Our AC system SUCKS

No I dont but it's not that hard. The hardest part is making sure you get the seal back in its groove. Dont remove it if it doesnt come out on its own.

Basic procedure is remove fan and clutch.
Remove nuts holding fan to clutch
Remove Phillip's screws hold clutch halves together.
MAKE SURE YOU USE A #3 Phillip's or you may strip the screws.
Split the clutch...super easy to do.
Let all fluid drain into reservoir...a few hours minimum.
Visually check the level of the fluid.
Drain fluid...minimum a few hours.
Refill to original amount...wait an hour minimum and refill to factory level.
Put it back together and enjoy.

After removing the screws keep the same orientation of the clutch. The reservoir is at the lower half and the thermostat/spring is facing up.

There are other writeups online but are not specific to our pink clutch fan.

 

Not necessarily, some residential have a fixed orifice.

 

Some older ones...

Newer ones, even the builder grade units, generally have TXV; Pretty sure even my dual Goodmans have TXV!

 

Don't care, I don't try to keep up with new ones. Tacos have a TXV.

 

Even mine?

 

Your Tacoma? Ya I think it has a TXV.

 

Like the OP, my A/C doesn't blow as cold as it should at idle...

I blame the EPA for mandating the phaseout of R-12 and it's replacement with R134a. R-12 is sooo much colder!

 

5 degrees difference in boiling points. https://www.google.com/search?q=ref...e+charts&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

 

In the meantime, is the lackluster performance in extreme heat something that us Tacoma owners are just gonna have to deal with?!?!

 

Probably, unless you can figure out why it's not working correctly. Have a great 4th, good night.

 

Since my AC Repairs a while back mine is ice cold at Idle in coastal South Carolina, Hot and massive humidity.

Replaced leaking HP Hose and Condenser Drier. Evacuate and refill to specification.

 

Would leaks in the hose and drier be hard to pinpoint?

 

Not too bad if there is dye in the system using ultraviolet light and glasses.

 

I've had to get the A/C charged in my truck two consecutive years in a row; June 2017 and April 2018. Both times my mechanic pressure-tested the system and could not find any leaks. He added dye this year...

 

Okay so I just got done skimming the whole thread. There's a lot of talk focusing on engine rpm and how it affects air flow across the condenser but the bigger thing that is affected by engine RPM is the volume of refrigerant that is moved through the system by compressor. @CurtB touched on it a few pages back but everybody skipped over it LOL.

Everyone is trying to figure out why Toyota would intentionally make a shitty air conditioning system. Toyota knows how to make a gargantuan AC system will freeze your balls off. They know they could put a huge condenser in the front and a huge compressor and have the system be charged with three or four pounds of refrigerant. But it's a trade-off for the engineers. The whole time they are focusing on comfort they also have to think about the corporate average fuel economy (cafe). People will laugh and roll their eyes about fuel economy but you can absolutely bet that it is on the minds of people that design these trucks. For every Tundra they sell they have to sell a few hybrids to average things out. Good enough is good enough and they have decided that the system works well enough while cruising that they're going to call it good.

I don't mean to throw cold water on everyone's ideas about auxiliary fans and trying different things but just remember it has more to do with volume of refrigerant than anything else.

..Sorry about the wall of text LOL

 

Could I put a bigger condenser and compressor in my truck?

Also, you mentioned hybrids...

I called an Uber once while vacationing in Malibu almost two years ago, and it was an '04 Prius with about 240K on the clock. It was almost a hundred degrees for a good portion of the drive, and the A/C in that 12-year old, 240K mile Prius was freeze-your-balls-off cold!

 

I had the same a year and a half ago. Had it evacuated and charged along with dye. This summer it went out again ( cool on the drivers side and warmer as you move towards the passenger side vents. Took it to a local shop that does Lexus and Toyota. They found the condenser and high pressure hose were leaking they could see the dye using an ultraviolet light and glasses. They replaced them both and everything is cold now, even at an idle in the heat.

 

So if the leak ends up being in the condenser, just replace? How much did that run you?

 

Down with the EPA!

 

You could try