If the smell don't getcha, then the heat will!
09-02-2013, 09:03 AM
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If the smell don't getcha, then the heat will!
'98 4Runner SR5, 3.4L, 4x4, 5spd...with only 325k on the odo.
Just this past Friday I noticed a rotten citrus smell when I turned on the A/C. Initially I thought I had another case of the 'Stank' and needed to dump a few cans of Lysol down the cowl to rid the evaporator case of any bacteria/mildew. A/C was blowing just fine, cold as ice (as it has been ever since I first bought my 4Runner!)
Well last night, the A/C stopped blowing cold air...none what so ever. A light-bulb went off in my head, "What if the rotten citrus smell was actually refrigerant/compressor oil, and I've got a leak in my evaporator coil which is allowing me to smell it!" I pop the hood, and hit the low-side A/C schrader valve with a screwdriver...*sniff* *sniff*...exactly the same smell! Looks like my evap coil has a leak...frickin' fantastic!
Temperature difference between the inlet/outlet lines is almost non-existent (high side was a smidge cooler), and the sight glass shows no bubbles and only a random flash of refrigerant. I don't have any A/C gauges to properly test system...aaaaand it's frickin' Labor Day so most stores are closed.
Open up my FSM, and other than a few quick blurbs about opening the actual evap case, it mentions nothing about removing the dash/interior pieces needed to actually remove the evaporator coil. I found a thread (from another site...) on removing the heater core (not the evap coil), and the amount of interior removal work made me want to puke.
Has anyone had to do this? Can I remove the entire evaporator coil/case without tearing apart the entire dash? It's not getting cooler here in Texas, and I'm driving an hour each way to work M-F.
...help...
Just this past Friday I noticed a rotten citrus smell when I turned on the A/C. Initially I thought I had another case of the 'Stank' and needed to dump a few cans of Lysol down the cowl to rid the evaporator case of any bacteria/mildew. A/C was blowing just fine, cold as ice (as it has been ever since I first bought my 4Runner!)
Well last night, the A/C stopped blowing cold air...none what so ever. A light-bulb went off in my head, "What if the rotten citrus smell was actually refrigerant/compressor oil, and I've got a leak in my evaporator coil which is allowing me to smell it!" I pop the hood, and hit the low-side A/C schrader valve with a screwdriver...*sniff* *sniff*...exactly the same smell! Looks like my evap coil has a leak...frickin' fantastic!
Temperature difference between the inlet/outlet lines is almost non-existent (high side was a smidge cooler), and the sight glass shows no bubbles and only a random flash of refrigerant. I don't have any A/C gauges to properly test system...aaaaand it's frickin' Labor Day so most stores are closed.
Open up my FSM, and other than a few quick blurbs about opening the actual evap case, it mentions nothing about removing the dash/interior pieces needed to actually remove the evaporator coil. I found a thread (from another site...) on removing the heater core (not the evap coil), and the amount of interior removal work made me want to puke.
Has anyone had to do this? Can I remove the entire evaporator coil/case without tearing apart the entire dash? It's not getting cooler here in Texas, and I'm driving an hour each way to work M-F.
...help...
09-02-2013, 09:30 AM
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http://www.motobild.com/toyota/1995-...tallation.html best I can find
09-02-2013, 10:57 AM
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This may not be helpful at all, but when I replaced the heater core on my jeep wrangler, I had taken out what seamed like 2,000 nuts and bolts in an attempt to get to it. Come to find out that there were only 6 fasteners holding the dash in. 3 bolts underneath and 3 nuts across the top. All the wiring was connected to one main harness connector.
All that to say, sometimes it's not as bad as it looks. I understand you have a FSM, but you never know until you crawl in it actually look.
You're right about it not getting cooler in TX, only getting more humid...
Jay
All that to say, sometimes it's not as bad as it looks. I understand you have a FSM, but you never know until you crawl in it actually look.
You're right about it not getting cooler in TX, only getting more humid...
Jay
09-02-2013, 02:06 PM
#4
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I've been in there but I am not a mechanic so you know....
Yes, you can. I pulled some trim pieces and the glove box to get to it, plus the duct that runs behind the glove box. Not hard to do. I took out the passenger seat (4 bolts) for extra space. I probably didn't have to, but to keep moisture out I used balloons on the opened parts. Don't forget to replace the receiver dryer.
I've gotten into the habit of taking pics of my repairs, but unfortunately not this one other than a single pic of the stuff I took apart to get to the box and pics of the mess I found. If you get all the bolts it'll come apart, be patient and look, some are kind of hidden if I remember right but none are unreachable.
The only pics I took, post 266:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f200...1/index14.html
post 262 explains my symptoms- it was the expansion valve in my case and I still had refrigerant.
Yes, you can. I pulled some trim pieces and the glove box to get to it, plus the duct that runs behind the glove box. Not hard to do. I took out the passenger seat (4 bolts) for extra space. I probably didn't have to, but to keep moisture out I used balloons on the opened parts. Don't forget to replace the receiver dryer.
I've gotten into the habit of taking pics of my repairs, but unfortunately not this one other than a single pic of the stuff I took apart to get to the box and pics of the mess I found. If you get all the bolts it'll come apart, be patient and look, some are kind of hidden if I remember right but none are unreachable.
The only pics I took, post 266:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f200...1/index14.html
post 262 explains my symptoms- it was the expansion valve in my case and I still had refrigerant.
Last edited by habanero; 09-02-2013 at 02:07 PM.
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