Ugh. AC not blowing cold (again). Overhaul time. (1 Viewer)

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So I've been reading the FSM and every thread I can find (search does not work looking for "AC" only in the titles unfortunately), including Jen's recent AC posts. Looks like the system in my "87 FJ60 has already been converted to R134a because of the service fittings on the compressor, but the dryer sure looks old and original.

Back story, last summer it wasn't cooling well, so a friend helped me add some R134a and it was working OK, but I suspected something was amiss because on long trips it would cycle cold, warm, cold, warm, like it was freezing up, then melting, maybe. Fast forward to last week when the weather was hot, I turned it on for the first time all year since fall, and it was not cold at all.

I will be borrowing the gauge set from a buddy, and will begin going thru it per the FSM. I am going to go ahead and restore everything to new, so I bought a drier/rcvr, evap, expansion valve, pressure switch, 0-ring kit, etc. I only want to do this once.

Wish we had a sticky on the AC overhaul. I'll muddle thru it. Plan right now is to get it rebuilt and sealed, then go to the AC shop for a vacuum and charge, as I do not have the equip for that. Hopefully the compressor and condenser is good. Also I want to clean all the leaves and trash out of the airway and cowl. Wish me luck.
 
Good luck on this journey. Just a few days ago I did a vacuum and recharge. Since you will have access to the gage set, I would encourage you to find a friend that has a vacuum pump...do it yourself and recharge it yourself. It's really fairly straightforward. Hopefully someone you know has a vacuum pump.
 
I have a friend in the biz I just discovered has the gear in his shop. He said he'd walk me thru it when I get ready, as long as I bring the refrigerant and stuff (and beer). I am waiting for some parts and such I ordered to arrive, then I will begin the repair job proper.

First, I need to do some testing and diagnosing when I get the gauges later today or tomorrow. I def also need to figure out what to pull to shop-vac out the debris and leaves in the airway. So I'll start doing that, and some other prep for getting the evap box out (once discharged if not already).
 
You can evacuate the system pretty quickly by pressing on the valves on the compressor ports, we just stuck a small flathead screwdriver in ours to clear out the system. Wear gloves in case there is feon in it. But odds are there is a leak in your system and all the charge has already leaked out. After that you can take out the evap box under the dash and clean out all those airways.
You may have already done it with the parts you already got, but good quality and fairly inexpensive Denso AC parts are all available on Amazon or RockAuto. Remember all the little o-rings on the evaporator pipe/expansion valve and pressure switch. Also the big o-rings on the compressor ports, as the PO who did the conversion may not have changed them out.
 
Oh yeah, and everything we needed to rebuild and recharge the AC system ourselves was available for free from Autozone for 90 days. We used their vacuume pump, manifold gauges, uv leak detection kit, hand pump that adds AC oil, and compressor clutch removal tool set. It was very helpful and the price was definitely right!
 
Good stuff, I'll keep all that in mind. Thanks.
 
Can I replace the burned out light bulb in the AC switch without pulling the switch & panel? Got the bulb and doing this now...

Plan is to take the cruiser by my friend's shop Mon evening, and have him evacuate the refrigerant into their recycling thingy. Then I can start pulling the evap box out and cleaning ducts while waiting for the parts to arrive from Amazon and points beyond...
 
Can I replace the burned out light bulb in the AC switch without pulling the switch & panel? Got the bulb and doing this now...

Plan is to take the cruiser by my friend's shop Mon evening, and have him evacuate the refrigerant into their recycling thingy. Then I can start pulling the evap box out and cleaning ducts while waiting for the parts to arrive from Amazon and points beyond...
We had to pull the the plastic trim and unscrew the AC bezel to get the AC switch installed. We had a 12v light in our AC "On" switch, so had to remove that to put in a 24v bulb. But the AC controls had to be out to reinstall the switch. There may be another way to do it, but that's the only way we could figure out how to install it.
 
Just last week I purchased from Rock Auto a Denso Dryer and Denso expansion valve. Prob can also get the pressure switch.
 
Yeah. The pressure switch from the Toyota dealer, and Denso evap, exp valve, and rec/dryer from Amazon. Hoping the condenser, hoses/pipes, and compressor are OK. Waiting for a couple parts to arrive, and doing the refrigerant (if any) recycle tomorrow evening. Then I can begin the overhaul.
 
@Aloha Jen , is there a O-ring kit you bought? how did you know which sizes beforehand? Thx

Just received my stuff from Coolstream including the green o-ring kit. Looks like it will cover everything and then some....
image.jpeg
 
I have a similar issue on my '89 62. Driving on the hwy for longer than 30-40mins and it starts blowing warm air. I have to switch it off for a good 15mins then switch it back on for cool air to return. I've since filled it twice over 5 months with freon but the hwy driving issue still persist. Could it be that its working too hard?

Will be watching this thread closely.
 
@Aloha Jen , is there a O-ring kit you bought? how did you know which sizes beforehand? Thx

Just received my stuff from Coolstream including the green o-ring kit. Looks like it will cover everything and then some....
View attachment 1486575
Yes, that's the same one I got.

I have a similar issue on my '89 62. Driving on the hwy for longer than 30-40mins and it starts blowing warm air. I have to switch it off for a good 15mins then switch it back on for cool air to return. I've since filled it twice over 5 months with freon but the hwy driving issue still persist. Could it be that its working too hard?Will be watching this thread closely.
Sounds like it could be bad pressure switch or expansion valve. Both easy/cheap fixes if that's all it is.
 
You can evacuate the system pretty quickly by pressing on the valves on the compressor ports, we just stuck a small flathead screwdriver in ours to clear out the system. Wear gloves in case there is freon in it.

Just for everyone's clarity on this, the procedure described above is illegal. Definitely don't just vent it out. It must be recovered using approved refrigerant recovery systems.
 
Where's the best place to order a new/good reman compressor? Coolstream? Amazon? Looks like I'm gonna need one, double ugh.

This job is going slow but I have 4 days off this weekend and no more excuses. :smokin:
 
When we evacuated the AC last evening at my buddy's shop on the recycle unit, it only recorded 6 oz refrigerant recovered. Noticed the compressor clutch and idle up kicked in properly, but not sure why the compressor would still kick in with refrigerant that low, guess the pressure switch is stuck closed. I have a new one to put in anyway. Should I pull the condenser and flush it out with acetone or something to get all the oil out?
2nd question: is there a R134 style cross-flow or whatever condenser that drops in and bolts right up? Worth doing? At this time I don't suspect the condenser, it looks in good shape, no oil anywhere...
 
Quick update, project delays due to life intrusion, also, I ended up picking guitar and drinking beer for most of my 4-day weekend. I did remove the evap unit with some head-scratching and a few cuss words. The evap inside that thing was FILTHY! On fan side it was a wall of dried crud with a mass of composted pine needles, leaves, and crap. It stunk, and weighed a ton from all the dirt. Can't even see daylight thru it, just a mess. Amazing any air blew thru that thing. No wonder the cooling was marginal. All the parts inside sure looked like the 30-yr old originals. I removed the small pipe and tossed everything else, re-assembling with the new evap parts and o-rings.

Some PO had used those clam-shell squeeze-on wire taps on the two main power and ground wires of the Evap wire harness for some reason, then later removed whatever it was, and covered the nicks with black tape, which caught my roving critical eye. Both wires were nicked badly and about to break, so they got fixed, soldered, and heat-shrinked. I replaced the bulbs in the AC switch and the heat-cool bezel, and sorted out and removed some other old aftermarket wires that had been half-assed removed and taped up in the past. All the wiring was cleaned up and properly secured with some wire ties.

I went to town with the shop-vac, various hoses, air blower from my compressor, and cleaned a ton of old pine needles, leaves, and assorted detritus from the fan and cowl area, taking off the access plates and poking the hose down in there, blasting with the blower, blow-vac-blow-vac. Got all the crud out of there I possibly could. I also vacuumed out the left side where the flow goes into the ducts and past the heater flap. Not much crap in here at all, just some dust. Guess the filthy evap was filtering all the debris.

Putting the rebuilt evap unit back in tomorrow, with new foam weatherstripping all around. I'll take the AC circuit board to work and inspect it for cracked solder joints under the big stereo Leica microscope in my lab. After the evap is in and the dash/glovebox/ducts all buttoned up, I'll start under the hood: new drier, rebuilt compressor, and new seals throughout. Then to the A/C shop for evac, oil, and refrigerant.

Cool - or it will be soon, anyway. :smokin:
 

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