AC not working well

ive been having issues with my AC the past few weeks in my 2001 taco. I live in Louisiana so it's killer hot and I'm going to need my AC on into November I'm sure. When I crank my truck I hear a vibrating buzz that lasts for 10-15 seconds and then stops. I think the sound is coming from a small round black plastic piece just below my glove box to the left. I'll try to upload a picture. Now to describe what the AC is doing. Sometimes when I crank the truck (it does the buzz) and my AC works fine for about 5 minutes and then gets hot like the heater is on. Other times I crank the truck (it does the buzz) and the heater blows hot immediately. Things I have tried to solve the issue(I know absolutely nothing about this sort of thing): cleaned the heater radiator below my glove box, checked the freon and added a small amount, checked to be sure the compressor was running even when the hot air was blowing, my truck ran hot once so I went ahead and changed the thermostat and engine coolant per recommendation of a friend. My truck has 230,000 miles and the thermostat wasn't in great shape anyway. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

 

Maybe recharge it? Dumb question but is the a/c button pushed in?

 

Good point but yes the AC button is on and it's charged properly.

 

im too far away down here in new Orleans but it sounds like you have a bunch of shit in the ductwork keeping the fan from running correctly of the fan blade is warped on it and hitting something.

take your fan motor out and see what it looks like and if the wheel spins smoothly and level, it should not wobble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adQ4ICkS8o4

 

That's another thing I failed to mention that I checked one. I removed the fan from underneath the glove box and checked it out. I plugged it up and watched it run at various speeds and it runs very straight and smooth. When the truck blows air either hot or cold it blows at an adequate speed so I'm confident that the fan is t my issue either.

 

but did you reach in there and pull out any leaves or pin needles that collected in there over the years? its fairly common to make a buzzing sound if its rubbing on leaves

 

Yeah I checked all of that out. It's very clean in there. The buzzing sound isn't coming from the fan at all. It's coming from the round black thing in the picture I posted. It's the part with a white "11" stamped on it. Does anyone know what this part is? What it does? Where to get one? It comes off with 3-4 screws and a small electrical plug and has a few gears inside of it. I think it's lock up and isn't allowing a gate of some sort to open and close properly. But I have no clue what the part is called and if that's actually the real issue here.

 

http://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/pa...siteid=214329&vehicleid=69994&diagram=8510108 part #6 ?

 

That is called a actuator. It controls the flap that changes air flow. Since I haven't (yet) had to take mine out, I am not sure if it is the actuator that controls the upper vent to floor air or the actuator the controls hot and cold ( I suspect hot and cold ) That actuator has a motor and a worm gear that sometime strip out. Best bet is to just replace it.

 

Yes it is #6. They call it a servo.
Before you buy it. Confirm that the servo/actuator is bad. Take it off and make sure that it is rotating clockwise and counterclockwise when you change temps from hot to cold.

 

That actuator has plastic gears inside that normally strip out and cause the noise. Make sure that the door inside that is turned by that actuator can be turned with your hands to change temperatures. If it can, a new actiator is likely in order.