3rd Gen A/C is losing out to the Florida heat

[Sarasota 3rd Gen]

My 4Runner A/C is not keeping up with the Florida heat. Yesterday at 94F I could not get the A/C to blow below 80F even after re-charging it with 2 full 12oz cans of R134a refrigerant. I likely even overcharged this as a couple of weeks ago I added one full 12oz can. This evening the outside temperature is 83F and the A/C was cooling to 44F. It blew so cold my windows even started clouding as did my glasses when I stepped out of the car. From my research it seems perhaps the compressor is going and isn't strong enough to adequately compress during periods of high ambient heat. This would be disappointing as I replaced my whole system in June of 2018. Perhaps a bit optimistic of me but I honestly thought the fix would last me the life of the vehicle. Any thoughts on what the issue may be?

 

[AuSeeker]

My 4Runner A/C is not keeping up with the Florida heat. Yesterday at 94F I could not get the A/C to blow below 80F even after re-charging it with 2 full 12oz cans of R134a refrigerant. I likely even overcharged this as a couple of weeks ago I added one full 12oz can. This evening the outside temperature is 83F and the A/C was cooling to 44F. It blew so cold my windows even started clouding as did my glasses when I stepped out of the car. From my research it seems perhaps the compressor is going and isn't strong enough to adequately compress during periods of high ambient heat. This would be disappointing as I replaced my whole system in June of 2018. Perhaps a bit optimistic of me but I honestly thought the fix would last me the life of the vehicle. Any thoughts on what the issue may be?

Take it somewhere that has the proper equipment/gauges, etc. to check the system and charge, hard to tell you what to do without knowing what going on with the system.

 

[Sparky 97Runner]

Sound like your system has a leak. Your system only holds 24oz fully charged and you've added 36oz in the last several weeks. Your system would not blow 44* air if it was that over charged which suggests it has leaked down to an in range level. I'd start spraying leak detector or soapy water on all reachable fittings starting with the schrader valves. Hopefully there's not a leak behind the dash. You can also add 134a with yellow dye and a UV flashlight to find leaks. Definitely get some proper gauges before adding more refrigerant to that system though. Do not use 134a with stop leak.

 

[TheDurk]

Sound like your system has a leak. Your system only holds 24oz fully charged and you've added 36oz in the last several weeks. Your system would not blow 44* air if it was that over charged which suggests it has leaked down to an in range level. I'd start spraying leak detector or soapy water on all reachable fittings starting with the schrader valves. Hopefully there's not a leak behind the dash. You can also add 134a with yellow dye and a UV flashlight to find leaks. Definitely get some proper gauges before adding more refrigerant to that system though. Do not use 134a with stop leak.

All good points, but the odds of a behind dash leak are far from zero. When they did your system, did they get in there and replace the evaporator? If not, it's end-of-life and from the looks of mine when I replaced it, I bet most originals out there are about to die. If you can't find the leak, beg, borrow or steal an electronic detector. Stick it down the dash vents and in the floor vents, and in the little drain hose on the firewall. It will take two minutes to rulle out that possibility...or rule it in.

 

[Mean Kitty]

My 4Runner A/C is not keeping up with the Florida heat. Yesterday at 94F I could not get the A/C to blow below 80F even after re-charging it with 2 full 12oz cans of R134a refrigerant. I likely even overcharged this as a couple of weeks ago I added one full 12oz can. This evening the outside temperature is 83F and the A/C was cooling to 44F. It blew so cold my windows even started clouding as did my glasses when I stepped out of the car. From my research it seems perhaps the compressor is going and isn't strong enough to adequately compress during periods of high ambient heat. This would be disappointing as I replaced my whole system in June of 2018. Perhaps a bit optimistic of me but I honestly thought the fix would last me the life of the vehicle. Any thoughts on what the issue may be?

I had an issue with my ac a few years back, and thought I had a leak, it would sometimes blow nice cold air, and at other times it would not keep up in the Texas heat. After messing with the ac system way to long, I eventually tracked it down to the fan clutch being bad. So if I happened to be idling or driving in the same direction that the wind was blowing, there just wasn't enough air movement going through the condenser. Swapped out the fan clutch and its been working great for the past 5 years. Just a possible thing to check, even though the fan is spinning, doesn't mean it is engaging when it needs too.