AC Evaporator leak

The other simple way to think of "opening the system" is... the A/C is basically just a big loop of hosey stuff. It has both gas and liquid stuff in it to work so therefore it's sealed up to keep that stuff in.
You "open" the system and the gas escapes and other gases (regular air with moisture in it) gets in... that's bad. You lost the gas you need, and even a tiny amount of moisture messes stuff up...
The dryer is a drying packet that takes moisture out of the gases around it and traps it... but it consumes itself to do it, so it can only take so much out.. once it's used up it stops working.

The dryer thing exists because it's not possible to be perfect. When you change the hose or other part.. some air was present... but only a little... unless you do everything standing in a vacuum it's unavoidable...

On a side note - you can call this ironic or fitting... but the way A/C works to cool the air is -- it remove moisture... that's the water dripping out the bottom.. it's the moisture that used to be in the air.. and what's the one thing you can't have inside the system that removes moisture from the air... moisture in the air.

 

I’ve had this problem twice in my truck. Leaky evap core under the dash.

First time I had a dealer o used to work at do it… second time a year later I tried using the A/C Pro stuff and it’s held for a year now. My system was completely empty before I filled it up.

 

The "Pull vacuum" thing sounds all nice and fancy, but it's really just - hook up your manifold gauges and a little pump, run the pump (sucking air and moisture out) and watch the gauge. Then you wait.. at least an hour, 24h is best and ensure the vacuum pressure on the gauge hasn't dropped.

You do this for the obvious reason of removing bad gas and also to ensure there are no leaks. If it "holds vacuum".. it'll hold refrigerant.. Vacuum is actually harder to hold because it's pulling apart the joints while refrigerant in the system pushes the jointed parts together... that's why the o-ring stuff matters so much..

 

if anyone ever has to replace it, O’Reilly’s auto sells a decent condenser for a lot less than the OEM one. Some AC shops will recharge the system for you for pretty cheap, I did the work myself, but I know this from other posts that it can be done for a lot less than what the dealer will charge you. Mine was around $400 when complete, the expensive part was refrigerant.

Replacing the evaporator is another story, sorry about that OP!

 

Thank you for this response! Makes me feel a lot more comfortable tackling this job! I don't really understand what you mean about the PAG oil. If my system is empty, won't it be empty of oil as well? How do I add the oil with the refrigerant?

I truly appreciate the time you took to explain this!

 

The oil is always a liquid, not a gas, so it's not able to dissipate. Check the specs for the types.. there are variant oils and they are not compatible... that's why I own 2 manifold sets.. I had to do my sister-in-laws Prius and hybrid compressors are electric...

Anyway, it's just oil... it's spread out throughout the system usually since the refrigerant moving through the system spreads it out and it's needed to keep the compressor lubricated.
You'll see it when you disconnect a hose and it droops down and suddenly oil starts leaking out... so basically, each component, expect a little oil to pour out like any other oil...
--
Note that I'm told that compressor failures that contaminate the system will show this as black or glittery oil.. so you'll want to see it kind of clearish (I can't be trusted on colors.. I'm slightly colorblind).. so the point here is -- no metallic dust
--
A little bottle of it should be more than enough... some people re-use it... I don't... but the key is ensuring that whatever the amount that came out is - you put that much back in.

And by put back in.. literally, I mean just pour it in. So for example you disconnect a hose, have your mason jar nearby and let gravity do it's thing... you can use baking teaspoons or whatever is easiest to try to keep it about the same level....
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If you are a perfectionist... or for some reason the system broke in such a way that oil spilled out that you can't figure out how much.. things get harder because you will probably need a professional to help fully flush out all the oil out of everything so you can be sure the right amount is added and that is hard because it gets trapped in the compressors typically....

 

I'm happy to help but to be honest, I'm really just paying back my debt. I was just where you were where it seemed intimidating, complex, too risky to do without professional oversight.... and it was talking to folks on the cherokeeforum.com site where I learned all kinds of great stuff and with help from a bunch of strangers with a passion for the same vehicle as myself, I was able to get my system working for the last 3y of that trucks life... so therefore, I'm happy to pass that insight on to others and glad to do it.

 

Now, I did that Jeep, then my sister-in-laws Prius and am just now starting to deal with my new-to-me 2008 Tacoma.. and got great help just recently on another thread!... but the Tacoma is really, really similar (at least mine looks to be) as the Jeep was... but if anyone with specific experience for Tacoma systems disputes anything I'm saying,... I'd defer to them... but it's easier and more comfortable, for me anyway, when I understand what things are, what they do and why we do certain things... so that's why I like to be very descriptive about things when talking about DIY wrenching.

 

Thanks for this thread everyone. I hope it's ok to ask a question about my own situation....Hopefully it helps the OP.

So I've got everything plugged back together. I didn't know to put PAG Oil on the O rings. Can I re-use the piping clamps if I'm careful to open them correctly? I broke them the first time and replaced them.

Also the whole system sat open for the last six month or so. I've got no idea how much oil I lost in the wreck but definitely all the gas refrigerant. I put a tarp over it for the winter but the hoses had gapping holes, I only recently replaced them. So....My dryer is most likely done and needs replaced, I assume?

I plan to take it to a local shop to have it recharged BUT Can I wait till next summer to take care of the recharge? Just like don't turn the AC on in the meantime? Worry about lubing the O-Rings then and adding PAG oil then....Is it fine to leave as is for now? Do I risk damaging the system more by accidentally turning the AC on without the system being 100%.

 

You are fine. Your ac won't turn on even if you try. There is a pressure switch that closes when there is enough refrigerant present. You have non, so the pump cant try to kick on.

 

I'm planning on crawling under my truck this weekend to see for myself.. but it looks like the original Denso condenser has a cap mechanism on the dryer and replaceable/serviceable dryer element from looking on RockAuto. RockAuto also sells a dryer kit... so that seems like a fair guess.

There are also condensers listed on RockAuto that very explicitly say - dryer is internal must replace condenser. Therefore, if I'm replacing my condenser I'm buying the Denso and a couple dryers... I can't seem to find a set of instructions.. but I haven't dug that far on it. Presumably there would be some instructions with the parts if it wasn't totally obvious.. and definitely they are packaged in such a way that they're safe to ship and sit on shelves without exposure.

The general rule is - always replace the dryer any time the system is opened... it sounds like some folks do not, but I'd never do that if I could avoid it.

That said.. if I had just "closed" the system with a new dryer and realized I needed to open it back up by unplugging a hose... would I replace the dryer...
If it was open for 5 seconds.... no.
If it was open for 5 minutes.... probably not.
If it was open for 5 hours.... absolutely.


It would be nice if there were someone who has actually dealt with this personally and directly that could chime in here.. of course.

 

Folks, I really appreciate your help! I'm going to start on this now. Prayers appreciated!

 

My 2013's Evaporator developed a leak last September.... $1900 + to replace. I was noticing half of the airvents were putting out cold air and the others were not. I also noticed a "weird" smell in the cabin. I thought about it for a bit--and I knew I was planning on keeping this truck a bit longer and was still cheaper than buying a new truck. I bought it new and only have 83K miles on it. I was not very happy -- obviously. But this is the only thing that has been wrong with the truck--but it's. a big expensive one.

 

Now I'm trying to remove the dash but it looks like the passenger side airbag is attached directly to the dash. Do I disconnect the airbag and wiggle the whole thing out?

 

I'm stumped by the passenger airbag! Do I disconnect if from the dash?

 

I think it's built into the dash pad but I'm not 100% sure.

 

See if you can find a Factory Service Manual (FSM) for your truck. If you're unfamiliar with what this is - it's like a Chiltons or Haynes manual on steroids - and what the dealer mechanics use for reference.
It will have detailed instructions on how to disassemble everything.

Downside is as these are mostly on a computer these days, it's likely to be a bunch of pages hacked together into a PDF.

On my 2008, the FSM shows the passengers airbag unit connected by (at least) 2 bolts on the bottom side... Typically, these are a plug in wiring harness and bolted in.

If it's attached to the pad, it might need to be disconnected and then the whole dash pad removed as a unit all at once.

 

I got it! When I disconnected the hose by the fire wall, a reddish liquid came out. (I assume that is the oil you were referring to) I made sure there was no gas in the system by checking that little valve. If that reddish liquid is the oil you were referring to, then I have no idea how much came out and won't be able to replace it by measuring what comes out. (It's on my garage floor). So I put the hose back on and that's where I am at this point. Do I just let that liquid drain out?

 

If your referring to these hoses that's engine coolant, you have to either drain the coolant or pinch off/plug the hoses.