rear AC condenser shot... can I cap the lines?

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T

tacoduck

10 Year
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Sooooo, I took my truck to lexus a couple of months ago and they diagnosed my truck needing a new rear AC condenser. $1k from them to replace. talked to my local mechanic, and he quoted me the same price.
couple of questions...

1- how rare is this failure?

2- do I really need rear AC condenser?

3- can I cap the line and move on down the road?

Im not an AC wiz, Im a 1 banana mechanic. just not excited about spending 1k to fix the AC. Thanks!
 
I know two folks locally here in IL who have early 100 series LC's. Both of them have had their rear AC compressors fail on them twice. One of them capped the lines the second time and it has been running fine without rear AC since. So my guess on my very limited sample size is that it is very common and that capping the rear lines is fine.
 
the lexus service manager made a comment like "we would never do such a thing..." Just seems stupid to pay 1k for rear AC. that being said, this seems like a damn rare failure.... lucky me.
 
I think you mean the evaporator. the condenser is located in front of the radiator.

Why not get the evaporator and install it by your self. AC repairs are super easy. Just don't remove any other componenet in the AC stsyem. Tons of videos on how to do it. Just need AC manifold kit, vacuum pump and freon (All can be sourced for $160).
 
any pics of the rear evaporator? is it a simple bolt on part? I know its in the rear of the truck and is accessible from the cabin. I've looked a lot of places and can't find pics. Thanks!
 
Sorry I don't have a picture of it. I heard some say it is on the passenger side quarter panel. I notice rear AC condensed water drains out over the rear passenger mud flap so the evaporator is somewhere there. I'd trace where the aluminum AC lines are going under the passenger side floor.
The front AC evaporator has the quick connect to remove the evaporator from the system. I hope the rear is the same.

The evaporator rests inside a plastic box. The plastic box is mounted to the vehicle body by 10 mm nuts/bolts. You have to remove this plastic casing and disconnect the AC lines coming into it. Once you open the plastic box by removing phillips bolts and few clips you can see the evaporator.

See the 6th picture here:
5Runner's 5Cruiser Build Thread - Expedition Portal
 
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Screen Shot 2017-01-23 at 3.16.02 PM.webp

is this the unit? found this pic on the internet... looks to be passenger side.
 
Just going to throw in my 2cents. I had an issue where the front AC worked fine, and the rear AC starting blowing luke warm air and not a single drip from the rear evap. I was sure it was the expansion valve in there was bad.. hooked gauges up to the system just to see what the system was telling me... and noticed I was fairly low on R134a.. threw in a can, and all the sudden the rear ac started working again.

In other-words, the front AC can still blow somewhat cold with the rear not really functioning at all... all because it is low on freon.
 
Yes, it is on the passenger side. But first try what DTC said. AC systems don't fail that easily. My DD car is 25 years this year!! yey... and still the factory AC, even the filter. In TX weather it still blows ice cold. And the car is a toyota.
 
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i recharged the system multiple times. had ac for a week, and then back to square 1. thanks.
 
Have you tried using a leak sealer? But the problem is the ac is going out in a week, so a leak sealer may not work.

Do you notice any oil like residue on any AC aluminum lines going under the truck?

You can use the freon detector tool to find the exact location of the leak. Believe me, once you find the leak, you'll be happy to get it fixed and start having a functional AC again.
 
nissanh said:
Have you tried using a leak sealer? But the problem is the ac is going out in a week, so a leak sealer may not work.

Do you notice any oil like residue on any AC aluminum lines going under the truck?

You can use the freon detector tool to find the exact location of the leak. Believe me, once you find the leak, you'll be happy to get it fixed and start having it running again.
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im an idiot so I took it to lexus and they diagnosed it as the rear condenser is bad. thats where they said the leak was. if its a simple bolt on part, I might try and replace it myself.
 
It may be an easy and perhaps $0.50 cents repair like an O-ring in the expansion valve. Don't use any lubricant on any O ring that is getting sandwiched between two parts.
 
There is a place on the lines going to the rear A/C evaporator just behind the passenger front wheel that collects dirt/gravel/salt, and corrodes through the aluminum pipe leading to A/C failure. When that happens, the A/C fails and there have been several on this forum who have just capped off the rear lines in that location. Run a search on that problem and you'll find the line capping info. In fact, that may be the problem with your truck and you may just need a new line to the rear. Look behind the passenger front wheel in the wheel well and see if there is oily residue (leak) on the lines that run in a support bracket right there. BTW, the truck has only A/C compressor and one A/C condenser for the entire system in the engine compartment. There are 2 evaporators, one in the dash for the front and one in the passenger rear quarter panel for the rear. And, finally, don't open the A/C lines by yourself unless the system has no pressure; that would be a bit too exciting.
 
Sandroad said:
There is a place on the lines going to the rear A/C evaporator just behind the passenger front wheel that collects dirt/gravel/salt, and corrodes through the aluminum pipe leading to A/C failure. When that happens, the A/C fails and there have been several on this forum who have just capped off the rear lines in that location. Run a search on that problem and you'll find the line capping info. In fact, that may be the problem with your truck and you may just need a new line to the rear. Look behind the passenger front wheel in the wheel well and see if there is oily residue (leak) on the lines that run in a support bracket right there. BTW, the truck has only A/C compressor and one A/C condenser for the entire system in the engine compartment. There are 2 evaporators, one in the dash for the front and one in the passenger rear quarter panel for the rear. And, finally, don't open the A/C lines by yourself unless the system has no pressure; that would be a bit too exciting.
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I recommend that you use a dye kit and black light to find your leak. You will be able to determine exactly where the leak is, which will make diagnosis of evaporator/HP line/LP line/ Condenser a breeze. Then you can determine your expense threshold (how much it will cost to fix it), and weigh your options with replacement parts or capping the rear system. I think you will likely find your leak is not at the rear evaporator core... the usual weak spot is right behind the front passenger side wheel (part costs ~$100, and install is a one-banana job).
 
think I will slam her full of freon and dye and see where the leak is and then roll from there...
 
tacoduck said:
think I will slam her full of freon and dye and see where the leak is and then roll from there...
Click to expand...

Let us know what you find... I'm hoping it's just a punctured line, and a cheap replacement or repair is an option.
 
DTCsk8er said:
Just going to throw in my 2cents. I had an issue where the front AC worked fine, and the rear AC starting blowing luke warm air and not a single drip from the rear evap. I was sure it was the expansion valve in there was bad.. hooked gauges up to the system just to see what the system was telling me... and noticed I was fairly low on R134a.. threw in a can, and all the sudden the rear ac started working again.

In other-words, the front AC can still blow somewhat cold with the rear not really functioning at all... all because it is low on freon.
Click to expand...

Had same issue this weekend on trip to Big Bend National Park. Took to dealer and they said the rear A/C will be first to show signs of low freon level by blowing luke warm air. They charged it, put dye in, and were unable to find leak. Going to run for a few days and take back for them to check again (although, after reading some of this thread and having just installed a drawer system, I'm not exactly sure how they were able to check the rear A/C components in the quarter panel...).
 
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