Can you add A/C if it came from factory with out it?

Awesome thanks for all your comments guys, there’s a lot of aftermarket bolt on parts available, at a cost, but I will start looking for a parts truck.

 

Does it have vent openings on the inside? I wonder if it has all the components under the dash the ones with ac have. Seems like a very expensive addition. Wouldn't it be cheaper and better if you look for another truck with AC and pay the difference? I wouldn't get truck without ac specially in Florida where I live. Just my 2 cents.

 

No ac in florida.... yeah, no. I run ac 365, my house about 360. And I'm on spacecoast, a bit cooler than much of the state. Cheaper and easier to get a different truck. If I was given one.... I'd sell it and use the $ on a better truck.

 

To tell you the truth I hate the cold and winter in General for me the cold is deadly )) I've never understood people who enjoy winter and snow the only thing that pleases in winter is Christmas but in summer it can be hard too and sometimes I don't understand myself in summer I just love the cold looking for him everywhere I even asked my friend from aircon servicing company lower the minimum temperature on my AC so I sit in the summer almost always in the cold and it's hard to explain))

 

Thanks for sharing your questions and answers, everyone. I just installed a/c in my 96 2.7 liter, which didn't come with a/c from the factory. The dealer and my mechanic both declined to try to do it. But, as @cazinpa notes, all of the wiring is there for the 96, so I figured I'd try on my own. I didn't, unfortunately, have access to a donor vehicle, which made things more difficult. You can get almost all of the OEM parts online. But they don't come with the mounting hardware. Also, the only place I could find the cooler assembly unit online was from Toyota, who wanted over $2K for it. So that wasn't going to happen. But I was able to find the following from a junked 1998 at a Pick-And-Pull:
--Cooler assembly unit (for $40)
--mount for dryer/receiver
--liquid hose from dryer/receiver to evaporator (the high pressure side)

I was able to purchase the following new from Amazon, all OEM except for the evaporator (which is such a simple part, I didn't think it would matter):
--evaporator
--expansion valve
--compressor
--suction and discharge hoses (evaporator to compressor; compressor to condenser)
--condenser
--liquid hose from condenser to dryer-receiver
--the a/c pulley, which caps on to the front crankshaft between the alternator and the power-steering pulleys.
--a/c switch for dashboard (just remove plastic cover over blank spot and plug right in.)

The hard part was finding the following hardware:
--manifold/service valves for compressor (new compressors just come with a plate, so I had to actually buy a cheap, used compressor from eBay, just to take off its manifold)
--mounting bracket and bolts for compressor
--bolts for idler pulley (you can find an aftermarket pulley inexpensively from an auto parts store or online, but it is somewhat difficult to find one that also includes the bolt, spacer, dust shield, and nut.)
--mounting hardware for condenser, such as bushings, bolts, grommets, etc.

For the hardware, I looked up the part numbers from Toyota's website and then ordered the parts from toyotapartsdeal.com. Much better price than the dealership. But make sure to order all parts at once if you use toyotapartsdeal.com, because you also pay a shipping/handling fee.

Installation was actually not bad (although, as a newbie, I sheared off a couple of bolts as I learned to not cross-thread and also to use a torque wrench correctly. Those mistakes, of course, required that I learn how to use an easy out and a tap and die set. But, hey, good things to know how to do.) There is plenty of space on my year/model to work; and it is pretty clear where everything goes. You just need the usual tools (mm socket and crescent wrenches, etc.)

After I installed everything, I borrowed an a/c manifold gauge set and vacuum pump from an auto parts store and charged it using cans of refrigerant. Learning how to charge it effectively was a bit tricky for me, as there is so much competing information out there. The FSM actually says to charge it from the high pressure side (with engine off). This is totally different than what most people say to do. I first tried to charge it via the low pressure side, but my compressor wouldn't kick on. (This might have been because the magnetic clutch plate switch had been sitting exposed for 24 years under the hood, so I replaced that switch, splicing in another one, which conveniently came attached to the used compressor I had purchased for the manifold valves.) Anyway, I then started he charging on the high pressure side, with engine off, and stopped, switching to the low pressure side with the engine on, once I achieved adequate pressure on the low side for the compressor to start. I think that the pressure switch is actually located in the cooler assembly, perhaps on the high pressure line, which is probably why the compressor wouldn't start at first. I dunno. Anyway, once the compressor was able to run, I charged the rest of the refrigerant through the low side. It all seems to be working now.

It was a serious project for a beginner, but anyone can do it if you have the time and patience. And a/c will make all the difference in the summertime when I drive through the Sacramento Valley up to the Sierras in CA.

 

What year did AC become standard? I bought a 2002, but never thought to look. I pick it up Tuesday and the dealer is closed today.

I looked up the vin on the Toyota website and it doesn't list it as a comfort feature.

Has me nervous, but in the end I can live without it. I live in New England.

 

My brother bought his 95 Tacoma, he wanted NO a/c, but dealer only had a/cequipped, But he never used it. He was frugal and thought it used too much extra fuel. Fast forward about 12 years, and he drove mom somewhere on hot day. She complained, so he turned on a/c, and no cooling... seals had dried and refrigerant had leaked.

he lived near San Francisco d as o it wasn’t a huge deal. He passed away and I inherited the Tacoma but since I live near Sacramento, I’ll need to get the system up and running by Summer...

 

Pretty safe to say a 2002 has it equipped?

 

It would cost less and be easier to transfer your drivetrain to a donor truck than pull the AC from the donor truck and put it in hours.

hell it would probably be easier to do a drive train and frame swap to a truck with AC already built in than try to add AC new.

I could be wrong too. My background is high level, I looked at adding auto climate controls into a truck that didn’t have them. The headaches involved with THAT was insane.

 

And have you checked out the frame for rust? That would make me much more concerned in NE than the lack of AC (which I'd bet a good lunch it will have)

 

Yes, barely even surface rust. Carfax showed the original owner had it in San Diego, CA until May 2020.

 

Tequiller, I am guessing that your 2002 will have A/C. Even if it doesn't, it will have all of the wiring for it. Therefore, I would respectfully disagree with GarlicFarts that it would be easier and quicker to transfer a drive-train and frame swap to a donor truck with A/C than pull the A/C from the donor truck and install it in yours. (Just dropping a tranny is somewhat of a pain in the ass and requires some special tools, like a transmission jack.) If the donor truck has all of the working A/C parts, one person can do it in a day. My 96 didn't come with a/c, but all of the wiring was there. (Apparently, Toyota would wire all of the Tacos for a/c and then just install a/c on most of them on the dock when they arrived.) I didn't have a donor truck, so the only thing that took me considerable time was finding all of the parts. Otherwise, it's pretty easy.

 

Thank you

 

Mine VIN print out shows info under the following headings, AC being under Interior.

Their method of display may have changed over the years, but it might not hurt to look again.

MECHANICAL & PERFORMANCE
SAFETY & CONVENIENCE
EXTERIOR
INTERIOR
Air Conditioning

 

Is that from the Toyota website?

 

It is. I just copied out the headings, lots of things listed under each one. I think it was called Vehicle Detail. Same place I got the owners manual and all the subsystem operating manuals

Yours says AC under Factory Installed, right between the radio and clock listing.

 

Not true, GarlicFarts. The early first generation Tacomas came from the factory wired and ready for AC, whether the truck had AC or not. The dealer sold it as an add on, and the mod could easily be done at the dealership upon request.

My 96 Tacoma came from the factory without AC. Although I’ve had the truck for about 5 years now, I’m tired of being cooked to death. So I just spent the past month gathering all but one of the components from pick-n-pull yards in my free time, and will have AC by the end of this week. (I am just waiting on the last drier line to arrive in the mail.) All in all, I’m invested in the project to the tune of about 300 bucks.

 

You can always run 2/50....2 windows down, 50 mph. Works great until you have to stop. However, I would never buy a vehicle w/out A/C.

 

I am sure this played out in some fashion.

I will say if Your looking for a used system as long as it pulls and holds vacuum the major parts might work for you .

Most places recommend all new parts to help prevent constant returns.

It is lots of work if your young and flexible.

I can`t say what is less work installing a AC system or swapping a drive train into a truck with AC I guess it comes down to where your skills are and the type of work you enjoy more.