4th Gen Evaporator Core Replacement

T

TungstenSquash

New member
I'm about to embark on the nightmare of the evaporator core. I received my parts from rockauto earlier today and looking forward to starting. Not sure I'll ever finish.

I wanted to gather some of the data that I've found and hopefully help other people trying to do the same repair. It has been a bear trying to find any guides or data on how to do it. As our 4th gen's get old, more people are going to have to do this repair.

Identification
I was short on time and ended up dropping the 4runner at a local Lexus dealership for diagnosis. $205 later the told me it was the evap core..

Quotes
Lexus - $1600
Speciality Lex/Toyota Repair Shop - $1200 (w/ parts)
Moonlighting mechanic (runs Toyo mechanic shop for 15 years) - $800 (w/ parts)
Bob's mechanic - "sorry, too old to be crawling around under dashes, no thanks"
Family friend mechanic that specializes in BMW's - $1082 (w/ parts)
Lastly, country mechanic 30 minutes away with strong recommendation - $660 (w/ parts)

Decision
All that and I still decided to do it myself. Do you know how many tools $600 will buy?!

Parts I ordered
  1. 8850135160 - Evaporator Core - Ordered Denso version from RockAuto for $85
  2. Cant find OEM part number right now - AC Drier
Research
Note: When removing dash you should disconnect battery terminal for at least 15 minutes so capacitors in airbag modules have time to release energy
  1. Dash Removal - Closest thing I've found to a guide
  2. FSM Guidance - In search of [will update if found]

Any suggestions as I get started? I found the instructions that came with the evaporator coil to be a bit disconcerting.
 
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Somebody, here on T4R.org did a complete write up on this procedure. He was very methodical, labeling parts that he removed in order to help with reassembly and whatnot, but I have to look for the thread. I thought I saved the link somewhere. I will try to find it later tonight.
 
preacher35 said:
Somebody, here on T4R.org did a complete write up on this procedure. He was very methodical, labeling parts that he removed in order to help with reassembly and whatnot, but I have to look for the thread. I thought I saved the link somewhere. I will try to find it later tonight.
Click to expand...

this would be amazing. i have not found it
 
TungstenSquash said:
this would be amazing. i have not found it
Click to expand...

OOPS! I was wrong about the write up. I was reminded by another thread, just below yours, about removing the dash. Anyway, said thread had the link that I was referring to. The thread in question was actually about removing the dash (which is about 95% of getting to the evap core). Here is the link. It SHOULD help you:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/122935-%2A%2A%2Acracked-dashboard-action-request%2A%2A%2A-10.html

You are brave. I have done a lot of jobs on my Runner, but gutting the dash, down to the firewall, is way more task than I have patience for. Looking forward to your write up and GOOD LUCK!
 
Hoping to have this done when I get the dash replaced by Toyota to save money on labor cost. I need to get a quote to see what they would charge. I haven't had any AC issues yet but my truck is 11 years old and has 125k plus miles on it.
 
acronin2 said:
Hoping to have this done when I get the dash replaced by Toyota to save money on labor cost. I need to get a quote to see what they would charge. I haven't had any AC issues yet but my truck is 11 years old and has 125k plus miles on it.
Click to expand...

That's smart. Just get it over with and be done.
 
looks like he ran out of energy to get back to this thread. lol! anyway, I did a dashboard removal for my other car due to a leaking heater core and bad smell. I started last Saturday and just finished yesterday. I had to take my time though but man, that was a lot of work. I understand why mechanics have to charge that high to repair it. it was a good learning experience though.

from my experience, you'll need a lot of room to work on it. here's what I did on another car.
1. disconnect the negative terminal from the battery
2. remove the front seats
3. remove the center console including the shifter
4. remove the steering wheel
5. remove the radio
6. remove the passenger side/driver side bottom cover
7. unscrew the nut from the engine side
8. have the ac system evacuated before you start this
9. disconnect the hoses from the heater core in the engine bay
10. and a lot more that you can see that are in the way.

Also make sure you do this at the start of a long weekend and start early if that's your daily driver.
 
Last edited:
haha sorry everyone. talk about running out of juice!

Turns out my neighbor is a master mechanic at a toyota dealership and did the entire job for $600 (he is one that originally quoted me 800). I couldn't bring myself to spend my time for that amount and so I pawned it off. Sorry!
 
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