to try to cool down. What color is yours. Obviously, if it is a dark color it will be harder to cool. Corey has the ultimate color (white) to keep the temp lower inside his Runner.

 

I've got Thunder cloud gray and yes I have the air re-circulating. I'm so frustrated cuz my 83 Camary would freeze my balls off just on LOW?

 

Hey, Danny. I have the same model and year, and my impression of the a/c system is that it's not super strong, but it has just enough to handle the hottest days.

Mine's in the body shop for the next few days, but ASAP, I'll check the temp at the outlets and we can compare.

 

Danny,

I too have the same model and year of yours. I have to say that my previous vehicle, 2000 Tundra, cooled alot better than my 4runner. I usually have to have the air re-circulate to be as effective as i need it to but it still takes a few minutes. I now have 23k miles on the runner and its been cooling the same as since i first bought it so to me I guess its normal.

 

My 97 is a joke...Ive been thinking about holding ice cubes in front of the vents.

 

I've got an '01, but I think the AC is just fine. It does take a little while to really get the interior cooled off partly because of the size, and partly because the exterior is black. However, I can almost immediately feel cold air out of the vents when I turn it on and it cools me off pretty quickly. Overall I think it works about the same as my '94 did.

 

When we jump in the Runner after a long day in the sun, the fan is on FULL BLAST. I always have to leave the outside vent open because of moldy smells from the evaporator if recirculate is set. I just had the dealer deodorize it again yesterday. :mad: It takes about 3 minutes to get cooling and then I switch to recirculate and it really starts getting cold. I keep switching the fan level lower as it gets colder, until I'm at the lowest setting and the cabin is just right. Total time I guess is under 10 minutes...not too bad when the sun is still pounding outside. The rest of our 40 minute drive home is nice and cool.
butnut

 

Body work to fix the taillight, bumper and quarter panel.

 

Body work to fix the taillight, bumper and quarter panel. See: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...=grown+man+cry

 

It SUCKS! I'm driving a rental Escort SE; now that's HELL! Boy, am I spoiled.

 

that really sucks to hear about getting clipped..'im always cautious when i pull out of a gas station...why aren't others??
hope it goes smoothly at the body shop..

 

Someone off the ODW forum gave really good ideas for helping to cool the a/c, like insulating the lines and adding a condensor fan. Supposedly it cooled a lot lower than the stock setup. Let me see if I can find the post...

here it is

He said he even added reflective surface on the dash, whatever that is.

But he gave me good ideas to cool my a/c, now I just need to do them! Spent the last weekend fixing my mom's R12, like someone said, it's an ice box in there compared to the Tundra's R134a.