A/C repair was ridiculously expensive

[Kmvreter]

You can't see the evaporator so many people miss it as a source of the problem...

... check for oily dirt near the condenser and any connections. The condenser usually gets beat up and rock puts a small hole in it. The oil in the freon will attract dirt if its a decent leak...

Make sure you check all the fittings and the A/C compressor itself since it can leak at the seal near the pulley and the fitting on the back of the compressor.

... The evaporator usually leaks from the lower corner or the fins.

All visible fittings are dry. I'll check the condenser closer again and crawl under to check both ends of the compressor.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Kmvreter]

With the heat heading our way I finally got this diagnosed.
Good news is that it's not the evaporator but rather a small hole in the high pressure line leading into the evaporator. Nice and easy to get to for the replacement.
Bad news is they want ~$350 to replace a $31 tube (that's on top of the ~$130 for the diagnosis with the dye check.) I realize this includes a dryer element and recharging. Working on R134 systems is regulated here so I can't do the recharge myself from scratch because I don't have access to a vacuum pump. I have another shop that quoted $100 to vacuum and recharge if I do the repair myself.
Biggest (little) hurdle I have right now is figuring out how to open the two-part black plastic pipe clamps. Anyone (@BlackWorksInc?) know the trick of how to do this without the SST?

 

[762x51]

With the heat heading our way I finally got this diagnosed.
Good news is that it's not the evaporator but rather a small hole in the high pressure line leading into the evaporator. Nice and easy to get to for the replacement.
Bad news is they want ~$350 to replace a $31 tube (that's on top of the ~$130 for the diagnosis with the dye check.) I realize this includes a dryer element and recharging. Working on R134 systems is regulated here so I can't do the recharge myself from scratch because I don't have access to a vacuum pump. I have another shop that quoted $100 to vacuum and recharge if I do the repair myself.
Biggest (little) hurdle I have right now is figuring out how to open the two-part black plastic pipe clamps. Anyone (@BlackWorksInc ?) know the trick of how to do this without the SST?

When I did my ac line that had that clip on it I tried to use a small flathead and ended up breaking the clip. However, I think it would have broke either way due to the condition the plastic was in (really dry and flakey). I would suggest a new clip as it was only a few bucks.

 

[Kmvreter]

... I would suggest a new clip as it was only a few bucks.

That's what I thought. Not worth getting the tool.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

With the heat heading our way I finally got this diagnosed.
Good news is that it's not the evaporator but rather a small hole in the high pressure line leading into the evaporator. Nice and easy to get to for the replacement.
Bad news is they want ~$350 to replace a $31 tube (that's on top of the ~$130 for the diagnosis with the dye check.) I realize this includes a dryer element and recharging. Working on R134 systems is regulated here so I can't do the recharge myself from scratch because I don't have access to a vacuum pump. I have another shop that quoted $100 to vacuum and recharge if I do the repair myself.
Biggest (little) hurdle I have right now is figuring out how to open the two-part black plastic pipe clamps. Anyone (@BlackWorksInc?) know the trick of how to do this without the SST?

You can buy a vacuum pump at Harbor Freigh, and get a set of manifold gauges while you're there.

 

[Harleydoc]

I did my ac a few years back. Installed a new compressor new dryer And expiation valve all new parts for under 200 bucks she will run you out of my 1996 on a 100' day. Parts are cheap And you can get everything you need a harbor freight to fix it. I would never pay some one to do a simple ac job. And the kit I got of eBay has a life time warranty on the compressor.

 

[Kmvreter]

Thanks for the replies.
You need a licence to work on A/C up here, specifically for handling the refrigerants.
I'll buy the parts (pipe, pipe clamps and dryer element) to do the repair myself and then have the shop do the evac and recharge. Not sure when my next trip to MI is so buying the pump & gauge set there wouldn't pay for itself if I made a special trip just for that.

 

[Stag556]

I know this is an old post, but I have to replace the evaporator on my 4th gen and for life of me I can't find out if I need to remove the heater core as well. I would like to avoid having to drain the coolant as well. Anyone know if engine coolant needs to be drained when replacing the Evaporator?

 

[acronin2]

Since this thread has be revived...

I have a 2004 with 124,000 miles on it and I am pretty sure I am going to pull the trigger on the dash replacement offered by Toyota due to cracking issues in our runners. So my question is does it make sense to get the evaporator replaced while they have the dash apart? How much does/do the parts cost (evaporator/whatever else is involved)? I have no issues with the AC but would hate to have issues down the road and pay for all the labor cost involved. Does this make sense or am I over thinking? If it ain't broke don't fix it...

 

[preacher35]

I know this is an old post, but I have to replace the evaporator on my 4th gen and for life of me I can't find out if I need to remove the heater core as well. I would like to avoid having to drain the coolant as well. Anyone know if engine coolant needs to be drained when replacing the Evaporator?

[MENTION=91312]Stag556[/MENTION],

No, if I remember correctly, no coolant was drained. That being said, considering what must be done to get to the evaporator, draining coolant is small beans and the least of your worries.

 

[preacher35]

I have a 2004 with 124,000 miles on it and I am pretty sure I am going to pull the trigger on the dash replacement offered by Toyota due to cracking issues in our runners. So my question is does it make sense to get the evaporator replaced while they have the dash apart? How much does/do the parts cost (evaporator/whatever else is involved)? I have no issues with the AC but would hate to have issues down the road and pay for all the labor cost involved. Does this make sense or am I over thinking? If it ain't broke don't fix it...

[MENTION=100938]acronin2[/MENTION],

YES, get the evaporator swapped out with the dash replacement. This is a "NOT A MATTER OF IF, BUT WHEN"-type-scenario. Most 4th gen owners with 100k+ miles are experiencing failing evaporators... and for some reason it always seems to happen at the beginning of summer. Anyway, just do it and you will sav yourself some serious $$... like $1,100.00!

Good luck!

 

[Slowgoat]

Everyone complains about the price of the repair but the problem is everything needs to be removed from the truck. Most don't understand how much comes a part.
Its a lot of work to get it from the 1st picture to the second with out any rattles or parts left over.

This was an evaporator repair on a 2006 4runner. Crappy part is I get paid only 4 hours for the entire job.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=89427&stc=1&d=1369291664

Good God, man. Only 4 hrs for all that????

 

[Stag556]

[MENTION=89791]preacher35[/MENTION]
Thanks for the input. You are right, coolant draining is minor compared to the amount of work I need to perform to remove the dash. The more I think about it, might be a good time to replace the coolant anyway.

 

[amheck]

Interesting thoughts about the AC work during dash replacement.

My 2004 Limited has a badly cracked dash and my AC is also having issues. The compressor is loud and just sounds absolutely horrible when it runs. Like there's sand or rocks in there grinding around. I've also had to refill/recharge the AC several times in the past 2 years.

I was only going to keep the truck another couple years, but I guess I too will look into maybe redoing what I can when they pull out the dash.

Can they just do the evaporator now with the dash and then I can wait until the AC system quits to do the rest? I have no clue how AC works in my vehicle. :redface:

 

[M1911]

I would also have them replace the HVAC fan while they are in there. It gets noisy over time.

 

[earthrealm]

Interesting thoughts about the AC work during dash replacement.

My 2004 Limited has a badly cracked dash and my AC is also having issues. The compressor is loud and just sounds absolutely horrible when it runs. Like there's sand or rocks in there grinding around. I've also had to refill/recharge the AC several times in the past 2 years.

I was only going to keep the truck another couple years, but I guess I too will look into maybe redoing what I can when they pull out the dash.

Can they just do the evaporator now with the dash and then I can wait until the AC system quits to do the rest? I have no clue how AC works in my vehicle. :redface:

its a real suprise your ac has lasted for over 2yrs with a noisy compressor, that is sounding as harsh as you described, such sounds are usually caused by lack/low lubrication in the compressor, whcih follows if you have a leak and have been recharging 2x or 3x a year,
you could be lucky though, and its a noisy pulley or clutch causing the noise......its rare for the compressor to make such a racket and still last more than a couple of days, mine packed up after 2 to 3 days of making intermittent groaning sounds, especially at startup.

if you allow the compressor go out [bearing failure/pack up] on the truck, then you gotta change out the condenser and some other components......definetly not a good idea.
so my advice is inspect and change out the compressor if after inspection you discover that the noise is coming from it internally, replace ur evaporator+expansion valve, and probablly change out the drier in the condenser.........then have the system evacuated to -29hg for about 30mins to vaporize all air and moisture and also to ensure the system isnt leaking, then refill with correct qty of r134a gas..a good shop should be able to do all this without any input from you...

though did mine myself (evac + refill), twas fun...

 

[iBison]

Everyone complains about the price of the repair but the problem is everything needs to be removed from the truck. Most don't understand how much comes a part.
Its a lot of work to get it from the 1st picture to the second with out any rattles or parts left over.

This was an evaporator repair on a 2006 4runner. Crappy part is I get paid only 4 hours for the entire job.

Exactly, this is a picture of when my son replaced the heater core in his XJ, When he pulled it out there was a green spot on the evap so we checked it and it was leaking. Fortunately he replaced both.