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A/C won't cool

4K views 27 replies 5 participants last post by  Enola Gaia 
#1 ·
So my A/C stopped working after a year of not using the truck as a daily (I only drove it randomly). I got married, bought a house, etc. so needless to say, dailying the truck became financially appealing... but I've driven 7 months without A/C. Initially, I had a slight leak in one of the valves on the lines, so I had the system evacuated and I replaced the valve. I had the system refilled by my friend who is a residential A/C tech and we noticed the compressor try to come on and then shut off. He suggested it might be the pressure switch in the evaporator. I tried jumping that, no dice, compressor wouldn't start. So, I ran a wire from the compressor to the battery and got it to start, but the A/C will not blow cold. I know my lines are charged and they held vacuum for over an hour before being charged, thus I know there are no leaks. Could I have a stuck expansion valve? What else should I consider? This is on a 96 Tacoma Xcab, rwd.
 
#5 ·
I've actually got gauges. I need to test them out again and see where the pressures are sitting.

A/C isn't something i know much about, but ...

It seems to me the pressure switch theory might be correct. If the A/C was turned off while you were charging the system I can't figure out how the compressor would try to activate unless the pressure switch was somehow triggering it.

Here (attached) is the 1996 A/C circuit diagram.
I had the system set to on when I was charging it actually. The compressor initially grabbed and was spinning, then the clutch let go. I always wonder where you get all this awesome info about Tacomas lol, I'll look at the PDFs you uploaded. Thanks Enola!
 
#3 ·
A/C isn't something i know much about, but ...

It seems to me the pressure switch theory might be correct. If the A/C was turned off while you were charging the system I can't figure out how the compressor would try to activate unless the pressure switch was somehow triggering it.

Here (attached) is the 1996 A/C circuit diagram.
 

Attachments

#4 ·
Here (attached) is the 1995.5 / 1996 A/C pressure switch test procedure.
 

Attachments

#9 ·
I have my EPA 608 & 609. Based on what you've tried, I'm guessing another leak. If the compressor is turning (with power directly to it like you did) and the fan is blowing, it should blow cold air if it's still charged. R-134a is a relatively small molecule compared to R-12 so once an oring dries out leaks can be a real problem. Check the pressures with gauges and see what they read. FWIW, my 96 2WD read 245 hi/45 low after a fresh charge of 23 oz. If it is low, vacuum the system down using a vacuum pump and isolate the low side gauge to see if it holds vacuum. If it holds (30 mins or more), charge it with some R-134a with dye. If it returns to 0 you have a leak. With the dye, you'll be able to look at it with a black light and see the leak. Dye won't hurt your system but I'd advise against any leak sealer because those can plug an expansion valve. Dish soap & water in a spray bottle is also good for testing suspect areas but you can't get to everything like the evap or expansion valve. Usually, it's a compression fitting oring or compressor seal (like mine was) on my Nissan that sat for a couple years in a garage. The seal dried out and it was done.
 
#11 ·
So, after a long time (life has been in the way of my truck hobby lol), I got around to checking my pressures with the gauges. With the truck running, AC on high, fans on, etc. my low pressure was sitting at 32 psi and my high was sitting around 25 psi. The compressor was not running, of course. So, I'm wondering, if my high pressure is nowhere near where it should be, am I chasing a leak in the high pressure or a blockage keeping gas from going to the high side?
 
#13 ·
... I'm wondering, if my high pressure is nowhere near where it should be, am I chasing a leak in the high pressure or a blockage keeping gas from going to the high side?
I don't know enough about A/C to see any difference in these two explanations.

However ...

(I'm not sure how to phrase this ... )

It seems to me there's something else in the overall circuit that's blocking pressure so that you're getting the two different readings on either side of the compressor. In other words - there's still something separating the high and low sides so that they read differently, and I'm not sure it's the compressor.

Is there another valve in the circuit somewhere?

Maybe I'm 'way off base here, but it seems to me the two sides should have settled into the same pressure unless there's something still separating them into two pressure zones.
 
#12 ·
Just for the record, here's the spec's from the 1995.5 / 1996 FSM:

NORMALLY FUNCTIONING REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

Gauge reading:

Low pressure side:
0.15 – 0.25 MPa (1.5 – 2.5 kgf/cm2)

0.15 MPa = 21.76 PSI
0.25 MPa = 36.26 PSI

High pressure side:
1.37 – 1.57 MPa (14 – 16 kgf/cm2)

1.37 MPa = 198.7 PSI
1.57 MPa = 227.7 PSI
 
#15 ·
Without the compressor running, the system pressure at any point should be the same. The difference you're seeing is likely just a discrepancy in the two gauges. Typically the low pressure gauge is going to be more accurate because it has a much smaller range and the high, a much larger range but we're only talking about a seven psi variance between the two and they're not exactly precision, calibrated instruments. They'll get you close but they're not lab-quality equipment.

Bottom line is you have a leak somewhere. It could be a connection, a hose, compressor, or any other point along the system. If you were to charge the system with any refrigerant, the pressure should increase at every point along the system. If you had a blocked expansion valve, the high pressure would be excessively high and the low pressure excessively low (the compressor would basically be sucking the low side lower and not have any place to push the refrigerant).

Focus on finding the leak first. When your system holds refrigerant without any leaks at all, then you can focus on other issues. At this point, though, you're just wasting effort and refrigerant/money. If it's not jumping out at you, take it to an AC shop and have them look for the leak with a halogen sniffer. You're looking for a small, invisible leak that could be in the engine compartment or in the cab. They can be hard to find, especially if it's a slow enough leak.
 
#18 ·
Well, it's been a year since I posted this. I installed a brand new compressor, expansion valve, suction and discharge hoses, and all new o-rings on all connections. I vacuumed the system out and tried to charge it. The low side went way up and the high side side stayed low. The compressor never kicked on. I am at my wits end with this thing. I really have a good mind to pull the ac system and toss it all in the trash.
 
#20 ·
I've been trying to make sense of the wiring diagram Zip posted 2 years ago. If the A/C switch lamp is lighting up the circuit's getting power, and the A/C Amplifier (the controller) should be getting power. If the A/C Amplifier is faulty that might explain everything.
 
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#21 ·
Right now I have the system under vaccuum. I had the vacuum pump on it for 30 minutes and then closed the valves. The system has held at 30 inHg without change, so I am looking into electrical now. I am going to try to charge the system with the pressure switch jumped to see what happens. Where is the amplifier?
 
#22 ·
Here's an illustration of the parts from the 1995.5 FSM. The A/C Amplifier is a little gizmo mounted on the side of the cooling unit.

Font Rectangle Line Parallel Technology
 
#23 ·
Here (attached) is the A/C Amplifier test procedure from the same ('95.5) FSM.
 

Attachments

#24 ·
Hey Enola, thank you for your help with this. It turned out that my amplifier was bad, but in the interest of making sure I don't do this again for a long time, I got an OEM amplifier, thermistor, and a pressure switch and popped them in. Once I charged the system, the compressor fired right up and the AC is working once more!
 
#28 ·
According to my '01 - '04 factory parts listing ...

A/C Amplifier: 88650-35121 (May 2001 onward)
Pressure Switch: 88645-34010

I can't find a part number for the thermistor. It's not listed as a separate part within the evaporator assembly.
 
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