I’m looking for some guidance on diagnosing what appears to be a low side restriction in the A/C system on my 2002 Land Cruiser.
All the A/C components on my vehicle or original none of it has ever been replaced.
About two years ago, I repaired a leak in the rear A/C liquid line underneath the vehicle. After that repair, the system was properly evacuated and recharged, and it worked normally for nearly two full seasons.
This year, when I turned on the A/C, I had no cooling at the vents. I connected gauges and found that the system was not empty, though it may have been slightly low. I added a small amount of refrigerant just to see whether pressures or performance changed, but it made no improvement.
With the system running, I’m seeing the following:
What I’m hoping to avoid is unnecessary disassembly, especially if there are a few good diagnostic checks that could narrow this down first.
For those who have dealt with this on a 100 Series, where would you look first? Are there any especially useful tests to rule out components that are still operating properly?
I’d appreciate any advice on the most logical diagnostic sequence before I start taking apart the dash side or replacing components unnecessarily.
Thanks in advance.
All the A/C components on my vehicle or original none of it has ever been replaced.
About two years ago, I repaired a leak in the rear A/C liquid line underneath the vehicle. After that repair, the system was properly evacuated and recharged, and it worked normally for nearly two full seasons.
This year, when I turned on the A/C, I had no cooling at the vents. I connected gauges and found that the system was not empty, though it may have been slightly low. I added a small amount of refrigerant just to see whether pressures or performance changed, but it made no improvement.
With the system running, I’m seeing the following:
- Low side pulls into vacuum / negative pressure
- High side remains around 150 psi
- No cold air from the vents
- With the system turned off it takes a very long time for the pressure to equalize high side versus low side.
- Expansion valve
- Receiver/drier / desiccant failure
- Possibly another restriction in the liquid side
What I’m hoping to avoid is unnecessary disassembly, especially if there are a few good diagnostic checks that could narrow this down first.
For those who have dealt with this on a 100 Series, where would you look first? Are there any especially useful tests to rule out components that are still operating properly?
I’d appreciate any advice on the most logical diagnostic sequence before I start taking apart the dash side or replacing components unnecessarily.
Thanks in advance.