I have an 89 first gen 4runner, and I am working on getting everything working so my girlfriend can make it her daily driver. So far, I have had good fortune, fixing the passenger power window, the rear window and wiper, swapping rear seats, etc...but the A/C is driving me nuts.

When I last had it charged(4 years ago) it worked great, but eventually leaked out or something. It didn't matter at the time, because I bought my Tacoma, and the top came off and stayed off. Now that its all back together, I need to get it cooling off. I went to my mechanic, that I trust, and I decided to convert. I know. I have read the pro's and cons and there were enough people that said it worked almost as good as R12, so I did it. We replaced the O rings, the expansion valves, and the drier. When I picked it up, it worked OK, but then it just started fading. It would work good when it was cooler out, or at idle on startup, but if you got going, it would get warmer.
Now, here's where I really start soundling like an idiot. Does the blue AC light mean anything. My light doesn't always come on, but I have noticed a correlation to how well its working. If its not on, the compressor is not on, and even 4 years ago, I remember that when the blue light was lit up, the AC rocked.

So, my question is....does this sound like a faulty compressor? do you think they didn't charge it up enough or charged it and it leaked out? Is the blue light even related? Finally, is there a sight glass to check on a 3.0 in a First Gen?

I have to take it back, but I just like knowing a bit about what I am talking about when I go in.

Thanks for any help.

 

pure wild arse guess.... it leaks

 

Yeah, I think that's the case. Its not even working at idle anymore, so I will have it back there on Monday.

Since a retrofit R12 will not be as cool as an original R134 system, will the r134 additives help out a converted R12 system? If anyone has experience that would be cool...pun intended.

 

he should have pulled a vacum on it for at least 10-20 minutes if i remember correctly and if there is a leak you will know because it will not hold the vacum.

 

You converted to 134 right? I think thats the way i understood it.. Anyway i kept having trouble with the adapter that you screw on the low side leaking.. I bought 3 or 4 all of them leaked in the valve core.. I went to John Deere and bought the adapter they make for there tractors.. It screwed right on and fixed the problem.. Make sure you check that for the leak , if a leak is your problem.....

 

The light should stay on if the comp was turning or not(as long as the button is mashed)So either you have an electrical (intermitent power to switch) problem,or all or most of the freon leaked out.Also if you're going to use 134a,you need to buy new hoses.The old 12 hoses are not barrier hoses and 134 molecules will go through the rubber.New hoses will be the barrier type.Also,make dang sure your fan clutch pulls lots of air through the condenser all or most of the time,especially when the a/c is on.There is a sight glass on the drier,if it is full of freon,when the comp is on,and the fan clutch is kicked in the sight glass should be clear.If you see bubbles rushing past,then it is low and needs a .5 lbs or so more freon.Do some checking and post back.

 

I did a retrofit on my '87 pickup. It worked pretty well, although I do have a small leak somewhere. You might want to check out ackits.com, which has a pretty good forum on automotive A/C. There is a ton if information there about retrofits. Start with reading the FAQ's because the answer may already be there.

As far as I know, the blue light should be on all the time. It's the main power switch for the A/C system. If it's going on and off, I would suspect a loose electrical connection or a bad switch.

 

I just got back from the mechanic. It was low on Freon, very low. They added two little cans to fill it up and checked for leaks and didn't find any. I found out that they use the original syle R12 valves instead of retrofitting and then pump the R134 through to minimize the chance of leaks. They have one set of gauges and tubes for older R12 cars that need R134 and one for cars after 1994.

Its blowing cold as hell now. Way colder than it did the other day or ever, for that matter. So at this point, I am happy. We'll see if it keep the charge and I will chime in and let anyone know that is interested. Oh, the blue light is off now, and its cold, so it was just coincidence that it would fade on and off.

thanks for all of the advice.

Update:
the A/C died. I guess the old compressor was about done and trying to make the r12 compressor work with the r134 did her in. I am having a new compressor put in that is designed for R134.