A/C troubleshooting

I'm still getting heat.

Maybe these clamps are crap and aren't actually fully closing off all the fluid.

 

I can see the clamps are not as wide to pinch the entire hose.

Use the heater control switch to cut off heat - verify the switch behind the firewall (on the engine side) to moved.

Move the 2nd clamp to be just behind the 1st clamp (on the hose with the heater switch. 1 clamps in one direction, mount the 2nd clamp 180 degrees so the entire hose pathway is closed. At least you can close off the primary flow path into the heater core. Check, you shouldn't have any heat now.

 

What happened?

 

I ordered some better clamps to cut off the heat. I will get back to you on maybe Tuesday after they get in. Thanks

 

Alright the new clamps worked. It cut off air to the heat. It was blowing normal air after doing that.

However, I'm still only getting temps in the 48-50 degrees on a low humidity 85 degrees day. Here is my current pressure readings



I think I may have a leak with the shrader valves. When I pull a vacuum and they are pressed down I don't get any leaks. When they are depressed and normal it seems the coolant pressures are slowly going down. What do you think?

 

Did you verify the valves with a UV light? It seems to me if you have a leak, your system will go flat after a while because the freon is lost. How long has it been since you recharged the system? How many miles have you driven.

Everything you have described sounds like an inefficiency problem. Read this article: https://davesoilchange.com/too-much-oil-in-ac-system-symptoms/

 

I recharged the system 10 days ago, have driven the truck maybe 20 miles.

I added the same amount of oil as Toyota recommends to the system. I added the exact amounts as others have done. 100 CC to the compressor, 40cc to evap and condenser, 20cc to dryer. It seemed like a lot to me, but Toyota recommends 7oz for the system. To my knowledge the only device that needs oil is the compressor and if denso says 100cc is enough... Why would we need to double that?

 

Any thoughts on the oil amounts? Why would it have too much oil, if I drained every part and then added the correct amount specified by Denso and Toyota?

 

Sorry, I thought you said there might be too much oil.

What are your plans to get back oe performance now?

 

I dont know, this just doesn't make any sense. It has the correct amount of oil according to toyota, it has the correct amount of refrigerant according to toyota, it has brand new parts (except the shrader valves and hose lines and thermostat on evap), pressures all appear in specification (albiet, a bit on the low side), and I have verified its not hot air mixing with the cold air. I guess I will check for leaks and replace the shrader valves. The only other thing I can think of is replacing all the lines and thermostat so its 100% a new system. If it doesn't cool then when i have added the correct amount of oil and refrigerant then I am just going to blame it on Denso for making parts that aren't as good as OEM.

 

Alright, next thing im going to do is check clutch fan for airflow over radiator and condenser. If that is fine, im going to spray off the condenser with water to see how much temperature drops. When I drove it the other day in the rain (still 80 outside) I was able to hit 43 degrees temps from the vents, which is way better. Its possible, these Denso condensers just arent as good as the OEM one and aren't dissipating heat enough? I'm also going to replace the Shrader valves just for peace of mind and possibly the thermostat in the evap, and lastly check oil levels in the compressor after opening the system (if it gets to that point).

 

I would stop replacing parts unless you know that part is reducing the efficiency.

If you are sure you have no leaks, then I think you should bite the bullet and take it to a shop to have it vacuumed out and recharge the system.

 

This is solid advice, thanks. I am just gonna try a couple more things before i give up. I hate admitting defeat ha

 

Not defeat, if you had a proper vacuum machine, you would do it. At some point, the cost for tools limits you.

 

I rebuilt my entire system but I had a shop pull the vacuum for me.

When I was young I once had a high line blow up in my face (bad valve) during a refill so I often have them refill them as well... I say this to affirm you, it's not defeat to have that done, and maybe a @#&$& for skipping that step some times now.

When I rebuilt my system last time I refilled the oil and refrigerant myself but I had a shop pull the vacuum prior to my work (although I did my own pulls and tests at home prior to loading).

I'm coming in late to this post sorry for having to repeat info but a check list from you would be helpful:
Did you have a component failure?
Did you use UV oil?
If UV oil, did you check with flashlight for leaks?
Did you replace every component (Schrader valves included)?
Did you replace every o-ring and line?

I didn't replace my lines on my rebuild and it's still going strong 3 years later ( 2001 truck).

 

Thanks for the reply. I had my condenser fail. Also I replaced everything but the lines and shrader valves. I replaced the gaskets with santech and I used uv oil. What would a leak look like at the shrader valves, if I have been using manifold gauges won't that leave dye in the engine bay?

 

While back you stated
60degrees at idle
40degrees when in motion

fan clutch?

IIRC
To test fan clutch
Have truck at operating temperature and shut down
As fast as u can look at fan blade by radiator
If continues to spin after shutdown(little to no resistance) fan clutch failing

faulty f clutch will not move enough air through condenser causing AC not to be cold

 

Perfect

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...AE280866318F03E594A7AE280866318F03E&FORM=VIRE

 

Ya I tested mine after work yesterday, it was still spinning after I shut it down and it was slightly wobbling during operation (possibly bad bearing). It was only $80 from Home Depot for the part, so I am going to replace that this weekend. Whether or not it fixes the problem remains to be seen, but it looks like that should be replaced before it fails anyways. Replacing all these old parts is annoying, but hey, at least I dont have a car payment every month.

 

How did your condenser fail? Were you in an accident or was there a clog with excessive pressure. Either scenario could cause wear to your high pressure lines from the condenser.

Did you pull a vacuum on the system and let it sit for a long period of time to see if there was any rise in pressure?

I would think a leak at the Schrader valve would leave oil on the cap and the lines around it. I would check there.

I get 50-55 at idle and I don't know what in motion, this can also be subjective due to what tool you use to measure and what distance you measure at. I used a green kestrel to measure temp.

I never checked my fan clutch or fan for play.. 50 - 55 degrees to me was a blessing in the Mojave desert sun so I may not have done a perfect job like it sounds like you're about to do

I'm about to do this job on my wife's 2011 Fiesta.. oh joy..