98 4Runner SR5, 3.4L, 4x4, 5spd...with only 325k on the odo.
Just this past Friday I noticed a rotten citrus smell when I turned on the A/C. Initially I thought I had another case of the 'Stank' and needed to dump a few cans of Lysol down the cowl to rid the evaporator case of any bacteria/mildew. A/C was blowing just fine, cold as ice (as it has been ever since I first bought my 4Runner!)
Well last night, the A/C stopped blowing cold air...none what so ever. A light-bulb went off in my head, "What if the rotten citrus smell was actually refrigerant/compressor oil, and I've got a leak in my evaporator coil which is allowing me to smell it!" I pop the hood, and hit the low-side A/C schrader valve with a screwdriver...*sniff* *sniff*...exactly the same smell! Looks like my evap coil has a leak...frickin' fantastic!
Temperature difference between the inlet/outlet lines is almost non-existent (high side was a smidge cooler), and the sight glass shows no bubbles and only a random flash of refrigerant. I don't have any A/C gauges to properly test system...aaaaand it's frickin' Labor Day so most stores are closed.
Open up my FSM, and other than a few quick blurbs about opening the actual evap case, it mentions nothing about removing the dash/interior pieces needed to actually remove the evaporator coil. I found a T4R.org thread on removing the heater core (not the evap coil), and the amount of interior removal work made me want to puke.
Has anyone had to do this? Can I remove the entire evaporator coil/case without tearing apart the entire dash? It's not getting cooler here in Texas, and I'm driving an hour each way to work M-F.
Just this past Friday I noticed a rotten citrus smell when I turned on the A/C. Initially I thought I had another case of the 'Stank' and needed to dump a few cans of Lysol down the cowl to rid the evaporator case of any bacteria/mildew. A/C was blowing just fine, cold as ice (as it has been ever since I first bought my 4Runner!)
Well last night, the A/C stopped blowing cold air...none what so ever. A light-bulb went off in my head, "What if the rotten citrus smell was actually refrigerant/compressor oil, and I've got a leak in my evaporator coil which is allowing me to smell it!" I pop the hood, and hit the low-side A/C schrader valve with a screwdriver...*sniff* *sniff*...exactly the same smell! Looks like my evap coil has a leak...frickin' fantastic!
Temperature difference between the inlet/outlet lines is almost non-existent (high side was a smidge cooler), and the sight glass shows no bubbles and only a random flash of refrigerant. I don't have any A/C gauges to properly test system...aaaaand it's frickin' Labor Day so most stores are closed.
Open up my FSM, and other than a few quick blurbs about opening the actual evap case, it mentions nothing about removing the dash/interior pieces needed to actually remove the evaporator coil. I found a T4R.org thread on removing the heater core (not the evap coil), and the amount of interior removal work made me want to puke.
Has anyone had to do this? Can I remove the entire evaporator coil/case without tearing apart the entire dash? It's not getting cooler here in Texas, and I'm driving an hour each way to work M-F.
