A/C stopped working after timing belt change - 2005 V8 SE!

[pgellers]

Well...nothing like stuff going wrong within a day of buying a truck!

So, I purchased a very nice 2005 V8 SE 4x4 w/95 k on Saturday (3 days ago). The dealer had the timing belt/water pumped changed on Friday(4 days ago) by an indy shop that they use. When I test drove the truck and when I drove it off the lot the A/C seemed fine. By Sunday the A/C was blowing cool but not cold and by yesterday the compressor wouldn't start (assuming due to low / no R134a).

This morning I noticed a small (3") green slimy puddle on the ground under the passenger side. On the passenger side frame rail near the right front tire was more slime. I searched and I know this is likely the refrigerant oil that has some residual green dye. Stuff looks just like green coolant but the truck has the pink stuff in it.

I didn't have time to trace further up this morning but I suspect when they did the timing belt job they knocked something loose/ punctured something that caused a fairly rapid leak. Or it was just bad luck and bad timing.

I've talked to the dealer and they set up for me to take the truck into the indy shop Friday. Fingers crossed it was something simple they did and they will do the right thing and fix it.

Any ideas of what might have been damaged in that area? (pass side, 3 feet or so back from the front and above the frame rail). I will crawl under and look further but can't right now.

Anyone else ever experience this?

Thanks! Paul

 

[DC runner]

Was this a Toyota dealer or other, because having a Toyota dealer outsource repair work to a 3rd party non affiliated shop is basically a way of cutting costs, quality and screwing you over.

Anyway. I don't believe the system comes filled with leak assist dye (green goo) so that tells me that it is more likely the vehicle came in with an inoperable ac and they filled with leak assist dye and refrig and didn't actually do anything......... because you lost all of it quick. Slow leaks take weeks....months.

They might have hit something in the timing job, but the fact it has leak assist makes me think it was a known issue. Otherwise, you would have just lost ac, as if it still had factory refrig you would probably not have seen green. The oil, to my knowledge, isn't thick enough to pool like that. In new refrigerant it has to be very lite to be passed around through the gas. The leak detecting stuff they put in is much thicker and bright green to make the leak clearly identifiable.

I might be wrong, hopefully someone cane verify this.

 

[pgellers]

Thanks DC runner.

The dealer was a small local lot - not a Toyota dealer.

From the reading I did it was hard to ascertain whether or not these 4Runners (or other vehicles for that matter) had dye in the system from the get go. Some said yes, some no.

I feel pretty good about the dealer. They have a good reputation, at least as used car dealers go. I certainly hope it wasn't a known thing that they covered up.

The fact that it leaked out so rapidly makes me think it may have occurred in conjunction with the timing belt job the day before. Dunno....

 

[preacher35]

[MENTION=114695]pgellers[/MENTION], My guess is that the a/c had problems even before they did the timing belt/water pump change. It probably has an evaporator leak (which the 4th gen T4R is notorious for at or near 100k mileage) and the lot that you purchased it from was using some sort of crappy stop leak (which some of them are GREEN in color) OR they filled the crap out of it with dye to find said leak and failed. The evaporator is located deep down, behind the dash, against the fire wall and because of its location, it is damned difficult to diagnose. My guess is they either could not locate the leak OR, they did not want to incur the steep cost of replacing the evaporator. The only way to get to it is to COMPLETELY remove the entire dash assembly, steering column, pedals... EVERYTHING, stripping all right down to the firewall, to replace. It is a laborious, expensive job (about $1,100.00 for labor alone), thus a quick fix was in order. There is a "drain" hose, running through the firewall, into the engine compartment, that will release freon, leak dye (and stop leak if present). Take your truck to a mechanic familiar with 4Runners and/or Tacomas who should have no problem finding said drain hose and check it out. At the very least, you can confirm/rule out the evaporator as the leaking culprit. If my theory is correct, I would consider small claims court, if they refuse to rectify the situation. I hope you get it sorted. Bottom line is, they need to fix this situation.

 

[BRossman]

I bet the damaged the suction line during the t belt replacement. I would also make sure that the harness for the crank sensor is properly routed BEHIND the fan bracket. Common to see aftermarket shops route it in front. Not related to your issue, but something to check. We see it all the time.

 

[earthrealm]

the 4th gens are known for leaking evaporator core....a PITA to resolve.....cos you gotta take apart the dash....my truck is still hving this issue.....though it blows warm air....doesnt chill..leaks within 2 to 7wks depending on usage..worse if truck is unused

 

[pgellers]

Thanks to all for the replies. I'm hoping it's on the simpler side and not the evaporator but we shall see. I will take it back to the shop that did the T-belt first and give them the benefit of the doubt and then go from there. Thanks again, Paul

 

[pgellers]

Well [MENTION=89791]preacher35[/MENTION], you nailed it. I finally had a few minutes away from a busy week at work to poke around under the hood. I could plainly see where the drainhose in the passenger side firewall had leaked green-dyed oil, stop leak or whatever onto the top of the frame rail.

So, it doesn't seem the timing job had anything to do with it. The question for the shop that did the job though was did they do any A/C diagnosis when they had it in there a few weeks prior to inspect/ change oil and prepare it for sale at the dealer. I will call and ask them tomorrow directly. I would suspect they would tell me if they did or didn't and I'll go from there.

Can anyone who has a 2005 or so 4runner with a factory original unmolested A/C confirm whether or not their r134a has a green tinge or not? I expect this could be confirmed or denied by looking through the sight glass in front of the radiator. This would help me for sure...

So I guess an evaporator is in my future. Sigh and ouch.

 

[preacher35]

Well [MENTION=89791]preacher35[/MENTION], you nailed it. I finally had a few minutes away from a busy week at work to poke around under the hood. I could plainly see where the drainhose in the passenger side firewall had leaked green-dyed oil, stop leak or whatever onto the top of the frame rail.

So, it doesn't seem the timing job had anything to do with it. The question for the shop that did the job though was did they do any A/C diagnosis when they had it in there a few weeks prior to inspect/ change oil and prepare it for sale at the dealer. I will call and ask them tomorrow directly. I would suspect they would tell me if they did or didn't and I'll go from there.

Can anyone who has a 2005 or so 4runner with a factory original unmolested A/C confirm whether or not their r134a has a green tinge or not? I expect this could be confirmed or denied by looking through the sight glass in front of the radiator. This would help me for sure...

So I guess an evaporator is in my future. Sigh and ouch.

[MENTION=114695]pgellers[/MENTION], sorry to hear that bud. All I can say is that I took my Runner to three different mechanics, hoping that they would find the leak (one of these guys even advertised being an expert in A/C diagnosis and repair), but NONE of them could find the leak. My last option was this little Vietnamese guy who had his own garage and stated that he was a certified Toyota mechanic. He had my Runner 10 minutes and directed my attention to the firewall drain hose. Sure enough, refrigerant leak. Three days later (and about $1,100.00 in the hole) cold, RELIABLE a/c again. I think the green stuff you saw is probably dye. My guess is they simply couldn't locate the leak, did a quick recharge before you picked it up and crossed their fingers. You can get this situation rectified though. I can assure you that they ARE AWARE of your a/c issue. Take it back to them and tell them to get it repaired to stay in your good graces. If not, tell them you are heading straight to the county court house to file a small claims court case against them. Not sure how much it is in NC, but here in Texas, I think it costs about $35.00 to file a case, and you would be SHOCKED at how quickly people respond after being served papers by the Sheriff. Good luck and let me know if there is anything that I can help you with.

 

[pgellers]

The truck is at the shop today. As expected it is the evaporator.

Worked out what I feel is a very fair deal with the dealer. I am covering the parts ($300, Toyota OEM) and they are paying the labor. Considering the difficulty of the job I feel this is good, and I am happy with it. I think this is good business and I can't complain for a vehicle that is "As-Is, no warranty".
They have to order the parts so it will be Monday but it can wait...at least it's not mid-July!

 

[jstanwood]

That does seem like a reasonable arrangement. Glad you got it worked out.

 

[preacher35]

The truck is at the shop today. As expected it is the evaporator.

Worked out what I feel is a very fair deal with the dealer. I am covering the parts ($300, Toyota OEM) and they are paying the labor. Considering the difficulty of the job I feel this is good, and I am happy with it. I think this is good business and I can't complain for a vehicle that is "As-Is, no warranty".
They have to order the parts so it will be Monday but it can wait...at least it's not mid-July!

Hey, that is a fair deal and I'm glad to hear that you got it all sorted out. Sounds like you'll be fully enjoying your new ride in a matter of days!