I'm thinking about taking my 2011 L.C into the dealership, and having the A/C system evacuated and recharged, since they are running a special. I'm doing this mainly as PM, since I'm pretty positive it's hasn't been done in the past. Would it be who of me to replace the the bag and header before I take it in, since an evacuation is going to be done? Or do most places include this in an A/C evacuation& recharge? If not, is their a certain way this needs to be done as to not mess things up, or is it pretty straightforward?
Replacing the A/C desiccant bag and header? (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter jbyrd78
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bloc
SILVER Star
Why is this necessary? The refrigerant doesn’t expire. If the system was properly assembled, which it most likely was from the factory, there shouldn’t be any moisture or contamination.
IMO messing with an otherwise functioning system seems like a way to introduce problems rather than solve them.
IMO messing with an otherwise functioning system seems like a way to introduce problems rather than solve them.
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- #3
Thank's bloc. I was unaware that refrigerant doesn't expire. Therefore I won't fix, what isn't broken
bloc
SILVER Star
Any shop selling this service is just fleecing people, at least on toyotas that aren’t known for system failures that contaminate the whole thing with metal.
Now if you had a leak, the system drained down, and you ran it like that for a while where humidity could get in from daily heat cycling.. that’s a different story. But if it has never been opened there is no need.
All of that said there are a few people that report having their systems “topped up” and them blowing ice cubes after that. So maybe there is room for adding a few grams and improving performance. That’s a different story than evacuating all of the refrigerant and most of the oil, then adding it back and hoping the ratios and volumes were correct.
Personally I wouldn’t want to risk having the system overfilled and it going over pressure if things get really hot.. my system works great now. It doesn’t need any improvement. But that’s mine..
My 08 started on the drivers side. Just didn't feel as cold as it should be. Wife started to complain so I bought one of those cans from napa. Topped it off and now icicles form on my beard.
I'm assuming I have a leak or else it wouldn't have started to fail. But, I'm curious to see how long it takes before I feel a change again. 2 months in so far...
I'm assuming I have a leak or else it wouldn't have started to fail. But, I'm curious to see how long it takes before I feel a change again. 2 months in so far...
The stuff they put in my T100 worked fine for about 20 years. At year 24 I finally had it all replaced and blows cold like new. There were no leaks in system and no issues with compressor or coils. Just needed replacement of refrigerant. So I can say from experience it does not last forever.
bloc
SILVER Star
Did they check pressures before recycling it? 24 years is a long time to have absolutely zero incidental leaks.
My understanding is there is no mechanism for the refrigerant to lose its ability to phase change, which is how the stuff works. It’s not like an oil that requires viscosity to function, with shearing down to be thinner reducing that ability. It is simply changing from fluid to gas and back over and over again.
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Agreed. It's like saying you need to change the air in your tires occasionally.
Yes full pressure check no leaks. My bill was for blead of system and refill with new refrigerant and oil that lubes the compressor. Nothing else was done by dealer. About 2 weeks before dealer I cleaned the coils in front of radiator and I pulled glove box and cleaned the internal coils and heater core coils. None of what I did made system blow colder. Which is why it went to dealer. When I got it back from dealer it was like night and day different from when I delivered it.
Over a period of 20 years some of the refrigerant will escape from the system. I'm not sure what they told you but R134A will not lose its ability to absorb heat when it evaporates, and a clean condenser core will continue to dissipate the heat of the compressed refrigerant. If they replaced no parts, it must have been low since you noticed a performance difference. Any other maintenance to a system such as replacing a schrader valve in a service port, an orifice tube, or a pressure switch requires complete evacuation.
How difficult was it to access the evaporator core behind the glove compartment?
How difficult was it to access the evaporator core behind the glove compartment?
On T100 it was pretty easy not a lot of stuff under dash like modern cars. Pull the access panel after pulling the glove box and it was all right their. Used a spray can I got at O'Reilly, let it sit for 15 minutes then rinsed it off. I also ran soft bristle brush over parts I could get to. The gasket on access panel fell apart, I used some silicone and ran bead were gasket was after cleaning it up. Let it mostly dry then put it back on.
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- #13
Since you mentioned "topping up" any particular brand of R-134a you recommend using over another? Should I stay away from the synthetic freon, and the stuff that relubes the seals inside the a/c lines?
bloc
SILVER Star
I’d try to find DuPont/Suva/Chemours r134a without any additives. No dye, no stop leak, no oil.
Note that you should be careful how much you add. An over-filled system will definitely have problems.
Which means use a set of gauges.. the cans sold with hose and crappy gauge are not the level of technical ability you should be striving for here.
