2005 Toyota Sequoia A/C Blowing Hot at Idle

[arizona78]

Question: My wife's Toyota Sequoia has begun blowing hot air from the A/C when at idle, i.e. stoplight, traffic backup, etc. When moving at any speed off idle it blows cold. I have noticed when the car is fully warmed up and at idle, the A/C compressor continuously cycles on and off. Off idle the compressor remains engaged.

We've had the system checked and charged a the local Toyota dealer. No leaks. They claim everything is fine.

I found that the condenser fan wasn't working. I have replaced with new and validated the relay is OK. The fan is working normally now (on continuously when the A/C system is on) but no change in A/C performance.

The vehicle does not overheat and I can hear the radiator fan when the clutch is engaged.

Any thoughts on next steps?

Thank you!

Mike

 

[murf]

Have you checked how plugged looking the exterior of the condenser is? if you cant shine a light through it in most places, try some simple green soak it, let it sit, then gently hose it from front and back (as mush as you can through the radiator?). Might be an air flow issue

 

[arizona78]

I have not checked to see if the condenser is plugged or not. During the condenser fan replacement I didn't notice anything unusual though I wasn't particularly looking for that type of issue. I'll have a look, clean it out as required, and see if there is any difference. Thank you!

 

[arizona78]

So... I soaked the condenser with Simple Green everywhere I could get access and gently flushed it with a hose x2. Seems to have done the trick. A/C is nice and cold at idle now and has been since I flushed it a week ago. More importantly the is happy and not trying to steal my 4Runner at every opportunity. Thank you!

 

[DSRTRDR]

great tip - an employee's Mazda has the same symptoms; we'll check for that . . .