Somebody who had my truck before me got it mounted up beside the battery. I was always thankful for their efforts but I have to put cardboard between it and the battery bc they fit pretty tight, I’d be kinda disappointed in the results if I paid $200.
Just pushing it up is the better move.
Agreed. Pushing it up is a better solution for several reasons.
1. No need to purchase parts (Receiver Drier, lines, etc).
2. Process takes just a few minutes to achieve much better clearance than before.
3. Moving the drier up a few inches is adequate for most off-road applications (save for extreme rock crawling).
4. Keeps the receiver/drier in basically the same area as engineers intended (more on this below).
Comment:
In our A/C systems....I would wager the receiver/drier is the least understood component (with respect to its purpose and function).
I think most understand that the Receiver/Drier has a filter and desiccant inside. The purpose of the desiccant being to capture any moisture that might be present in the system. That's pretty much all the 'drying' function the unit does.
But the canister also serves a 'receiving' function and this is where location and VERTICAL orientation are important.
I've seen examples posted in the past where the owners have turned the canister at a 45° angle to achieve more clearance. Even seen one example where the canister was turned horizontal (completely defeating the function of the unit).
The Receivers function is to accept mostly liquid refrigerant from the condenser. The refrigerant enters through the top, goes down through the filter/desiccant elements and collects in the bottom of the canister. The receiver is designed to hold excess refrigerant/oil when not needed by system demands.
But it also finalizes the condensing process of the refrigerant so that you only get LIQUID refrigerant going from it to the expansion valve. As for location. Toyota wisely chose to move it from behind the battery to a more accessible and 'cooler' spot (though they went a little too far IMO).
This allowed for easier installation, a larger canister and a cooler area to prevent the refrigerant from trying to 'boil off' in the hot confines of the under hood area.
Just be aware that moving the R/D can result in some amount of performance loss and weigh that against your gains.
IMO moving the unit UP a few inches is the best solution and performance loss would be negligible. Relocating to behind the battery is something that even Toyota decided could be done better.
