DIY Complete AC Replacement on 2000 T4R Limited

[Chicago3rdgen]

Thanks a ton for the write up. Bought my 4runner in the winter only to find out this spring the ac didn't work. Went with the complete rebuild route outlined here. Finished everything today. Took about 7hrs due to some seized/rusted bolts. Now I'm waiting for a new AC idler pulley since it was since to the bracket and the tensioning bolt snapped off. New belt also on the way.

Thanks again. Very informative.

 

[RandyBobandy]

I’m working on my AC and figured I’d ask this here since it got bumped

I’m thoroughly confused about how much oil to add, I’m replacing the compressor, dryer, and condenser. I’m not doing anything with the evaporator but I’ve flushed the lines and blown them out with compressed air.

So my question is do I add the full 7 ounces or so of oil, or just what I’m supposed to add for the new dryer and condenser? Would there still be oil remaining in the evaporator?

 

[brillo_76]

Thanks a ton for the write up. Bought my 4runner in the winter only to find out this spring the ac didn't work. Went with the complete rebuild route outlined here. Finished everything today. Took about 7hrs due to some seized/rusted bolts. Now I'm waiting for a new AC idler pulley since it was since to the bracket and the tensioning bolt snapped off. New belt also on the way.



Thanks again. Very informative.

Those bolts always snap if they are rusty. Took me a week off and on to get one out of my 5 speed. So I been there done that..

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[brillo_76]

Excellent thread. I did a complete ac replacement on a 1990 Camry serveral yeare ago that ran R12. I replaced every o ring in the lines and even the expansion valve in the evaporator so it would cool properly with the 134a refrigerant along with the compressor, receiver and condenser all being new.



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[brillo_76]

The OP convinced me to just rebuild the one in my 1997 5 speed. Makes total sense that if the condenser is gone that you might as well replace the evaporator too. Changing all the o rings at the pipe connections as well as cleaning the lines out does a better job. As my compressor is toast I have equal pressure on both high and low side. Since I was going to do the compressor, condenser and receiver anyways. I might as well change it all then its permanently fixed again.. Thanks again for the write up.

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[sleepydad]

I’m working on my AC and figured I’d ask this here since it got bumped

I’m thoroughly confused about how much oil to add, I’m replacing the compressor, dryer, and condenser. I’m not doing anything with the evaporator but I’ve flushed the lines and blown them out with compressed air.

So my question is do I add the full 7 ounces or so of oil, or just what I’m supposed to add for the new dryer and condenser? Would there still be oil remaining in the evaporator?

If you blew the entire thing out go with 7oz. I had a local place extract my refrigerant and measure the oil. When I was done doing my work and pulled a vacuum I took it back to them and they refilled it and metered in 7oz of oil total.

 

[toverturf]

Just started replacing everything today. Though I think I might need to pull the compressor again because after rereading this thread it looks like I need to add more oil to the compressor first. Looks like I need to pour out the oil that's in it and put 7oz back in. I thought it already came with the proper amount. At least I didn't have any major bolts break. Only had one ac line bolt break the went into the condenser so that's not a big deal to replace. It's just a M6x1.0 bolt.

 

[toverturf]

Got everything replaced today and charged up. Blows nice and cold. That ceramic piece inside the evaporator box was cracked on mine so I have that coming and will just replace it when it gets here. It's called the blower motor resistor. Looks like there's a different part number for the limited trim which is what I have. It's 87138-35090. Here's how all my old parts looked.

 

[Cdubb]

OK. I decided to replace all of the AC components on my 2000 T4R Limited after the AC died. I got a nice 14 years of service out of the original system.

Here are a few things I would recommend to anyone doing this. First off, make sure you purchase Denso parts. I found most of mine on Amazon and the prices were really inexpensive. (Denso is the OE supplier to Toyota)

Here is what I purchased:

New Condenser
New Evaporator Core
New Compressor
New Expension Valve
New Reciever/Drier
New O-Ring kit from Advance Auto Parts.
AC Pressure Sensor from Autozone (Brand is Santech)
One new hose

The AC compressor was not difficult to get out after I decided to do the following:

1. Removed the skid plates (you will need this to tension the compressor belt and other things)
2. Removed the bolts holding on the power steering pump and move out of the way. (No need to disconnect the lines to the pump – BUT disconnect the little sensor connected to the pump)
3. Removed the air box.
4. Removed the fan shroud and fan (Trust me – this helps!)

Once the space was opened up, I was able to disconnect the sensor from the compressor, and then remove the bolts holding the compressor on to the bracket. TIP: To access the bolts holding the lines to the compressor and the top two bolts that mount the compressor, take two long extensions and access through the rubber flip down “curtain” in the passenger wheel well. This gives you straight shot.

With the air box, power steering pump and fan shroud out of the way, you can ease the compressor up through the top between the passenger fender well and the engine.

For the bottom bolts on the compressor, access them from up top. They will not come all the way out because they are long and will hit the frame. They will unscrew enough to release the compressor from the bracket. TIP When installing the new compressor, MAKE SURE to put in the two bottom bolts before wiggling the compressor into place and then tighten the two bottom bolts once it is in place.

I also took out the evaporator. It’s fairly easy.

1. Disconnect the liquid line and the discharge line under the hood on the passenger firewall. WARNING: The liquid line has a special connector. I found it was easy to remove with a very small jewelers screw driver when pushing down the tabs from the top.
2. Just remove the glove box, the horizontal support for the glove box (4 bolts)
3. Take out the top of the glove box and disconnect the wiring that is attached to the top.
4. Remove the plastic air vent tube running horizontally behind the glove box (Just pops out – no screws)
5. Disconnect the wiring to the cooling unit (box holding the evaporator)
6. Tuck the cooling unit harnesses out of the way.
7. Remove 4 bolts holding the cooling unit onto the body.
8. Pull the unit down a little and pull out. (Be careful here because as you pull the unit out, the evaporator drain and grommet in the firewall will probably fall out and land under the truck)
9. The cooling unit box has three clips on the side (they pop off) and then 3 screws holding it together.
10. Remove the clips and screws.
11. The unit comes apart revealing the evaporator core and expansion valve. (The evaporator box was really nasty and the evaporator was on its last leg. I cleaned the box with a vacuum and then washed it in the dishwasher and it looks like new)

Flushing the lines (liquid line, discharge line, etc.)

I bought a can of AC PRO aerosol AC flush from Advance. It has a tube and pointed rubber tip. I flushed all the lines and blew them out with air. I set them aside to put on when all the parts were in.

Compressor Priming

I purchased the compressor from Amazon. It’s the Deno 10PA version and is an exact match to the original one on the truck. You have to relieve the pressure on the unit when it arrives, take off the shipping plate and pour out the factory oil. It had 100cc’s in it. I replaced it with PAG46 (with dye) from Advance. YOU MUST REUSE THE OLD COMPRESSOR MANIFOLD PLATE. Simply take off the old plate, clean it up, replace the compressor gasket (comes with the compressor) and use the old compressor bolts to attach the old manifold plate to the new compressor.

Everything is back in. From here, take it to a shop and have them vacuum down the system for about an hour. The system only takes about 1.5lbs of R134a and a good shop can make sure it is "metered in" in the right amount and flow. With all new components, there is no need to use that "leak seal" stuff. Hope this has been a helpful write-up. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

I can not find the torque specs for the OLD COMPRESSOR MANIFOLD PLATE. They were pretty hard to unscrew so I am assuming they have a torque spec. Can anyone help?! Thanks, I'm new to working on my 99 4 runner!

 

[alumarine]

I can not find the torque specs for the OLD COMPRESSOR MANIFOLD PLATE. They were pretty hard to unscrew so I am assuming they have a torque spec. Can anyone help?! Thanks, I'm new to working on my 99 4 runner!

Both suction hose and discharge hose should be 7 ft lbs.

 

[T4R_2000]

How Much Oil Total: (7oz or 10.5 oz)

O.K. I am having some issues after doing the AC system replacement (Compressor, Condenser, evaporator, High pressure switch, receiver/dryer, O-rings, and lines flushed). I see the recommendations for oil capacity in the FSM, and it is not clear if it is 7oz in the compressor plus the .71 oz in the receiver, plus the 1.4 oz in the condenser, and plus the 1.4 oz in the evaporator, making the total about 10.5oz) My question is: How many ounces of Oil are in the system total 7oz or 10.5oz). Thanks this thread has been great.

 

[JBurt]

First off, Thanks for all the great information! This has helped immensely. My compressors clutch decided to explode on me a month or so ago, and since it's 100+ degrees every day I figured it was finally time to tackle this project.

I had a shop evacuate the system for me, and I thought that they depressurized the system, but that was not the case. When I took off the pressure lines from the compressor, a lot of air and oil came out very quickly. After I got the compressor out I was only able to drain about 1 oz. I am also going to replace the condenser and drier (preventative, there's nothing wrong with the current one other than age), but I have no idea how much oil to put into the new compressor. Any suggestions?

 

[turkeyman]

i mist have missed it... any oil added?

 

[JBurt]

No. I didn't add any oil yet. Figured I'd ask people smarter than me and be better safe than sorry.

My working theory is that when they evacuated the system, that sucked most of the oil out too, so I'll just add the recommended amounts to the new drier, condenser, and compressor. The only other place oil should really be hiding is in the evaporator, but I figure that should get me pretty close, but I'd still rather ask.

 

[T4R_2000]

Here are a couple references I used. I determined that the system is 7oz total so I put 120CC into the compressor, which was about the same amount (110CC) that came out of the new one. The old one only had about an ounce. I did not get 7oz out of the system, so not sure where it all went.
I followed each of the amounts in the attached for the Condenser, Evaporator and receiver drier. I used the PAG oil with dye so I could see any leaks. My system is cooling to about 48 degrees, so not getting to the same 30's as others.

Replacing the A/C Compressor on a 5VZFE (Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner) – ADVENTURETACO

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

 

[Bad Luck]

First off, Thanks for all the great information! This has helped immensely. My compressors clutch decided to explode on me a month or so ago, and since it's 100+ degrees every day I figured it was finally time to tackle this project.

I had a shop evacuate the system for me, and I thought that they depressurized the system, but that was not the case. When I took off the pressure lines from the compressor, a lot of air and oil came out very quickly. After I got the compressor out I was only able to drain about 1 oz. I am also going to replace the condenser and drier (preventative, there's nothing wrong with the current one other than age), but I have no idea how much oil to put into the new compressor. Any suggestions?

Most new compressors come with a sheet that says how much oil they are precharged with. Did your new compressor come with that?

 

[T4R_2000]

Total oil or amount in the Compressor?

First off, Thanks for all the great information! This has helped immensely. My compressors clutch decided to explode on me a month or so ago, and since it's 100+ degrees every day I figured it was finally time to tackle this project.

I had a shop evacuate the system for me, and I thought that they depressurized the system, but that was not the case. When I took off the pressure lines from the compressor, a lot of air and oil came out very quickly. After I got the compressor out I was only able to drain about 1 oz. I am also going to replace the condenser and drier (preventative, there's nothing wrong with the current one other than age), but I have no idea how much oil to put into the new compressor. Any suggestions?

One of the things I learned on here is you have to be a little more specific than you think you are being. Are you asking about how much oil in the A/C system (Condenser, evaporator, receiver/drier and compressor) total, or just the compressor? If just the compressor, I agree with with most on here to fill it to a minimum of what came in it, but not to exceed 6-8oz total in the system. If you follow the charts I posted that gives you about 100-120cc in the compressor, and is what mine came loaded with. -With that and the other amounts it came to 7oz. The documents I got from DENSO, with the compressor, did not specifically state an amount, only to ensure I put the correct amount in the compressor and that I replaced the receiver drier or it would void any warranty.

The other part that confused me on here is when someone only replaced the compressor, vice the other components. Not sure why you would do that, since a bad compressor typically puts bad things into the rest of the system (rcv/drier, evap, cond and lines), but apparently some do and had success. If I am replacing the compressor then I am replacing everything and flushing all the lines, but I am more of a fail safe guy (32 yrs of submarines). If you are just replacing the compressor then you would measure the amount of oil that came out of the compressor and refill that amount, since, in theory, the system still has the remaining amount in it and you do not want to over fill it. If you are doing the complete replacement and flushing all the lines (I recommend if your compressor failed), which I did, so I used the Toyota FSM and the articles (there are multiple articles in that link on AC system component replacement) and charts I posted.

Here is the link to an article on here that contains a link to the FSM it is post #39. I had to download it to my desktop and then open in Acrobat to do a search for AC, Compressor, receiver, evaporator, refrigerant, to find what I needed. It is not very user friendly and takes some time but I was able to find almost everything to validate what I did. The AC section starts on pg 1767 and covers troubleshooting and repair and replacement of the various components. The fluid levels and torque specs are a bit of a treasure hunt using the word search function in ADOBE. -Good Luck and keep us posted on how everything turns out.

OOPS: forgot the link to the FSM post:

Download 1996-2002 Service repair manual here!

 

[JBurt]

Most new compressors come with a sheet that says how much oil they are precharged with. Did your new compressor come with that?

This new compressor is a Denso, and it did not say how much it came prefilled with, but I was able to drain out 80cc

-Good Luck and keep us posted on how everything turns out.
manual here!

Thanks for the good ideas from both of you! I don't know why, but I'm not getting email notifications for this thread.

I really appreciate the help. I've actually got a hard copy of the FSM, and it is frustratingly undetailed about ac system oil. It tells how much to put into the drier, evap, and condenser, but not the compressor. I have looked at the adventure taco post and it seems to agree with everything else I've read.

My clutch went bad on the compressor so the pulley seized. Would that be enough to damage the internals and contaminate the whole system? The old compressor still turns by hand just fine (just not the pulley).

Right not my plan is to put 110cc (~3.7 oz) in the compressor, 45cc (~1.5oz) into the new condenser, 20cc (~.7 oz) into the new drier. That should be 175cc or 5.9 oz of oil into the system.

I am also going to pull and inspect the evaporator, as they get grungy and I haven't had it out in 9 years. I can try to drain the oil out of it and replace whatever comes out. I have thought about replacing it as well, since I consider AC critical here, but it is also $300. Thoughts?

 

[Bad Luck]

This new compressor is a Denso, and it did not say how much it came prefilled with, but I was able to drain out 80cc



Thanks for the good ideas from both of you! I don't know why, but I'm not getting email notifications for this thread.

I really appreciate the help. I've actually got a hard copy of the FSM, and it is frustratingly undetailed about ac system oil. It tells how much to put into the drier, evap, and condenser, but not the compressor. I have looked at the adventure taco post and it seems to agree with everything else I've read.

My clutch went bad on the compressor so the pulley seized. Would that be enough to damage the internals and contaminate the whole system? The old compressor still turns by hand just fine (just not the pulley).

Right not my plan is to put 110cc (~3.7 oz) in the compressor, 45cc (~1.5oz) into the new condenser, 20cc (~.7 oz) into the new drier. That should be 175cc or 5.9 oz of oil into the system.

I am also going to pull and inspect the evaporator, as they get grungy and I haven't had it out in 9 years. I can try to drain the oil out of it and replace whatever comes out. I have thought about replacing it as well, since I consider AC critical here, but it is also $300. Thoughts?

If it was my vehicle, I would go ahead and replace the evaporator since you have replaced most of the other ac components.

 

[JBurt]

So I did wind up replacing the evaporator, which was good since the old one was pretty grody, and I think it was leaking around the expansion valve (also replaced). I got the system recharged today, and the compressor wouldn't engage. Turns out when your AC clutch goes out, it will blow the corresponding fuse, which is good to know.

Anyways the AC now works, but it's not as cold as it used to be. The ambient temperature when I measured today was 101*F, and the temp at the center vent was 68*. That's at idle in my driveway, which is a hell of a lot better than nothing, but it used to be low 50's high 40's. My moms highlander was putting out 51* when checked right next to the 4runner.

All said and done I added about 7oz of oil to the system replacing the compressor, evap, condenser, and drier. Too much? Anyone got any ideas how I can make it colder?

I did check for leaks, and there's no bubbles in the sight glass, and nothing showing up with the UV light. I think my manifold is leaking so I'm a little hesitant to hook it up, but I probably should hook up a manifold and see the pressures.