3rd gen AC woes

Went mudding to the point where the radiator was clogged and almost overheated the engine. Had to pirate a gasstaions garden hose to rinse the radiator.. Parking lot looked like a dry riverbed after. Ac has been wonky ever since. Blowing cold but short cycling and not able to cool the cab. Used to be an ice box. Have washed the condenser coil with coil cleaner several times. Changed the cabin air filter, had toyota check the r-123 levels, and even tried "kool it" evaporator coil cleaner. Much improved but still, short cycle, ice cold to luke warm and back. Compressor clutch looks warn. Would a new clutch help? Maybe its slipping? Any ideas? TIA.
-Your friendly neighborhood Gunner's Mate.

 

I'd guess you still have some mud packed in there. I remember a similar thread (I don't remember the name of the thread) and after taking apart the entire front end they discovered much more mud packed into the radiator and condenser area than they thought had been there since they thought they had gotten it all.

 

Yup, there is a gap between a/c and radiator. Check in there. If you can, backflush the condenser as coil cleaners usually just loosen surface debris. There are combs, but I wouldn’t unless just straightening.

 

Compressor clutch may well be slipping. Remove the clutch and inspect. Make note of the order of the shims/spacers if any to maintain the correct air gap.

 

I did dismantle to a certain extent. Took the fan and shroud off, left the radiator hoses conceded but unbolted it and leaned it back to get in there. Observed the water flow from the hose through every square inch of the condenser coil. Was about as thurough as could be without removing g the radiator completely. As for the clutch I did take it off and all the friction material was worn away and packed with mud, cleaned it up but seems like its metal on metal now...

 

Damn, that’s some bog fun there… I’m with you on looking at compressor clutch. I thought maybe you ruptured a line, but you said pressure was there… which eliminates that (I assume professional, who looked at the pressures and temp differential?). How was fresh air intake? I recall you replaced cabin air filter… evap issue?

 

Definitely keep us posted!

 

Yea the shop measured the r123. I dont think its a leak. Besides this has been going on a while, and its not getting worse. Think I'm going to hit it with another round of the "Kool it" evaporator cleaning foam. There was a bunch of shit came out last time. Maybe it just needs another round:/ if that don't work, I'll swap the cluch. Bout $150 give or take for a maybe fix. "3.6? not great, not terrible."

 

I do a/c work all day long, turn the a/c on, look at the clutch on front of the comp, if it engages and then starts to slip, [moving slower then the other pullys] IT IS slipping, but I bet it is not. IF you can get this hooked up to some a/c gauges see if the high side is real high, if it is and the cooling fans are at full tilt the problem is a plugged condenser. Try this, turn the a/c on high get your garden hose and spray water on the front of the condenser if it is nice and cold, condenser maybe plugged with dirt still. The system maybe low on FREON from going high head when it was plugged with dirt. These systems have a pop off valve to protect the compressor if going high head which will release FREON to lower the high side pressure.

 

Update: took my androids ultra slow motion camera setting and got high speed video of the clutch. Watching the video you can see the pully spinning in time with the belt. So that theory is out. Hit it with the coil cleaner again. Stuff that cam out was real grimy looking. Still short cycles rapidly when fans on low, and about every minute on high. BUT, if I take it off recirc AND put the fan on High, no short cycle...

 

Are you getting any 'fog' out of the vents when the cold quits blowing? Does the air flow drop dramatically as well?

Your symptoms sound like the thermistor is sensing that the evap is about to freeze over and protecting the system by cycling the compressor. It should do this when the evap face is about 36-38*.

 

No fog, no change in air flow. Just the short cycling.

 

Wanted to re-ask as you had initially said you replaced the cabin air filter… how bad was the infiltration there? Think it made it past the filter any? Coil needs cleaning?

 

I like the nexzett coil cleaner. You get waayyyy more than the koolit brand or whatever it is.

 

Air filter was rife with debree. But the AC drain line was also crusted with mud. Idk. Is it possible some bog water was sucked up through the drain line via venturi effect? Anyway the cleaner came out the drain looking like tea. On high there is a good flow of condensation out the drain, clean and clear.

 

Boggles the mind. Why would taking it off recirc stop the cycling but only on the two highest fan settings? Could my recirc intake be blocked? Where is the intake?

 

Maybe what @Clearwater Bill said, truck thinks condenser is too cold. But w recirc the warmer air blows past the temp sensor buying you a lil more time / fan speed.

The normal air intake is under the hood, by the cowl. Where by where most people put thier second battery

 

But in out of recirc the air speed drops, and there is absolutely no short cycling. So, I guess the takeaway is the warmer faster air is heating the evaporator enough to stay on? Why would it be getting too cold? Did toyota fuck me and tell me my Ac was g2g cus it was still under warranty?

 

I mean idk shit about AC units. But theoretically if the temp sensor was fucked, it would think it's too cold when in reality it's not? I'm just spitballin here lol. U have a Bluetooth obd reader? It'll give you some pids related to the AC, like pressure and temp.

 

Short cycle is 90% of the time low on freon. Hook this up to some gauges you will now asap..