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Sedans Toyota Avalon Toyota Avalon Climate Control Questions
193 messages, Last post on Oct 08, 2009 at 5:22 PM
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At this moment, the compressor, located below the alternator - the one with copper coil visible, was not running. The pulley of the compressor is running all the time because it is pulled by the belt. The compressor would run only if the computer sends it a signal through an electric clutch. The sight window on the thin tubing, also on the passenger side between the engine and the radiator, was clear. Now I turned on the valve. About thirty seconds after, the compressor kicked in and the green light on the button of the control panel inside the car went on, too. The R134a can was cold and formed a thin layer of frost. Moreover, the sight window showed boiling fluid inside. Everything made sense now. The compressor needed lubricant to run. Without lubricant, the compressor would burn in no time. So, engineers designed a pressure sensor on the thin refrigerant tube to stop the compressor if it detects low refrigerant pressure. Voila, mission accomplished. But, .... Two minutes afterwards, the compressor went dead again. So with extreme care, I tried to inspect visually where the refrigerant had gone looking for wet spots. After seeing no sign of leaks in the poor lighting condition, I tried again. (Remember, I bought two cans of R134a. The clerk at the auto parts store said 2002 Avalon needed 28 oz of refrigerant.) Exactly the same thing had occurred. This time I did not use eyes to observe; I used ears, instead. I heard a low hissing sound. It actually was not low; it was just overcome by the engine sound. I turned off the engine and the hissing became so obvious, more so when I rocked the thin tubing slightly. Imagine one blows air over the edge of a piece of waving paper. I still saw no sign of leak; wet spots, that is. (To be continued ….) |
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My diagnosis at this point was that the hissing sound must have come out at the lower end of the thin tubing connecting to the condenser. That reminded me of the car accident and the replacement of the new condenser. I immediately thought the connection was loose or the O-ring was worn and needed to be replaced. I stopped the chase and called it a day. The stores were all close anyways. The next evening, I loosened up the bolt and removed the O-ring (~6 mm dia) at the connector. The ring seemed perfect in shape; it just appeared a little too small to me. I ran back to the auto parts store to purchase two sizes of O-rings ($3 for 8 rings). I installed a new one and made certain the bolt was tightened up. And, without starting the engine and using the left-over R134a, I still could hear the hissing sound. Feeling so frustrated, I started to inspect the tubing more carefully to determine where the hissing sound was. I was totally shocked to find a cut on the side of the thin horizontal tubing a few inches after the sight window. It definitely was the culprit because it was oily there. To me it looked like a saw cut by a 1-mm blade going up and down. But, how did it get there? Was it from the original Denso part? Or, from the body shop used for the insurance work? It’d require a CSI Lab to determine where the cut came from. One thing for certain was that it was not caused by the accident. Because the condenser had barely any damage, let alone the tubing behind it. The body shop did not think the condenser required replacement the first time. Further, the tubing was straight and free of any deformation at all. Now I’m in deep trouble. I could not find the replacement at the auto parts store. I thought I could cut the tubing through, but they did not have any parts that I could use to re-connect them – just like the way a plumber would use to solder two copper pipes or clamp two PVC pipes together. I seemed to see a few $100 notes flying out of my pocket. (To be continued ….) |
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I talked to a friend who has a PhD in Material Engineering about welding or soldering the cut in the aluminum tubing. He said it was impossible for a DIYer to weld the cut for lack of industrial equipment. To remove the tubing running up and down would be a big job, too. According to the gauge, 25 psi is the minimum pressure for the refrigerant; 45 psi would be in the alert zone. The water pressure in our household is in the 40 psi range; clamping seems to work well on the PVC pipes in the sprinkler system. I estimate the refrigerant’s temperature at around 110F. After considering all the factors, I decided to use the clamping method. I cut a one-inch section from an old (actually new, it’s never been used) rubber hose that came with our new washer. Cut it open so that it can wrap around the aluminum tubing. Further cut to adjust the fit. I found a product in the auto parts store called Cold Weld consisting of two tubes: one steel paste, and the other hardener. I first cleaned the aluminum tubing to make sure that the oil and dust were removed. I then applied a thin layer of CW on the cut of the aluminum tubing and carefully wrapped the cut-open rubber hose around the tubing at the cut. I used two small (for 1/4” ~ 5/8” dia) clamps so that the rubber hose would hug tightly to the tubing. Six hours later, I repeated the R134a feeding process again. After finishing one can of R134a, the pressure on the gauge reached 25 psi, the hissing sound disappeared, and the A/C system seemed to be running normally. I decided to fill it with only one can of R134a; I was afraid the clamps may not hold for higher pressure. Three days passed, the A/C had runn as normal for 30-minute drives under 80-plus weather. I’d brought the pressure up to 35 psi after it has been tested for over a week. |
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Hi, My rear speaker has begun to have thumping noise when certain songs are played on the radio. Is there any way to reair the speaker? Would you suggest toyota dealer or a radio shop for repair or replace. |
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Looking at purchasing a 1998 Avalon XLS. Only problem owner has had is the air quits running cold whenever it rains. Then works fine again whenever it dries up. Took it to Toyota and they couldn't find out what's wrong. Even sprayed inside hood but air worked fine then. Just not when it rains. Anybody else heard of this and know the solution?
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Replying to: titanfan67 (Jul 01, 2006 6:06 am)
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Replying to: texasfx35 (Jul 01, 2006 9:07 am)
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Replying to: titanfan67 (Jul 02, 2006 3:05 pm) |
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when it gets over 90degrees, it seems like the AC quits working on my 98 Avalon. Has anyone seen this before and what causes it? Thanks.
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Replying to: oilslick (Jul 03, 2006 3:01 pm) |
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