A/C not cold, at all, and I barely use it

My truck just sits 95% of its life since I work a block from home and have a company car, but I started to drive it more lately. As anyone from Socal knows, it's been a million degrees here the last week and since I've been driving the truck, I need to use the air conditioning. I used to never use the AC and we're just drive with the windows down, so I can't even remember if it used to be cold or not, but I know that now it barely gets cold. I have an older 4runner with 180,000 mi, and the AC and that thing gets ice cold almost instantly. Truck has just over 60k miles.
I know a leak is the most common culprit, but is there anything I can check myself at home before going to a dealer?

 

With the engine running, ac off, watching the ac compressor, have someone turn it on. You should see the compressor clutch start spinning. If it doesn’t you might have a popped fuse or the clutch wires came off.

In so cal too, yes it’s been unbearable the past week. Mines been blowing cold as long as I’m moving or reving the engine. But goes from cold to cool if stopped idling. So I bought one of those recharger cans & stuck it in. I bought the smallest can, it didn’t even take half of it but it did make a slight improvement.

I don’t know enough about ac to know what it needs. Maybe a pusher fan in front of the, whatever it’s called, ac radiator.

Yours not blowing cold at all, buying the canned stuff, it might just leak out immediately.

 

You can do an A/C performance test with a kitchen thermometer as shown here to quantify things:



Make sure your A/C condenser is reasonably clean and not clogged with mud.

Other than that, most likely just age-related leaks. The shrader valves leak a few % per year. After 14 years, your refrigerant level is probably low. Take it to a shop to diagnose. The shop can replace the valve cores and recharge the refrigerant.

 

I wouldn't take it to a dealer, go to an actual AC shop instead.

 

Need to start by checking to see how much of a charge is in there, it's probably low if it's never been serviced before

Turn the engine and AC on watch the compressor clutch. Does it turn on? Does it short cycle?

 

Thanks, I wonder if never using it was actually worse for the system. And I'll try that thermometer test later.

 

This is probably a good idea. Just be cautious of sketchy shops. I remember the con being they'll put up a big sign that says free ac inspection. The next part, I'm not sure it's still true but what I heard is they'll give you the free inspection, then if you have a leak, by law they're not allowed to let you drive away until it's fixed. So you're stuck paying what they want to charge you to fix it.

 

Not using it regularly is most likely the problem.

 

I remember the older vehicles (before serpentine belt) the recommendation was run the AC for 5 minutes weekly to prevent leaks from seals etc. Not sure if as necessary now but free insurance in my book.

 

Can't say I've heard that but there could be some validity to it since the AC system isn't just filled purely with refrigerant and does contain a small amount of oil/lubricant. Personally my first step after verifying the compressor clutch and condenser fan to be functional would be getting it recharged (labor rates at dealers can be ridiculous so an independent shop may be a more reasonable option). If you suspect a leak you can also have them add a dye to the system so that after running it a while you can look over the lines and fittings with a UV flashlight and easily spot where it's coming out of.

 

Not sure if it was a manufacturer recommendation, a friend back in the day who had been a mechanic suggested it to me and mentioned he finds it wise to due.

 

Not a lot of information provided, but yes, if you don't use it, you lose it. Take your truck to a compentent service center that can diagoses the problem.

 

AC system actually runs more than you think. whenever the controls are set to "windshield defrost" the compressor is running. Supposedly they do that to help remove moisture when defrosting. You just don't feel it because the blend door is still mostly pointed toward the hot side

 

I run mine every day year round. Even in the winter ( I live in coastal SC ). I have found that if it is run frequently there are fewer problems with the system. This is based on my personal experiences over ~ 50 years.

** Note I did have an issue a few years ago, but that was due to a rock into the condenser and a defective hose crimp.

 

Little update: the AC system must have heard me talking negatively about it, because all of a sudden it's working much better. Definitely not as cold as it should be, but it is way better than it was when I posted.
Thanks for the info.

 

I was always told that not running the AC often will cause it to fail sooner than running it all the time.

When I got my 04 in 2016 it only had 24k miles on it, in perfect shape (before I started beating up on it) but the AC hardly worked. Eventually quit for good a couple years later. I just assumed it had to do with the fact that the truck wasn't driven much for the first 12 years. Ended up needing a new compressor.

I agree with above, take it to an AC shop over the dealer. Take it to any reputable mechanic over a dealer imo. Dealers are for warranty work on new vehicles.

 

You might think about cleaning the condenser coils, along with the radiator fins (trans cooler if applicable) with some coil cleaner. First time I cleaned mine, the AC temp dropped 5 degrees.

 

I would still have it checked as running low on charge can damage the compressor.

 

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