Regarding my Airconditioner

[Willem Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Willem]

So my airconditioner is acting funny and I inspected it for leaks with the UV dye, and could not find any. I have read some of the other airconditioner posts and cannot find similar symptoms to mine.

Before I replace my whole AC unit under the dash (suspected leak inside) I want to get some opinions:

IF AC is set to max cold driver side is cool (not freezing) but passenger side is room temperature.
After about 10 minutes passenger side is slightly cool, but a lot warmer than driver side.
Also after about 2 weeks the AC does not cool anymore and I re-gas, but still does not become freezing.
Rear AC is cooling, not freezing and is equally cool both sides.
Cabin filter is clean and airflow is pumping equal on both sides.

Any ideas?

[prado96 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close prado96]

To have different temperatures on both sides of the vehicle could that be the air not mixing properly? Or the vents not opening at all or correctly, faulty vent motors? Just some ideas.

[joel231 Find all posts View Profile Close joel231]

were you using a uv light and glasses to find the leak, as you wont see the dye just looking for it with your eyes. can you put some gauges on the ac to check the pressures? check the suction side of the compressor the pipe should be almost icey cold, if its not getting cold it could be low on gas or your tx valve is not working correctly. Also is you condensor blocked up as this could also be an issue. when the ac is running hose the radiator area down with water and if the ac gets cold you may have an issue there also.


Cheers Joel

[Ozpat Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ozpat]

IF AC is set to max cold driver side is cool (not freezing) but passenger side is room temperature.
After about 10 minutes passenger side is slightly cool, but a lot warmer than driver side.

Any ideas?

Being a VX you should have separate controls for each side. Are you sure the passenger side is not set at a higher temperature?

Cheers Jim.

[Willem Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Willem]

Jim, yup. I have checked that. The "Duel" function is disabled and both should be at the same temperature. Oh and setting it independently to COLD on both yields the same dissapointing result.

Joel, yup on one part - UV light and goggles. The local auto techcnician checked the pressure during the last refilling and it was only a tad low.
The suction side I wil check the temperature on. What is the TX valve if I may ask?

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

There has been a post on here before about that. For memory that persons issues were the flap/flaps under dash not operating properly was jamming up. For memory he put his hand in down under and gave a gentle hand and it freed up...... Cheers Steve

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

I think it was passengers side flap playing up causing all the dramas.... Cheers Steve

[Willem Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Willem]

Steve, ok I checked a few things. Apparently there is a check to run a self dignostic on the Airconditioner: http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/foru...-drivers-side/

Check said everything was ok and I ran the airflow check as well and all the air flowed properly. But the heating water pipe going into the radiator inside the under-dash unit was boiling hot on both the entry and return. Does this mean there is hot water circulating through the AC radiator all the time? How do I check this?

Joel, where do I check the suction side of the AC pump?

[joel231 Find all posts View Profile Close joel231]

Joel, where do I check the suction side of the AC pump?

putting gauges on the system will tell you the suction or low side of the a/c. one thing to remember is ac never performs well at idle. when im gassing and checking ac systems at work i always rev a land cruise to minimum 1000rpm and the bigger trucks and loaders to 1500rpm. this gets the airflow over the condensor and helps the cooling better. On the compressor there should be 2 pipe on it. one will be hot, that is discharge and suction will be cold this is the gas returning to the compressor after it has gone around the system.

The tx valve converts the high pressure liquid to low pressure liquid, this phase change is what makes the gas cold and cools the air, so if the tx or expansion valve is not working correctly it wont cool the air properly.

Cheers Joel

[Willem Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Willem]

Aha, ok I checked the pipes and the one is hot but the other is not cold. This will indicate a leak. Which I know is present in the system, I just can't find it yet.

I have to refill the gas in any case as it has lost a lot of the cooling capacity, but I still want to find out why the passenger side is so much hotter. I will have to remove the dash again to check the vent flaps that Steve suggested. I would assume there will be two on the inside between the Cooling and heating units inside the centre Aircon unit under the dash. I will see what I find there.

But stil a question remains, does the hot water always flow though the heating radiator in the AC unit or only when required?

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Yes the coolant is always flowing through the system. The heat is controlled by a flap not a heater tap. Cheers Steve