AC Too Cold? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Scottysize · 07-17-2011, 01:54 PM

It's been over 100 degrees here in Dallas for quite a while now, but my Camry will freeze you out. Is that normal? I mean, you step out after riding with the AC on max, and you'll welcome the heat. Your fingers are frozen solid. IT's cold. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but should I bee worried? Is the AC about to freeze up, or is it normal for the Camrys to be extremely cold?

Pvt-Public · 07-17-2011, 02:05 PM

Well you could always turn the temp control a little warmer, that is what its for.

Chris Crash · 07-17-2011, 02:10 PM

Camry's are notorious for having ice cold AC. Turn the fan setting down, turn it off full cold, and aim it away from you and youll be alright.

Stillrunning · 07-17-2011, 02:39 PM

Too cold and you will form ice on the evaporator, but the cycling of the compressor is supposed to control that. If the evaporator freezes then you'll loose air flow as frost builds up and get warm(er) air. Take the A/C off max or turn up the temp control as has been suggested. My Camry has the original untouched A/C and it still blows really cold. Can it be too cold in 100* ambient?

hill8570 · 07-17-2011, 03:46 PM

IIRC, spec at the center vents with the A/C on recirc, temp set to max cool, and the interior cooled down is 40 degrees. If you're getting much colder than that, you might be looking at the evaporator freezing up. Pretty obvious when it happens, 'tho. Given how much fun it is to get to the evaporator and expansion valve on a Camry, I'd probably leave it be until you actually start having problems with it not cooling.

***fenixus*** · 07-17-2011, 05:25 PM

when driving on highways I usually have to keep the fan on minimum setting on our 4cylinder otherwise I am getting cold from the AC freezing my head and feet off when driving

My V6 has automatic controls which is great, you just press AUTO button and set desired temp (like on AC at home) and it does the rest for you cycling the compressor when needed and controlling the fan power too...

but, if you own some mystery car, then I would take a look at the AC accumulator and ac lines themselves, if you can see frost on those, then most likely AC compressor is running 100% of time and not cycling properly, this could e.g. cause the frosty "steam" to come out of vents (like from opened freezer in a hot room) at some point.

I had this problem right after purchase of V6, when AC compressor was hot wired to Alternator bypassing the controls. I actually got sick driving such for 1,200 miles from Florida back to New Jersey and not being able to turn the AC off ...

ricamryman · 07-17-2011, 07:58 PM

My 1993 Camry LE V6 with the old R-12 Refrigerant will freeze your face solid! However I love it that way!

***PhatRoyale*** · 07-17-2011, 07:59 PM

You can always put on a sweater.

gt limited · 07-19-2011, 11:40 PM

thats true my dad 93 camry with a 98 compressor swap the a/c is like an office cold or fridge i cant manage it have have to mix it with some heat lol

Yuko · 07-20-2011, 12:10 AM

My Camry is the only vehicle out of our five that doesn’t have to run at full to chill down quickly. I love it and when it's +100*F for the next week in DFW, it lifesaving. A little off topic but my sister Versa on the other hand had the worse A/C system in the family; too small of a compressor, 10 vents on the dash, and too much glass (tint too). Never gets cold enough in that car even after a long drive.

Also, does R-134a have to replace? A shop told me a while back that after a while, the refrigerant wears out and is not affective at transferring heat. Is that true or were they trying to get a couple bucks off me?

rebuy · 07-21-2011, 05:39 PM

Love my Camry AC, cold.

Saves me on my deodorant bill.

rebuy · 07-21-2011, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yuko

My Camry is the only vehicle out of our five that doesn’t have to run at full to chill down quickly. I love it and when it's +100*F for the next week in DFW, it lifesaving. A little off topic but my sister Versa on the other hand had the worse A/C system in the family; too small of a compressor, 10 vents on the dash, and too much glass (tint too). Never gets cold enough in that car even after a long drive.

Also, does R-134a have to replace? A shop told me a while back that after a while, the refrigerant wears out and is not affective at transferring heat. Is that true or were they trying to get a couple bucks off me?

Adding R-134a coolant is very easy if the low side fitting on the ac is reachable. Cost you 15 dollars to recharge about any ac in a car.
Do it yourself. Simple.

Yuko · 07-21-2011, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebuy

Adding R-134a coolant is very easy if the low side fitting on the ac is reachable. Cost you 15 dollars to recharge about any ac in a car.
Do it yourself. Simple.

I have recharged a few R-134 systems myself, even on my Camry. Like you said, easy to do and better with a gauge. But at a national repair shop where I had my tires replaced; they recommended to remove ALL the refrigerant and oil, pull vacuum, and then replace it with fresh R-134 and oil. They claim that this service had to be done every 60K miles to protect the A/C system. After some research, it's just BS unless the system had parts replaced or was cracked open and mine is working.

pmesfun · 07-21-2011, 10:43 PM

Yeah I used the DIY recharge kits after I lost all the R-134 in my car a couple years ago, blows ICE cold since.

capnblinski · 07-21-2011, 11:23 PM

That's good to know that Camry's are known for having ice-cold air and a great a/c reliability record. It is very hot here in sw. pa. and mine still takes 10 -15 minutes of driving to cool down to an output temp of around 45 degrees (I have an accurate thermometer in the middle vent). And that's with the fan on high and system set to recirculate. This is the second summer i've had the car, and that is the way it has always worked. Seems like it needs a shot of r-134 but i would prefer checking the high side pressure prior to adding anything.