Increase A/C performance

Well, I don't think there's going to be any sort of big change with sealing things up without adding the condenser fan as well. But, with that fan going up there and the truck sitting still, I can imagine some hot air getting around through all those gaps and hurting the efficiency.

 

I Installed those four seals this evening. Was a piece of cake. I don't really expect to see any noticeable change yet obviously. Need to seal up the sides and bottom still. Those areas are far greater hot air "leaks" than these four holes are.



Before:



After:



After staring at things in there for a bit. I'm thinking that a condenser fan is not very practical for my particular truck. The blower radiator would make it a PITA.

I think I'm better off focusing on maximizing the efficiency of the fan behind the radiator and/or going to a dependable electric fan setup. I'll then go about sealing up the areas around the condenser so that air pulled through the radiator must pass through the condenser instead of sneaking in from the sides.

 

I think a lot of people overlook this some times also. Having a well maintained cooling system also helps keep a/c cooler. Engine cooling system needs to be efficient at dissipating heat. If your truck is running warmer then so is your a/c system. I once worked on a Honda Accord that had a A/C problem. Originally the compressor went out so we replaced the compressor and condenser. 6 months later the customer came in and told me the A/C wasn't working that well like it use to. The tough part was that if you jump in the car right away and turn on the a/c it was always cold. We found out the it wouldn't act up unless the car was driven for at least an hour before the a/c would act up and only blew cool air not cold. We determine that there was no issue with A/C system. Keep in mind this car never overheated or have signs of overheating, temp gauge was always slightly above 1/4 and rising only slightly up after running the vehicle for an hour. I took a guess thinking it could be a possibility it was the Radiator just because it was the original radiator with almost 200k mileage on the vehicle. So I made the customer a deal, if I put a Radiator in and it fixed the problem then he would pay me the full amount it cost to have the Radiator replaced, if not then he can either just pay me for the part or I would remove and reinstall his old Radiator. After replacing the Radiator as soon as I turned on the A/C it was blowing ICE COLD. Even the customer was surprised and said he doesn't even remember the A/C ever blowing this cold.

 

Did you check the temps? Back in the day we changed the thermostat in my 93 Accord to a 195, up from 175. Car ran better than ever before and the milage went up a few points. (Like 2-4).
But the AC stayed the same.

For my taco, she seems to like to hover around 180 or so. Seems reasonable.

I think someone did mention cleaning the junk out of the radiator and condenser. Does anyone have a write up for this? I really don't want to start hosing things without knowing what I'm doing haha

 

No. It's absurd. Like $450.

 

450 for a fan? I would really love to know how they make "stealership drugs"

 

The pricing is set by Toyota corporate. The dealership can discount. But, there's only so much margin.

 

I looked the kit up online and it was around $500, thats nuts haha. It does come with more than the fan though, all the wiring brackets and new relay/fuse panel

 

Yeah see I'm thinking just a good quality fan, slapped into place with wires running to a switch I control. So when I need it I'll turn it on.

 

i put a Spal-fan onto the oil cooler radiator on a vintage porsche 911. that company makes a ton of variations. i put a 7" unit into my car since that was all that would fit. it was a very shallow fan. it would fit over our AC unit easy.

it never failed me. (the fan).

good luck. you crack a window a tiny bit when you run the AC?

 

When it is hot as balls I will open the rear windows for a bit in hopes that it will "let the hot air pump out" , haha.

Spal fan? Is that the brand?

 

Spal. it is the brand.

 

Well damn... Don't move to Vegas. It was 119 in my truck a few days ago. UGH.

I'd say replace cabin filter, super strong tint, and some additional push fans.

 

I know here in MA you can get doctors permission for super dark tint if you are allergic to the sun or high heat. Worked with a kid who was hyper sensitive to sunlight and he had 2% on a modded out slammed BMW and his Civic. Staties would get PISSED but they literally couldnt do shit!

 

I got a 16 inch fan from Napa that moves 2300cfm of air. Gonna hook it up sometime this week and get pressure readings with the fan on and fan off and duct temp differences

 

Much better than a butt dino.

 

At a minimum I'd wire the fan up to kick on with the AC like described in this thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/a-c-condenser-fan.239576/

 

Looking forward to seeing the results.

 

Has it helped?

 

I have to agree and only ever use my air conditioner when coming home from food shopping and as a preventative maintenance to keep it lubed every so often too.