A/C Hot on drivers side!

[mattstuder1]

Ive searched A/C threads and none seem to have a solution. My A/C blows hot on the drivers side but cold on passenger side. I've tried every combination and still no solution. I looked at the sight glass and all seems well there. Has anyone had this problem and know a solution? Im in Texas and the heat is rising!!!

 

[Mike07SE]

I assume you have a Limited with Dual Climate Control? Sounds like your blend door might have broke.

 

[mattstuder1]

No I don't have a Limited nor dual climate control. It's just the plain jane single A/C. Any suggestions? Im sweating while my passenger is enjoying life!

 

[rra640]

Did you ever find a solution to this? Mine is having the same problem only the passenger side is blowing hot.

 

[roofless]

I've been suffering through this problem for the past week myself. EXACT same issue. I asked about it in this thread [http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/68988-ac-issue-stopped-blowing-cold.html#post594468] but never got any suggestions.

I eagerly await some kind - any kind - of solution. It was 100F when I left work yesterday. Tired of driving with 'my lean on' (into the passengers side).

4th Gen 2005 4R Sport Ed.

 

[Signal_jp]

i had the exact same issue. i took it to a shop and had the ac recharged. everything is good now.

 

[chaz]

i know nothing about it but someone told me that problem is a bad temperature/blend door actuator motor on the drivers side. they also suggested that on vehicles with automatic climate controls, with this problem, if its just sticking & not bad, it may be possible to manually reset by pulling the HVAC fuse and turning the key to run, without starting, for one minute. Turn the key off and put the fuse back. hope this helps, goodluck

 

[roofless]

a buddy of mine sent me the following; not sure where he found it, but it's certainly worth a try - especially since I have spare cans of R134a

"I had a customer's 04 Sienna with the exact same complaint with the bizarre vent air temp issue. After A LOT of research and investigation I determined the problem was low R134A charge in A/C system. To prove my diagnosis I just charged the A/C system, which was over half low, and almost immediately all vents started blowing very cold air, equally. The key to finding the solution was looking at the heater/evaporator box illustration in the shop repair manual. The center vents come from the SAME open location inside the heater/evaporator box so you would think they both would blow at the same temp. Apparently NOT on 04 Sienna! When the evaporator is starved of R134 only half of it will cool, I know it's weird, but, half of the center vent blows cool, the other half blows warm ambient temp air. As far as I know this very strange problem only occurs on the 04 Sienna, but other years could also exhibit the same symptoms. I have been working on Toyotas for over 30 years and owned an Asian specialty repair shop for 25 years and this is one of the weirder problems I have encountered during my career. Hopefully if you have the same problem in your Sienna this information may help you obtain a relatively low cost fix. Cheers!"

I'll report back.

 

[TNTramair]

1 of the blend doors in the system isnt functioning....its either broken or the rod popped off the door...worse case scenerio the motor is bad. its the blend door for the hot/cold setting.

 

[2fullgarage]

I thought I would update this for future use. I have a 2005 V6. Hot air on driver side, cold air on passenger side. Dealer took 2 hours to access blend doors and motors, they were fine. They laughed at me for suggesting low Freon...guess what, it was down 1/2 pound. They charged it and everything was fine. Unfortunately for me they claim the evaporator was leaking so they had to do the full 15 hour dash tear down and replace the Evaporator and put it back together.
$2k++

Truck should be back today

 

[roofless]

I thought I would update this for future use. I have a 2005 V6. Hot air on driver side, cold air on passenger side. Dealer took 2 hours to access blend doors and motors, they were fine. They laughed at me for suggesting low Freon...guess what, it was down 1/2 pound. They charged it and everything was fine. Unfortunately for me they claim the evaporator was leaking so they had to do the full 15 hour dash tear down and replace the Evaporator and put it back together.
$2k++

Truck should be back today

Thanks for the update.

There may have been a leak in there, as I am still dealing with the issue on occasion. Adding freon seems to do the trick, and is far less expensive, though if I had 2k burning a hole in my pocket I would likely go the same route as above & resolve the issue once and for all.

A can approx every 4 months seems to keep the issue at bay, and the a/c runs about 9 months of the year [Texas].

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Yeah, I've noticed this on our Camrys and other models as well, when they get low on refrigerent they tend to blow warm on one side, I still have no real explaination for it... bugs the hell out of me.

 

[Mantis]

I have the exact same problem that started last weekend. Is adding freon an easy do it yourself project?

 

[Ethans4runner]

Took my 05 sport into the dealer and they said it had low freon and a leak in one of the tubes so they put dye in it and added more freon and i'll have to take it back in when the AC gets warm again so they can find the leak

 

[chuntmd]

Pick up a can of R-134a with a gauge <$25 depending on size and you can check the pressure level yourself. (Walmart/Kmart/AutoZone/Advanced/PepBoys) For my 94 Ranger I add a can every summer. For my 2004 4R I added 1/4 so it's at the top of the range. Make sure you use the low pressure port (it is marked very well on my 4runner) and have the AC on mac cold and fan. Your outside air temp should also be warm. You will see the pressure gauge change when the compressor kicks on. This is the pressure you want to measure on the gauge. Freon is like fertilizer. To much is a bad thing. Low freon will short cycle the AC compressor, you will hear it clicking way more than normal.

CHuntMD

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I'm not sure how to use the gauge on those store-bought cans of R134a, but with a set of refrigerant gauges you want the a/c system to be sitting for a while. You want roughly the same amount of pressure as temperature outside (rough rule of thumb taught in A/C Diag and repair) on both high and low side with the system static.

As I stated before, this is something I have seen on Toyotas and some other cars, it makes no real sense to me, but the first thing I would do is to check the refrigerant level and have it leak tested and recharged if you are having this issue as it will be the easiest thing to diagnose a multitude of causes.

 

[longobongo]

Victim now too.

Sorry to bring this old subject up.
But my 2003 4runner driver side has only warm/hot hair blowing. Passenger side is blowing cold air.

Now, from what I read and googled, It sounds like its the air mixer servo (blender door?) is the problem...
But others have suggested checking the freon levels.

Now if it is the servo, since its hot on the driver side, should i check under the driver side or passenger side dash??

Kind of strange for this to break... I wonder if it has something to do with bringing my 4Runner to the mechanic to change the cabin air filter a couple of weeks ago.... Also the big white plastic thing (Cabin Filter Blower??) is starting to make more noise.. before it was silent but now there is a noticeable sound coming from it especially if i turn the fan all the way up.

Last things mechanic did:
Change Cabin Filter
Air Filter
Oil change.

 

[longobongo]

[MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION]

I see your very knowledgeable mechanic.
What do you think the problem most likely is?
Freon? Servo? Blender Door jammed?

 

[RPS13]

Most likely a low Freon charge. The cold liquid freon is flashing to gas before it hits the evaporator coil, so it only absorbs a small amount of heat on first side it enters, then the other side will be close to ambient. This gives you a temperature split from side to side.

In fact, almost all cars exhibit this when the charge starts getting low.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Most likely a low Freon charge. The cold liquid freon is flashing to gas before it hits the evaporator coil, so it only absorbs a small amount of heat on first side it enters, then the other side will be close to ambient. This gives you a temperature split from side to side.

In fact, almost all cars exhibit this when the charge starts getting low.

I haven't noticed this in every car, but a lot of our Camry's and some other models tend to have this quirk when the refrigerant is low. I would have the system checked for state of charge then test for leaks and recharge the system and you'll probably good to go.