AC not that cold

Hey there everyone, I have a 2003 3.4v6 4 door Tacoma with 251,000 on the odometer, the AC blows slightly cool air. I weld for a living so after work I would like my AC unit to run cold. I live in Southern California so summer is pretty hot here. Can anyone recommend what to do about my AC. I don’t want to sale my truck yet but I don’t think I can go another summer with it being so hot . Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

I’m sure I’ll get some blowback for this but recharge it with a can of r134a. I’ve been recharging mine every summer for 7 or 8 years…buy the bottle with a gauge and when it runs out, unscrew the gauge and pop it on the cheaper stuff from Walmart. I usually recharge 2-3 times per summer. The frequency will depend on the severity of your leak. Since your a/c is already fucked, it really can’t hurt.

 

Find the leak and fix it

 

Find a local shop that is specializes in AC work. Get it fixed right and be done with it. If it starts blowing warm again, take it back.

 

R&R the air dryer, pull a vacuum on it for 6 hours, charge it and go. But I would replace all the "easy" o-rings as well, be sure to lube em.

 

I had it at the dealership last year and they couldn’t find a leak

 

I will take into consideration everything you guys said, I appreciate all the info and help. I hope I can make it cooler cause if not, I might have to sale her.

 

Is there a sight glass? If so look at it and tell me how big the air bubbles are. If there is insufficent volume of refridgerant the bubble size will tell you how far "off" you are, lots of small bubbles you need just a little, bubbles the size of a wooden match head you will need more. You can charge with the auto parts store containers, just watch the bubbles, when they disappear, stop. Refridgerant is not one of those things where more is better. Check your condensor too for bugs. The other issue is with the AC/heater housing... all of the foam that seals the doors internally is probably shot so you will be mixing air other than interior.

 

AC is that complicated but it requires details. A new air dryer and charge is often good enough, but not always. But pulling and holding a vacuum is a first step. If it will hold for 6-12 hours you don't have a leak large enough to worry about. If you do have leaks you can get some spray "goo" that will pinpoint tiny leaks. I can't recall the name of the blue stuff I have used for that in the past but I can probably track it down. Works great.

ETA: I can't find the stuff I used ages ago, probably NLA, but "Cal-Blue" on Amazon looks pretty similar. If it works like the stuff I have used in the past it should work great, if you have a leak it creates a bunch of tiny bubbles. Very effective. But of course it requires a pressurized system to work.

And another edit: Found it, this stuff works great, but probably similar to others. https://trutechtools.com/big-blu-mi...kg1PD_NnTeXmwHmt4djZahN_7sYcWQXOq3EtKs-z1JvQB

 

Tell us more about this dealership visit. They should have been able to easily figure this out. Was the dealership looking for a leak because it was it low on refrigerant? If it's not low on refrigerant is your heater control valve closing all the way? A stuck heater control valve will over power the AC.

 

Just take it to a shop. We have the same truck and about the same mileage. I’m around 255,000 and I just did this service last week. Cost me $200 at the dealership since it didn’t blow cold air at all. Works great now.

 

$200 at a dealer is certainly just for a charge. And at those miles it certainly needs the dryer changed, but they are cheap. If they did the dryer and a charge for $200 you did very well.

 

Definitely need more info from the OP at this point. Sounds like he's already been to the dealer looking for leaks. It also sounds like the system is not completely flat: "the AC blows slightly cool air".

 

My usual move is to replace the dryer and expansion valve if everything else is good, pretty sure changing the expansion valve on these sucks though. I know first hand that changing the heater core sucks, pretty sure they both require a lot of the same removal. Not sure though.

 

In my area there’s a shop that does auto AC, exclusively. See if you’re lucky enough to have one near you.

 

My shop does a charge up with a tracer for $100. Then if it fails again they shine UV light which finds the leak instantly. If the dealer can't find it try a different shop.

 

Not related to the ac system, but the biggest improvement I've done to keep the truck cool in summer. Was remove the headliner and insulate the underside of the roof. I used a foil windshield sunshade, cut to fit and spray glued it into place. Then reinstall headliner.

That and tinting the windows helped out alot. The ac keeps up on the hottest days.

 

that’s genius!! Imma look into doing this.

 

I will install Jute padding on all the floor of the truck, not just under the foot area. Kind of a pain having to take the entire seat, console, carpet etc out but I find that it is worth the effort, 3M super 77 spray glue to hold the custom cuts of padding around the trans area works very well.

 

If the A/C is low on refrigerant, it is normal for a vehicle of that age since it will leak very slowly at the front of the compressor. This is a normal condition that provides oil to the front seal; otherwise it would burn the seal. Oddly, many mechanic shops are not aware of this fact and will state that there is a leak in the system to be repaired at a high cost.

Just top off the system and you should be fine. You can use the sight glass on the driver's side to look for the bubbles to go away as you charge it. That is the quicker way to get it going unless you want to use a manifold gauge set and a pressure chart.