my air isn't cold... - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

94cylcamry · 06-27-2008, 10:48 PM

I've got a 94 LE 5SFE...the air has never been amazing, I guess because it's been really hot this summer. But I noticed that the air is hardly cold after I installed my short ram intake. Now it's a cheap intake and it's just sucking in hot air from the engine bay(for now) I have no doubt, but should that have this much effect on the AC?

Is there anything I can do to help the AC?

Also, I read in different threads about people asking how to "charge" the AC. What exactly does that mean? Just wondering.

Thanks guys.

tran.man48 · 06-27-2008, 11:19 PM

I don't think it has anything to do with your intake. Your a/c uses what is known as refrigerant. Over time, this refrigerant loses its properties and needs to be "recharged" or replaced, like any other fluid. When the refrigerant is old, your a/c will not feel as cold as it did before. You can do this yourself, I've seen a/c recharging kits, but I've never personally used one before.

SmartedPanda · 06-27-2008, 11:34 PM

How long before you have to change the Refrigerant? I've never changed mine....

EEngineer · 06-27-2008, 11:37 PM

just refill the freon and see if that helps or not

uibalnme · 06-27-2008, 11:44 PM

I would suggest you take your car in for A/C service. That will replace all of the old refrigerant, remove any air that may have entered the system, and allow the tech to check for leaks. The new refrigerant will also have lubricants to keep the compressor working properly. The only thing is since you have a 94, your system may use freon which isn't cheap or easily obtained these days. If you do have freon, you can use the newer R12 which is a substitue for freon. Although, I've bee told that R12 doesn't get as cold as freon. R12 will maybe get to 50*F at the vents. You can also get your system refitted for R134a which is what newer cars use. Refitting is a bit costly, but you would spend just about the same as getting more freon. Either way, if you can get freon, go for it, if not, do the refit. I had my 96(which uses R134a from the factory) recharged, and it's putting out 35*F air at the vents.

frojoe · 06-27-2008, 11:45 PM

I have the same problem in my 93, and I was thinking about getting it fixed this summer. The recharging thing is right, but I think cars of this age need to be converted to a different type of refrigerant. Can anyone confirm this, and does anyone have any idea how much it will cost.

Edit:looks like uibalnme answered my questions before I finished asking them, thanks.

94cylcamry · 06-28-2008, 03:00 PM

Haha, 35*F would be great.

How can I find out whether my system uses freon, R12, or R134a? Can you guestimate how much it'd be to "refit" the system to use R134a if it doesn't already?

Thanks for the replies!

uibalnme · 06-28-2008, 03:14 PM

There is a label on the bottom side of the hood. It should show which one you have. Though, since it's a 94, I'm sure it will not be R134a.

94cylcamry · 06-28-2008, 03:49 PM

Hey, guess I lucked out.

The label on the hood says R134a. So I guess it just needs "recharged"?

Thanks.

cykaaro · 06-28-2008, 05:23 PM

Well, you won't have to do a retrofit on it. If you have the R12, you have to get a retrofit done so it can take R134a. R12 cannot but used in a lot of places now by law.
Retrofit isn't hard to do really, and you need a kit which will take out the existing valves and put in new ones.

Anyways, you need to have the AC system checked before doing anything. They'll basically check to see if your AC system will hold a vacume. If it doesn't, then you have a leak somewhere. If it does you should be good to go. On an older vehicle like ours it's recommended to put in stop leak to help keep the seals in good shape and stop any small leaks from happening. They're possibly put in lubricant oil to as it runs through the AC system as well to lubricate the compressor. Then the refridgerant is added in. You can also use duracool or redtek as an alternative, but from what I've read, once you use it, you can't go back to the R134a. Now, this is not to say that everything will be perfect from there on. With the pressure in the system, it is possible that leaks may develop. I'm dealing with this first hand. It's been running well, but I noticed that it just wasn't running cool enough when AC was on. Had a can of R134a and put it in. Yep, cold air again. Seems that one of my o-rings isn't doing so hot and slightly seeping.

Good luck and hope all goes well for you!

uibalnme · 06-28-2008, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94cylcamry

Hey, guess I lucked out.

The label on the hood says R134a. So I guess it just needs "recharged"?

Thanks.

Cool, your car must have been on the borderline between gen3 - gen3.5 when they started using R134a. So, yeah just take it in for a recharge.

94cylcamry · 06-28-2008, 07:58 PM

Is there any way I could do this myself? How much does a recharge normally run?

Thanks.

islandboy57 · 06-29-2008, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmartedPanda

How long before you have to change the Refrigerant? I've never changed mine....

I guess when you notice the air isn't as cold anymore? I dunno. My gen 3.5 is still on the original R134a and the air is still ice cold. Even in 90 degree weather I sometimes turn it up a notch or two from the coldest setting.

I went to my local Toyota dealer the other day to grab some parts and my friend drove - she has a '99 Corolla. I noticed when we were just idling, the air was just cool. Once we were moving or she stepped on the gas, the air got cold. Time to get her A/C serviced - I hope it's not too expensive..

cykaaro · 07-01-2008, 11:01 PM

If you don't know when your AC was last serviced, I honestly would say get it checked out by a licensed AC place. Usually it's pretty cheap. [mine was $40 on sale up here] You need to make sure your system will hold a vacume as well as you need to ensure that there's lubricant in it as well. It may need lubricant added as well, and a stop leak should be added as well.

94cylcamry · 07-02-2008, 10:57 AM

Well. I feel stupid.

The notch between cold and hot was sitting in the complete middle. I hadn't even noticed...someone must have switched it over because I know I never did. With the dial in the complete cold setting, the air is cold again, however not quite as cold as some other cars I've been in are.

So I'm debating now whether to get it checked out/serviced if there is only going to be a very slight improvement.

Geez I'm stupid