A/C Evaporator - OEM or aftermarket?

[98OzarksRunner]

Guys, I usually post on the 3rd gen forum, but have a 4th gen question.

I have a GX470 with a bad evaporator core. It appears that this is fairly common on GXs and 4th gen 4Runners. My question is what is the best replacement part? Is OEM best (given that failure is common at 100K) or is there a better aftermarket part available?

Thanks.

 

[slyfox75]

my 2 cents

I did my wife's 09 Camry about 2 months ago.......I did it over a week! not weekend....week! Maybe 4Runner is easier....I haven't looked, but I literally had to take out the entire front of the car...all the way down to the cross member that goes from LR behind the firewall to support the dash and such.
I probably had 30 hours in the job from start to finish(all the way to charging with 134a). I could probably do it again in 10 hours tho.
I say all the to say.....DONT GO CHEAP.....the extra $$ is worth it vs an off brand
THAT being said......Denso makes our evap cores. The Toyota OEM one you buy is the same as the Denso one you can buy at Rockauto. Don't waste the money on the red/white Toyota OEM box.

Once you get it physically installed.....go ahead and pull a vacuum THEN in case something is leaking(new part, cut oring, etc). I got to a stopping point at night and pulled vacuum and let it sit all night to ensure I was good and sealed.

I've done DIY stuff for years. This was the longest, most complex thing I think I have ever done. Lots of "stuff" and steps to take.

Good luck man!

 

[slyfox75]

I see now

I see what your saying now.....your looking for BETTER than oem!
Yeah, not sure. I have 05 with 200K and lives in Louisiana(ac gets used a LOT) and my system has never been touched.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

I have it apart, which is a long job - not difficult, just time-consuming. I was hoping it was just o-rings but the dye I put in is all along the bottom of the evaporator core, so I'm going to replace it. The OEM/Denso has a plastic tank with the cores epoxied to it. Apparently that is where they leak. I don't want to be changing this again - ever!

I searched this forum and found that failed evaporators are not uncommon, so yes, I'm hoping for something better than OEM (though I usually buy OEM for just about everything on my 4Runner, GX470, or my wife's RAV4). I went ahead and ordered a Four Seasons from Amazon. It is sold by Rock Auto and is almost as much as the Denso. It is also relabeled by others (e.g. Murray for O'Reilly Auto). It is all aluminum so I'm hoping it will hold up better. Time will tell. Thanks.