Ever had to replace an evaporator on your rig? (1 Viewer)

[Francis K]

My AC is now currently blowing white smoke when re-charged and I have been told it is the evaporator which from my understanding is a pricey item. I don't think I have to tell you how uncomfortable it is on a hot humid day in a black lexus with leather wearing a suit on the way to the courthouse.



Anyone have any expierence with this, i am starting to belive it is common with the FJ80's. I have an LX450, but hell....same thing different badge.

 

[CruisinGA]

I'm not too familiar with A/C terminology but...

if by evaporator, you mean "dryer" then yes that is a commonly replaced item, and shouldn't be too expensive part or labor wise to do.

It is the necessary full system drain and refill that adds the cost.

 

[NorCalDoug]

My AC is now currently blowing white smoke when re-charged and I have been told it is the evaporator which from my understanding is a pricey item. I don't think I have to tell you how uncomfortable it is on a hot humid day in a black lexus with leather wearing a suit on the way to the courthouse.

Anyone have any expierence with this, i am starting to belive it is common with the FJ80's. I have an LX450, but hell....same thing different badge.

Welcome to the dark-side Francis K
I'm glad you decided to post here.

 

[sjcruiser]

Bailey,
You're refering to the accumulator/receiver/drier. The evaporator is the radiator thingy under the dash where all the cold air is being drawn from.

It's possible that the evaporator is clogged / trashed but that's very rare. Where is the white smoke coming from? the air vents or under the hood?

 

[elmariachi]

My AC is now currently blowing white smoke

Anyone have any expierence with this, i am starting to belive it is common with the FJ80's. I have an LX450, but hell....same thing different badge.

If you are willing and able to work on it yourself, borrow some AC gauges, hook them up and look at a factory manual where there are numerous diagrams of how the gauges will look depending upon what the problem is. In your case, it could be several different things and a set of gauges is the only way to know conclusively.

Whatever the issue, its not a plague amongst 80s (except for expansion valves which were the subject of a recall IIRC) and it can be fixed. It can be costly to guess or listen to a roadside AC "expert", which is why I'd want to see what the gauges say if I were you.

 

[Francis K]

....

Thanks for the replies fellas.

The smoke is coming from the vents after it has been charged, the AC works for about a day or two but I'm assuming all the freon just blows out of the vents, hence the white smoke.

Everyone who works on my car is usually a relative of some sort, the idiots at the dealership don't know anything beyond whats clearly displayed on a computer screen and you can never trust their work. Of course none of them have any expierence with an 80 series besides working on mine, one them just saw the white smoke and suggested it was the evaporator and I have been going by that ever since. I suppose I'll have to take it to someone else who is willing to get down and dirty with it to find out.

The only thing is I have been trying to sell it unsuccessfully for a few years now and I have finally decided to keep it to tow the boat and use in harsh weather or long trips, besides....very few cars are as reliable. I really don't care that it looks outdated, I'm not a kid trying to impress the girls in my high school anymore.

 

[Francis K]

Oh yea...

Thanks for the welcome Doug, I can't take trying to get information on my rig off of Clublexus anymore. Before everyone with knowledege of SUVS would help out but now it seems like anyone with a Lexus Landcruiser over there is just concerned with not being able to fit rims as big as an escrapalade.

 

[Scamper]

Francis,

Does the air actually get cold? Reason I ask is becuase you say it does this on hot humid days. In some places, the "white smoke" is actually just condensation/fog that will come out of the vents until the cabin air has dried a bit. Try putting the system on "recirculate" rather than "outside air" to see if it goes away.

 

[Francis K]

...

Thanks scamper...

It's cold air, after the AC has been fully charged it will work for a day or two and then it's empty again, the white smoke I'm assuming is just the freon being released raw. It's not just on certain days, it's anytime I refill it, right now I don't have AC.

 

[LX_TREME]

I can't take trying to get information on my rig off of Clublexus anymore. Before everyone with knowledege of SUVS would help out but now it seems like anyone with a Lexus Landcruiser over there is just concerned with not being able to fit rims as big as an escrapalade.

Off the subject what is escrapalade

 

[NorCalDoug]

Off the subject what is escrapalade

SUV under-built by Cadillac.

 

[Penguin]

I have a 94 80 with 149,000 miles. Late last summer had a similar experience to yours. A/C was working great and then all of a sudden quit working. I recharged and it would work for a couple of days and then zip. This spring I took it to a local a/c transmission shop where they let me watch them trouble shoot the problem. The guys were great and the system was holding pressure for about two hours before the found the leak in the evaporator. The mech told me that it was most likely the expansion valve but to be sure they exposed the evaporator and that turned out to be the problem. Replace the evaporator and now all is working fine. The total job was $280 the most expensive part being the recharge of the system. I know that this may be of some help. Good luck.

Cheers, Toby

 

[Scamper]

While I'm no A/C exert, I'm inclined to think that the evaporator is not the problem, and your problem is related to a leak somewhere else in the system. Of course, I could be wrong...

If the stuff coming into the cabin was freon, I think you'd be coughing and sputtering on the fumes. So I suspect you're losing freon from somewhere else in the system.

Maybe you should take it to an A/C shop that can identify/locate the problem. Just my .02

 

[LX_TREME]

SUV under-built by Cadillac.

No prob Doug I was just messin around with him
Francis K, What size and type of rims you looking for? Size available exclusively for your LC 6 lugs from "15-"28 or one of the kind custom made maybe?

 

[elmariachi]

While I'm no A/C exert, I'm inclined to think that the evaporator is not the problem, and your problem is related to a leak somewhere else in the system. Of course, I could be wrong...
If the stuff coming into the cabin was freon, I think you'd be coughing and sputtering on the fumes. So I suspect you're losing freon from somewhere else in the system.

I agree on both points. That wasn't freon, it was excess moisture caused because the system is not cooling right. When shops say "Oh its the evaporator" they usually wind up replacing it AND the expanison valve at the same time because the valve is bolted to the back of evaporator. The valve is pressure driven and controls the passage of cold freon liquid back through the firewall to the compressor. The evaporator is like a really small radiator that your fan blows across gathering cold air. Although the fins could be plugged up and dirty, my bet is its something else like the expansion valve or the o-rings where the unit bolts through the firewall. This isn't rocket science..find a shop operator with gauges and a leak detector and they'll tell you what it is in 5 minutes.

 

[Francis K]

...

Thanks for the help everyone, I appreciate it very much. I suppose I will run it by a place specializing in AC repair soon.



Oh and LX extreme....I'm very happy with my Michelin LTX's on stock rims....it may be sarcasm but it's still sacriligious .

 

[Kalawang]

I agree on both points. That wasn't freon, it was excess moisture caused because the system is not cooling right. When shops say "Oh its the evaporator" they usually wind up replacing it AND the expanison valve at the same time because the valve is bolted to the back of evaporator. The valve is pressure driven and controls the passage of cold freon liquid back through the firewall to the compressor. The evaporator is like a really small radiator that your fan blows across gathering cold air. Although the fins could be plugged up and dirty, my bet is its something else like the expansion valve or the o-rings where the unit bolts through the firewall. This isn't rocket science..find a shop operator with gauges and a leak detector and they'll tell you what it is in 5 minutes.

I agree with both Scamper and Elmaiachi. It isn't the evaporator. Added to a need to change the expansion valve, you might also need to change the dryer and you certainly need to vacuum the system as well as have the evaporator cleaned.

The hard part of the job is taking the evaporator out for cleaning. Such a crowded space to work in. If it hasn't been cleaned in a couple of years and you live or drive through dusty places, it really needs the cleaning. In my part of the world, the original Japanese is way better than replacement parts regardless of wounding cost. OEM is much cooler by my experience.


Kalawang