Improving AC?

Very true. I say that because he mentioned wheeling and the most common thing afterwards is power washing. Normally people just blast the crud deeper into the fins or completely through to the radiator face which causes the AC condenser to not get a proper heat transfer.

 

For those with the towing package...

My '15 Tacoma PreRunner has one. The transmission cooler sits in front of the a/c condenser. Seen in front of upper right hand corner of the condenser area. The coolers foot print is not large, but it is blocking air flow to some degree. Maybe I'm cutting hairs. Something to think about.

 

Here is what I am getting ready to use on my exposed AC lines in the engine bay. It is a rubber based product that is about 3/16 thick we use this on all exposed low side AC lines and Refrigeration lines....Thermal insulation in air conditioning system is primarily used to reduce heat gain or heat loss from piping.

 

a few days ago someone posted a mod where they added some sort of resistor which made the AC run colder, without freezing the AC lines, etc.

 

I would not do that. Air temp out of the vents with the compressor on is already rather cold (40* or so), that means down in the bowles of the vent system the evaporator is much cooler.

The problem with the tacoma AC system compared to others is the evaporator is just small... theres nothing you can do to fix this, you cant run it any cooler and you can only push so much air through it.

 

i wouldn't touch it either.

im cold natured, so i dont really care about it being colder.

 

That is a good point. I frequently power wash the condenser without checking out the radiator to see if stuff is building on between the two. I'll give that a look. Thanks - Chuck

 

The AC on these trucks sucks. It takes forever for it to cool down, but once it does, you can hang meat in the interior. So it's a love/ hate relationship.

 

I just get frustrated when its 100+ down here and the truck starts blowing humid "chilled" (not cold, but not warm) air whenever I am in stop and go traffic, parked, or moving slow off road.

 

That simply has to do with the fact that the cooling system for the motor on these trucks is VERY good, meaning the fan clutch does not have to kick in so not much air gets pulled through the radiator and subsequently the condenser in-front of the radiator.

To combat this your best bet is to throw an electric fan over a portion of the condenser that switches on with the AC compressor.

with re-circulate on my truck had no problem keeping the double cab cool in 120* ambient temps in the middle of the desert sun so long as i was moving. Once stopped idiling it took about 5-10 min before the fan clutch fully grabs and pulls adequate air through the front of the truck to keep the ac cool.

 

More info on this. I agree, the cooling system on these trucks does incredibly well even in scorching heat.

 

Should be real easy to have a relay switched on via the 12v line that switches the ac clutch on, this relay then can power a fan that blows air through the condensor.

 

I bet your refrigerant is low. Mine was doing this and needed a charge. Mine probably has slow leak somewhere but if is good for another 3 years without getting worse than I am fine with it. I did tighten the bolts on the compressor lines about 1/4 turn each. Probably all I accomplished was crushing the o rings but to me it was worth a try.

 

I don't think there's much to do about making the ac blow cooler air unless you're low on freon ( which means you have a problem with a leak somewhere). If you mess around with a perfectly working system, you're bound to make it worse.

 

Thanks buddy. I've got another post about doing just this (adding and electronic fan). Sounds like you did it, any tips or equipment suggestions? I'd love to see your install. I'm thinking of putting two in side by side by removing the hood support.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hood-support-electric-fans.446511/

 

I have not done it as i honestly rarely use my AC (beauty of living in the only place with a Mediterranean climate in all of the USA.... So Cal / ventura county FTW). But it shouldnt be hard at all to fab up some stuff..... that stated i wouldnt be going and removing any hood supports or structure to do it.

 

I have all glass tinted and my AC still leaves quite a bit to be desired. It's been sub par since day one. I've just learned to live with it

 

Ill admit the AC in my 2nd gen taco does not hold a candle to the ac that was in my 01 chevy 2500hd... that thing could literally make ice on the outside of the window if you put the defroster on full cold.

But like stated it has to do with the evaporator size, its small in our trucks thus making it to where its thermal extraction capabilities are less than other vehicles.

 

Just pull the radiator fan shroud back and then loosen the radiator support bolts and lean it back. Have a look behind and see what's there.

 

Depends. If the charge on the system is too high it's not going to function properly. Too low and inadequate heat transfer. Typically the modern Chevy trucks have a great AC system but the electronics driving them are prone to failure. Personal experience.