NO AC HELP!

Have a 2005 Tacoma 4.0 the refrigerant level is okay and also the compressor is kicking in but still no cold air any solutions?

 

Is the suction line cold with the system running?

 

It’s not hot to touch but I wouldn’t say it’s cold

 

So you have a problem on the refrigeration side.

How did you determine it's full of refrigerant?

What are your high and low side pressures reading?

 

^^^ This.

The only way you can determine refrigerant quantity is to evacuate into a container on a scale. And yes, pressure readings will tell the story.
Your truck might need a receiver dryer replacement depending on how long ago it was done. Possibly an expansion valve.

 

Don’t wanna sound stupid here but I put an AC cold recharge on there and hit the trigger once and the gauge said it was already at normal levels I’m gonna go to auto value tomorrow and use there’s to measure both sides

 

The system has to be running in order to charge it with gauges, you can typically get "close enough" using pressures but you need to know what to look for.

 

I don't want to be that guy, and make no mistake about it I am pro-DIY all the way, but.... A/C work is one of the few things I generally recommend be done by someone with experience.

I know, I know, it can be done DIY, and many have done so successfully, and DIY is how I learned, but consider that decent A/C tools + refrigerant are not particularly cheap and unless you intend to work on A/C relatively frequently, or just like to learn, you have to decide whether it is worth the investment. Just sayin...

 

This is true and "mistakes" can be quite expensive to fix.

 

Indeed Dm93. For example, tell us how much R1234YF happens to be these days (I know the 2nd Gens are R134a, but it too is now $$$).

 

That stuff is gold, the last we bought was almost $6 an ounce ($47 for an 8 oz can) vs 134a being around $0.80 an ounce or less ($8-10 for a 12 oz can)

 

YIKES!

 

....and charging using the small cans is another issue altogether IMHO.

 

I don't really have a problem with that but those "suicide cans" with the hose on them should not exist, if you don't have at a minimum a manifold gauge set so you can look at high and low side pressures you shouldn't be messing with A/C. Not to mention most of that stuff has stop leak in it which absolutely wrecks an A/C system if any moisture or air ever enters the system.

 

So my 2010 uses 134A if I got it right, what is the R1234YF used in?

I remember back in the 90s buying a car that used R12 and I couldn't buy it any longer here. My girlfriend's mom's boyfriend did HVAC for a living in buildings and had the gauges plus license to purchase small cans of the R12. The compressor wouldn't kick on and turns out it had 0 pressure. He charged it and it ran fine for another 3 yrs (when I sold the car it still worked).

 

I'll be this guy.
Roll the window down.
I rarely use AC.

 

It is the replacement for R134a, supposed to be "greener" lile 134a was to R12.
It started be phased in to new vehicles around 2012 (I believe Chrysler was among the first to start using it), all new vehicles must use it by the 2024 model year. Tacoma's started using it in the 3rd gens, not sure exactly what year all of them came with it though as early 3rd gens could have had 134a or 1234yf.

Design pressures are very similar to 134a but the oil is slightly different and as of now is said to not be cross compatible, system capacities are slightly lower but it currently costs 6-8x what 134a costs.

From what I understand 134a refrigerant production is going to be ramped down in the next several years and they are currently working on a drop in replacement.

Ah yea R12 was great, those systems would blow ice cubes on the hottest days, too bad they banned it. 134a sucked as a replacement on older systems, it does decent on systems that were desifned for it though.

 

I figured it out guys the truck wasn’t on when I was recharging it I’m a bone head, thanks for your help!!

 

I'd have to look and see what the tag on my wife's 2014 Rav4 says, not that we have had issues with the system fortunately.

Only other vehicle I had AC issues with was my 1984 Camaro (and I had enough other problems there I never got to the point of getting into that one), and my 1997 Olds Achieva (which used the 134A) having a small leak. I was able to charge it up yearly and just never fixed it as I sold the vehicle.

I've heard that re the conversion, my folks had a Grand Marquis that was converted to 134A. I didn't use the vehicle so couldn't really say though.

That old Chevy Celebrity that I worked on before with the R12, yikes. Took 3 small cans and it was I think high 30s out of the vents. Not a bad thing with a black vehicle, plus driving an old car at least if those type of things work I tend to think about it as decent enough and keep it as long as possible. Sold it to a friend of mine and I want to say maybe the compressor puked but I could be wrong.

 

If I lived where AC was only useful 10-15 days a year, I'd be willing to roll down the window too.

But some of us live where we only use heat those 10-15 days.