AC cool not cold

Problem with AC

Car off: turned AC clutch with hand no problem

2 years after replacing my compressor & condenser/drier, my AC is only blowing 70 degree air out the vents. Cool, but not cold. I noticed that the high pressure line coming out of the firewall is extremely hot and the low pressure side coming out of the firewall is extremely cold. I believe both of these lines should be cold, (one a little colder than the other.) I hooked the gauges up, warmed up the truck, then AC full blast with windows down.

No noticeable leaks, UV lights detected nothing. (PAG oil with UV)

LP: stayed at 45psi

HP: stayed at 275psi


Also, there is a lot of water pouring from the drain line at the bottom of the truck almost as soon as turning on AC. Froze up evaporator coils? My truck also has an expansion valve that I pray is not the issue because getting to it is cray.

Also, it is 100 degrees/80% humidity

Compressor did pull in 4 ounces of refrigerant no problem, then I stopped, recorded the numbers above.

 

You can get to the Expansion Valve easy from the firewall side of the engine bay.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...pansion-valve-tvx.600393/page-2#post-20531252






Not a lot of room but easier than removing the dash and AC System.





Don't forget the inline filter in the High Side tube.

 

Did you have recirculate turned on?
If you did it sounds like you have a blend door actuator that's not going to full cold or the recirculation door isn't working, also check your cabin air filter.
On an exspansion valve system the high side line will be hot at the valve and the low side should be cool to cold.

 

The hi side line should be hot to the touch, the low side should be frosty

Might be a little under-charged. On a 100 deg day the high side should be (could be) up around 300-350 psi

 

I removed replaced the expansion valve & its associated filter. The filter was pretty bad. Held a good vacuum. Now I am about to try to add refrigerant soon. I hope this is my issue. Regardless that ac filter was gross. I should have changed it 2 years ago but I thought it was way harder to get to. Thank you to Jimmyh

How can I tell if this expansion valve i just took off (after 170,000 miles) is still any good? Can you clean them? Toyota makes good stuff so i hesitate to toss it.

 

The hardest part was the anxiety making sure I didn't drop the bolts in behind the the fire wall area. That would have been no bueno.

 

DM93 & b_r_o

That is weird because Toyota Service Manual says "If the evaporator outlet is considerably warmer than the inlet, the system needs a charge." It goes on to say "Add refigerant to the low side of the system until both the outlet and the evaporator inlet pipe feel about the same temperature"

 

The high side line is always going to be warm to hot up to the expansion device whether it's an expansion valve or orfice tube, not sure where you found that reference.
This is from the 09 manual, it wants you to check by using the pressures.
Total charge is 21.6oz

 

I hope by adding refrigerant you mean purging the system then adding refrigerant, you can damage your system if you don’t

 

I was able to lower the inside temp by 8 degrees just by cleaning the condenser coils. Also cleaned the radiator (best I could) and aux trans fluid cooler at the same time.

 

Nice call Dave, did u just use a hose from the radiator side to the front or u use coil cleaner ? Any tips for us ?

 

I used a spray cleaner purchased from Lowes. As usual, I went overboard and used 2 cans to clean the condenser, radiator and AT cooler. After applying I gently rinsed with water.



Just today I cleaned my outside AC with this.

$17 Frost King ACF19 Foam Coil Cleaner, 1.18 Pound (Pack of 1), 19 Ounce

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007I7KZN0?ie=UTF8

 

yea i purged first. I changed the expansion valve and filter. still have the same issue. At least it wasn't all for nothing, the filter was gross

that broken piece on the bottom was from me after removal

LP: stays at 45psi (shouldnt this fluctuate????)

HP: stays at 275psi

 

Check your air mix servo and make sure it's going to full cold, if in doubt you can remove it and move the door manually.
If that's good make sure the air inlet door moves when you turn recirculate on and off.

 

Problem solved! It was the expansion valve, orfice tube, AND the cabin air filter. The cabin air filter was gross and I thought I had just changed it. When I replaced it it made the truck get almost 20 degrees colder!

43 was the coldest it got. And that is in a 100+ degree in a garage in Houston.

Thank you to everyone who "sparked" my mind.

 

Cabin air filter is often overlooked, many people don't know they have one.
Glad you got it chilling again.

 

Glad to have been of assistance.

 

Pork! LOL

 

Here is the cabin air filter after alot of leaves already fell off. They get dirty quick

 

Yea I have a K&N cabin filter in mine and I clean it every other oil change, it get's pretty dirty even though I use recirculate most of the time.