Some things that are giving me concerns on my 2023 GX Luxury trim, not fridge cold AC and feedback in brake/acceleration pedals at low speeds (1 Viewer)

[Rednexus]

2021 was the cutover model year for R1234yf

Our Highlander has that refrigerant then, and it works totally fine (ice-cold AC like my R134A GX470).

To the problem above, my money is on some kind of a blend door/actuator problem. Something may have fallen into one of the vents and jammed things up. On a GX470 you have to remove the dash to get to some, but not all, of the actuators. Not sure where they are on a 460 or how hard they are to get to.

 

[Rednexus]

Hmm, maybe I have a very small leak somewhere.

Most likely you do, especially if the performance is no longer that good some time after a recharge. Typically on older vehicles it's an O-ring that leaks. Since your GX is newer, it could also have a very small nick in the AC condenser (finned aluminum panel in front of the radiator) from a rock or kicked-up road debris. If it's low right now and needs another recharge, I'd suggest adding a can of R134A with the green UV dye in it, so you can easily find the leak and have it repaired. If you had it recharged at a shop, hopefully they used the dyed R134A, and you might be able to find the leak easily with a blacklight.

It's usually best to avoid DIY recharge from the cans with the hoses attached that you get at the parts store. They often have some sort of a stop leak in it, which can gum up the AC system. Probably fine for use on an old beater, but not something with a large and complex system with parts hidden under the dash like a GX. It's actually easy to DIY recharge with a set of manifold gauges and a can of normal R134A without any extra additives other than the UV dye.

 

[Banandalorian]

My 2017 has 3 zone and the AC is pretty ridiculous. I'm bald and keep a beanie in my door pocket at all times because my head will get cold when the AC is blasting on hot summer days.

 

[CJF]

using the acurite gauge holding it to the vent, the temp read low 60s,

That seems awfully high to me. I know older vehicles better than new ones, but I would think you should be seeing 40s or low 50s at most. (Both of my 80 series are in the 40s.) No way are low 60s vent temps going to cool a full size suv.

 

[r2m]

My 2017 has 3 zone and the AC is pretty ridiculous. I'm bald and keep a beanie in my door pocket at all times because my head will get cold when the AC is blasting on hot summer days.

Oops, was that NOT supposed to be funny????

 

[khalid7412002]

That seems awfully high to me. I know older vehicles better than new ones, but I would think you should be seeing 40s or low 50s at most. (Both of my 80 series are in the 40s.) No way are low 60s vent temps going to cool a full size suv.

that's what I believe as well. it feels coldish when my hand is close to the vent but it doesnt have enough cooling power to cool the rest of the car.

My temp gauge is pretty accurate because when I have it in my apartment, it pretty closely matches what I have my nest thermostat reads, within a degree or so.

Im just doing more testing when it gets hot in SoCal LA region so i can gather data and see how I actually feel driving the car on a hot day.

 

[Acrad]

What do temps of air feel like coming out of the 2nd and 3rd row? These are served by the rear evaporator

 

[khalid7412002]

What do temps of air feel like coming out of the 2nd and 3rd row? These are served by the rear evaporator

the rear temp feels even more lukewarm compared to the front.

I am going to take to the dealership in the next couple weeks and have them check the air temp at the vent using their tools and have them do a full system check to make sure there isnt any leaks or something else that could be wrong with my entire system