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I'm going to get new o-rings for the parts I took off during reconstruction, hopefully OEM. Assuming everything lines up with my aftermarket condensor, I will hook it all back up. I know I should probably add some a/c oil, but aside from that do I need to do anything special or can I just recharge it myself using my $20 setup from Oreilly? Or will it need professional servicing after being dismembered by a Suburu?
Since it's been open it will have gotten air and moisture into the system. It should have a vacuum pump hooked to the system to pull the garbage out. I would want to keep it sucking for ~ ½ hour or more before charging. When you go to charge it should suck up the freon and the oil without even starting the engine.
I have a more detailed write-up in THIS THREAD. That thread is centered around a van, but same principals apply to the Previa. Tim
Not sure if it matters but I did wrap the open pipes with plastic and tape them off, but surely humidity and air got in. Should be clear of dirt though. I'll check out the other thread
Can anyone make sense of this diagram? I can't. The parts guy at Toyota can't. I need all the o-rings in front of the radiator, and I need to know which is which.
https://storage.megazip.net/catalog/...7660a57011.png.
Maybe I am overthinking the a/c job. I guess I can just get the el cheapo Harbor Freight vacuum pump with R134a connector, some quick connects and a gauge,and use the 30 gallon air compressor at work to run the vac, and then refill it the same amateur way I always do. I think most a/c certified guys would highly recommend me not doing this myself, but should I let that stop me? I'll admit I'm fairly ignorant, but it seems like a low risk high gain procedure. If the vacuum builds well and holds, that should bode well for it being successful, right?
Yeah, I'd be willing to bet the guy who drew up that diagram couldn't make sense of it either lol. I'm not necessarily recommending this, but I usually get a whole set of aftermarket o-rings from eBay or wherever, then try to match them up to the old ones. If/when I don't have the right size, if the old ones aren't damaged, I'll just re-use. Obviously not the best way to do things, but I usually get lucky. get a little extra of the recommended AC oil and lube them up before installation.
Found out Oreilly rents a decent little vacuum pump so that's a tiny ray of light in a job that I want no part of.
Oh brudder. :no:
I went to hook the lines to the condenser tonight, figured I would take a chance with my existing o-rings, and realized there are no brackets on which to mount the dryer.
Went back to the listing where I ordered it and saw a completely different condenser, with mounting bracket, that looks purty much identical to OEM (and maybe they planned it that way?)
Now I have to haggle because my return window has closed. Certainly can't afford a $500 OEM unit, so I hope they can produce one that looks like what I ordered. The ports do line up, so this is for a Previa, but that's the only thing I checked when it first arrived. The fun never ends!
Well the fraud won't refund me. Hope he enjoys his reviews.
Everything I read suggests I really need a new drier anyway, so maybe its a good thing I didn't get a chance to try the old one. OEM driers are 100 bucks, found one for 72 and free shipping, but Rockauto sells a Denso for less than 20. With their exorbitant shipping fees I'm not sure which is the better deal. Denso may or may not be the same as OEM, I guess.
There are also Denso condensers out there, but they all seem to be in Japan with no delivery until a month from now and I plan to be on the road in a month. I have also been seeing a lot of complaints about new Denso radiators on 4runner forums. I will probably have to settle for another aftermarket unit unless I can figure out a way to mount the drier on this fraudulent Agility condenser.
Do not buy Agility 7014588 A/C Condenser unless you enjoy stress more than I do.
With few exceptions I've always considered Denso and Aisin to be every bit as good as Toyota (after all, they are OE suppliers for a lot of Toyota parts). However, things do change and I haven't purchased from them lately. I still have a lot of new Denso and Aisin products in storage for a rainy day. Tim
PS: Regarding the bracket, when things get damaged by a collision it adds another level to repairs. Normally when a bracket or something is missing you would just swap out from your old (no big deal). No way you can salvage the old one? I agree with replacing the dryer/receiver. They have a limited life and are considered disposable. Tim
The brackets of which I speak are welded to the side rail on the OEM condenser. They just receive the bolts from the straps that secure the drier, and they are not damaged. While it looks possible to remove that entire side rail from the old condenser, there is no way to mount it to the new POS Agility condenser. I could maybe figure out some other place to secure it but that would also mean altering my lines and that's a new headache I'm not terribly interested in.
That sucks. I don't have a Previa anymore so I can't run out to inspect/visualize and/or give useful advice (sorry). It's one thing when they use an accurate picture. I also consider it fraud when they picture a different product than they ship (been there had that done to me).
Normally when I run into this type of "adaptation" issue I install to the point I can, then try to solve the mod issues as they come up. After you get the lines hooked up you'll know the range of movement and perhaps you can secure with some hose clamps and a homemade bracket??? I'm sure something will come to mind when it's hanging there :doh:. Lol, Good luck. Tim
I think if I slide the strap holder down a couple inches on the drier I can get the lower one of it's two mounting bolts through the bottom bracket on the side of the condenser, if I drill a hole for it. One bolt is better than none. I can get it all set up using my old drier, I'm sure a new one wont get here till after next week.
Better than buying and installing a new condenser I suppose.
I rented the vacuum pump and manifold gauges from Autozone, and got zero vacuum. :no: But after some sleuthing, I discovered the pump had a leaky cap on one of it's ports. So I returned it for another pump. It quickly sucked it down to nearly -30 in/Hg. I closed the valves, and it held steady for hours. My repairs held! :dance2: So I will do the full pull for a couple hours and fill it either later today or on Friday. I talked them into throwing in a shutoff valve for the cans of R134a that I bought, so I should be able to fill it through the manifold gauge and not have to buy an attachment.
My decal says 38.1 oz is minimum though and 41.6 oz is max, but with 120z cans that's a problem. I don't really want to discharge half a can but I discharged a lot more than that when I hit the Suburu. Maybe I will see how it feels at 36oz and decide how to proceed then. I suppose I should buy a scale and just do it right.
I removed the lines because I had to go somewhere, but when I did the low side valve kept sucking air. I am hoping this is just because the valve can't handle the vacuum and only works under inside pressure, and not because the valve is bad. That makes sense but does anyone know?
PS-how can I be sure the required weight of R134a is the same with an aftermarket condenser?
For something I've never done and really didn't want to do, it really wasn't too bad. I pulled a vacuum for a couple hours since its been a while since it had refrigerant in it. I'm not sure how great of a job I did, but I have decently cool air coming out the vents. It was comfortable to sit in the van in 85 degree sunshine with windows closed. Got my sway bar link fixed, new strut, recharged ac, everything is ready to hit the road now right? Right?
Except a few days ago my exhaust got noticeably louder, and I noticed a peahole in the weld behind the muffler. What I didn't notice is that the pipe had semi-separated from the muffler too, but the shop I took it to today sure noticed and they said it was not repairable. They wanted nearly $400 to install a new FX muffler and short piece of pipe ($250 labor!), but I think I'm just going to drive it as far as I can as is. I can get ripped off like that in any town in America if it becomes too loud, and if I can make it back home I can find someone to install a muffler of my choice for 100 bucks or less. Jiminy crickets, its just a weld and a hanger or 2...