AC Issue...

Got a question for you fellas that know way more than me. I have a 2016 that has not given me a lick of trouble in 5 yrs. Just recently it was brought to my attention that the AC does not work on the passenger vents. 85% of the time i'm by myself and never noticed and when the Mrs is with me she never complained cause she's cold all the time.

I was on the way home from a weekend bike ride and had a buddy with me (rare occasion) and complained that the air was not on. I said sure is as I was rather comfy but he fussed about it so I reached over and felt the breeze coming out of his center vent and then back to my center vent and sure enough a big difference in cool air. Mine was very nice and cool (not freezing) and his was like outside vent air, not warm but not cool.

I had just changed the cabin filter first week in May and checked it any way and it was clean. Now I have not had any AC boost in 5 yrs, I'm sure its time. Actually I know it is because driver side is not as cool as it was a month ago.

Now my question is two part. Would the lack of refrigerant cause that to happen or is there some kind of proportional valve (for lack of a better word) that maybe not be opening up to let cool air blow over to the passenger vents??

Thanks in advance guys, appreciate any insight.

 

No such thing as the bolded. A properly sealed AC system is a closed circuit. It should never need recharged, or "boosted".

And the reason it doesn't seem as cool now as it did a month ago is because of the increased ambient. The warmer the air the AC eats, the warmer the air coming out will be. Plus factor in heat load on the structure, it's a no brainer.

I'd be more curious why you have air flow temp variation on the passengerside as even if the system was low on charge, you would, or should have the same temp airflow everywhere basically.

Did you ever had the TSB done for the high ambient issue Toyota had a while back? Have you ever had the dash apart for anything? Mice in truck?

 

So is the same amount of air coming out of both vents, but driver side cold and passenger not - or minimal air coming out of passenger side vent? I can't imagine how the first situation could be a thing, but it sounds like a clogged vent. And I don't want to imagine the why on that one (I hate mice)

 

Blend door issue?

 

That was the issue when this happened in our highlander

 

I thought that they all seeped very little so that the oil in the refrigerant is able to lube the seal on the shaft over time?

 

OP, check this thread out,

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/where-is-blend-door-actuator-located.667213/

With an SR5 I can't see how it would be a blend door issue since you have the non-auto AC. Maybe you are low on refrigerant. You shouldn't be though due to age alone.

 

A properly functioning AC system should have no leaks of any kind.

 

I will give some input since I have ptetty good experience with toyota A/C.

The newer design of these evaporators (buried in the center of the dash fins facing forward-aft) seems to show low charge with the symptoms you describe. I have worked on a few of the same design, all toyotas, and that has been the issue 4/5 times. When the charge gets low, only half of the wide evaporator core removes any heat (gets cold) , exhibiting the symptoms you describe. Id get the system checked for leaks as well.

Mobile a/c systems DO exhibit some loss over many years. Over 10 years or so, there definitely is some loss of the charge, possibly not enough to be apparent, but definitely a miniscule loss per year. Hoses still have a tiny bit of permeability, and there is the compressor shaft seal which also loses a miniscule amount over the years.

Every 10-20 year old system on "original charge" I have recovered has shown a bit low on weight. I definitely agree with an evacuation and recharge on 15+ year old vehicles with "original charge". The refrigerant is what moves the oil around. Some loss is normal. Leaks that render the system inoperable in a short span of time of course is not normal.

 

Do you recommend evac and recharge on my wife’s 2007 4Runner (14 years )Ac is still ice cold even on 100+f temps here in California . Never been recharged or serviced. Just the filter changed

 

It wont hurt the system to have it done properly. I am also very OCD so I just "feel" better having a known proper charge after many years.
I dont think its essential as there are plenty of 20 year old cars running around with the original charge and 200k+. Some a/c systems prove better than others over the long run, and I have not seen many issues with 4runners.

If you are as ocd as me, a not too accurate sign the system has lost a bit of charge is a noisier thwn normal expansion valve. You hear more sputtering and hissing in that area. Some cars do it more by design, but i have noticed on my old clunkers, that after a new proper charge, the expansion valve gets quieter, like when it was new. This is due to a more solid stream of liquid hitting the TXV with less flashing ahead the valve.

Also, its key to have it done with proper equipment BY WEIGHT. Anyone "topping up" even with manifold gauges is doing you a disservice. Recover, measure what came out, evacuate, and finally recharge within less than a 1/2 oz** of factory specs. Proper equipment definitely is needed.

Back on topic though, Id definitely check charge of I was OP.

 

Thanks. I’ll have it checked out

 

Thanks for the input guys, I'll have it checked out asap.

The air flow is the same on all 4 vents but the two on the passenger side of cabin is noticeably warmer.

Thanks again!

 

U happen to have pics of the the ducting from blower motor to EVAP? I've tried spray the backside of the coils with cleaner but it never feels like I'm getting the hose where it needs to go.

 

Still has blend doors/dampers, just manually operated ones. Granted, it's less likely with a manual system, but my old '87 S10 had cable-controlled doors and every now and then, one of the cables would slip off; huge PIA to put back.

 

Not exactly true. While it is a sealed system there are bearings and seals where the shaft comes from the compressor where litte bits of the gas can and will escape over time. Especially if the system is not used much or sits in storage for long periods of time. So sometimes you do need a charge. But that has nothing to do with his vent problem.

 

So it leaks. It's not a properly functioning system at that point.
Not sure where we are disagreeing.

 

According to the schematic the non-auto ac has the same blend door for the dash vents so in theory the air should be the same across all 4...
I would have assumed the air temp would be the same, but I guess not according to others.
Beats me.

 

I end up topping off once a year due to having an old r12 system in mine that I converted. Hoses and such on those are more prone to weap. But luckily it's all compression so the o ring problem doesn't effect me. I do commercial hvac for a living so converting this little thing was a breeze. And everyone loves how cold it is lol. Whatever you do most people send dye in for automotive and besides the side effects on the metering device it's like slime in a tire the next tech will be cursing haha but a quick test with nitrogen and a trace gas isn't hard to do to find your leak. Use some soap bubbles with the vehicle off at all connections and if you find microbubbles forming or shoot even large bubbles fix the line or oring and pull a vacuum to see if it holds. I will suggest me being an old school mentality I will suggest replacing the line that has the drier in it if yours has one just because when you have a leak that typically means noncondensables have made their way in too and that'll reak havoc on your system. Hvac is always made out to be hard and it really is just all about the tools and understanding them. Any one who is mechanically inclines can do it with the right tools. Hope you got it figured out man!

 

I can almost guarantee you have a refrigerant leak. Getting progressively warmer from the drivers side to the passenger side is a classic symptom. It happened to me in my '05 and as a matter of fact there are numerous threads in the 2nd gen section with this subject and in virtually all cases it ended up being low refrigerant.