YM13

Shortly before the weather began to cool off a little bit last year I noticed that the a/c was not performing as well as it should at all. It blew mostly slightly cool air. Simultaneously every once in a while I would hear a hissing discharge and a nice mist(condensation) would blow from the vents with no real noticeable smell. This has never happened before. From the short research I have done it sounds like there may be a leak in the evaporater? I know almost next to nothing about the a/c in vehicles and would appreciate it of someone could guide me through a diagnostic process as it would be extremely nice to get this fixed before the scorching SC heat rolls in and not pay a premium to get it resolved. Thanks in advance!

YM13

Oh and while we are on the topic of ventilation system, does anyone know where to find the intake duct (is there a filter too?) for the A/C?

YM13

Any thoughts on where to get started?

YM13

No ideas?

tommytuttle

Mine went a while back. little drain tube for the .. forgot term.. got turned up and the condensation wasn't able to drain.

Unfortunately I had to have someone else trouble shoot it for me.. sorry not much help.

it cost about 70$ to get it pressure tested.

YM13

Thanks for the input...is there any schematic or diagram anyone knows of anywhere that lays out all the components of the a/c system?

93yota22re

AC is one thing I take my trucks to the shop for. There are specialty tools that are needed to get the job done right that I don't have. I'm not sure they are absolutely necasary but for example pressure testing or vacuuming out the old refridgerant. I found that if you look around you can usually find a shop that will diagnose for free. Then if it's something you think you can do yourself do it. If not and the price is right let them. Sorry couldn't be of more help. Maybe someone else on here will.

dubbsbetty

iTrader: (2)

hello again YM13! How's that clutch doing? Having my 609 certification I can tell you the A/C system being intimidating is not all that complicated. It is crucial however to be educated about the system before attempting service yourself and in most cases (state law I believe) illegal to do without proper certification. That beng said, a plugged evaporator can be noticed by feeling the suction (inlet) and discharge (outlet) lines. The suction line should be cool to the touch, if the discharge line feels cool or cold there's probably a restriction as it should be slightly warmer going back to the compressor to be charged again as a hot vapor. A plugged orifice tube will result in the same situation, you may just need to fully evacuate the system and see if it will hold a vacuum, then charge with new refrigerant again. This kind of work requires a manifold gauge set and proper eqipment to handle R-134a, which is the refrigerant your rig uses. Have a performance test done first and go from there... you most likely need professionally service. Good luck and let me know how it goes

98SR54RUNNER

iTrader: (1)

Did you ever figure out what the problem was?

My rig did the exact same thing a few years ago. I spent around $800 at the stealership over three different visits as they "fixed" it each time, and ended up having the entire A/C system replaced.

Now, 2.5 years later, as the Summer heat is approaching in South Carolina, I have no A/C again. I'm frustrated to say the least. I'd much rather have some mechanical issue that I could sort out than the A/C system which I know nothing about.

Jomoka

The expansion valve jammed on my wife's 4Runner. The air went from icy cold to cool, to barely below ambient, to ambient, over the course of an hour long drive.

So I did some troubleshooting. All I have is a recharge kit with a low pressure side gauge (not the high pressure gauge that would be useful). But that was enough.

At rest, it had an acceptable pressure in the low side. Which meant there was no leak, it was still fully charged.

Turn the car on, turn the A/C on, you could see the compressor engage. No problem there.

As the compressor ran, it sucked the low side pressure down down down, nice and quick. Until it hit some point and disengaged the compressor (R134 systems can't run on low pressures, the compressor is lubricated by the refrigerant circulating, if pressure gets too low, no lube, dead compressor). So the compressor was working fine.

Even after you shut it off, the low pressure side would stay low for a long time. Clear indication that both the compressor is in fine shape (not leaking back) and something on the high pressure side is blocked between the compressor outlet and inlet. Main culprits were the expansion valve and the filter/drier/receiver/accumulator (whatever name it has). She took it to an A/C shop and had them drain it, then replaced both items, then had them recharge it. It's been perfect ever since. I think the total bill was under $150.

Robert Earl Gee Jr.

hey, I have not posted here before, I have been learning taco stuff on another site, but I have tons of experience with car/trucks, hope this is not too late, but you have the symptoms of a freon leak/ low pressure. don't use it and get to a shop asap, or you can burn up the compressor.
a few years ago, when i worked for my family, I was in a new f25 crewcab and had a long sales trip around DC and it was hot as hell, got back next day took to dealership for oil change and grabbed the service manager and told him that even after running all day the truck was not cool, he checked it out and said it was fine and that is just that new 134 cooant, 3 days later my uncle was coming back from Mobile AL and it froze up and and ripped the belt, and they still had the nerve to try to charge 1200.00 to fix it, DONT THINK SO
the ac stuff is very tricky, I have know lots of back yard mechanics who have tried and failed, including me.