FJ62, Should a/c work with recirc on?

[fraserb]

1989 FJ62. My a/c blows cold when fresh air is “on”, but when I swap over to recirc, it seems to just blow non cold ambient cabin air.
Is this by design?

Thanks!

 

[OSS]

-Recirculating air should blow out colder when AC is on than a fresh air source…. If the outside air is hotter than the inside.

 

[fraserb]

Hmm this is definitely not the case. It’s almost as though recirc is bypassing the a/c.
Is this possible? @OSS

 

[vipergrhd]

Have you stuck a thermometer in the vent to see how cold is the output? Temp. should not change when you switch to recirc air all you are doing is switching the outside air intake to the interior air making the air a little more colder since the air inside the cab is already cold.

 

[OSS]

Maybe first rule out if the Fresh/Recirculate slider is working properly.
Just use fan only for this test. Not AC.

The fresh air source gets sucked in through the grates on the cowel just in front of the windshield. You should be able to detect that air is getting sucked through them when fan is on High-fresh.
The Recirculating source opens a door on the air box located in the passenger footwell and closes the fresh air source. You should hear it open/close when the slider is actuated.

Verify that when in recirculating mode that the cowel grates no longer suck air and the air box in the cab is.
The AC evaporator coil is located inside that big gray air box visible from passenger footwell.