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Toyota Highlander Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning

107 messages,  Last post on Nov 16, 2009 at 5:13 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Highlander, SUV


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#85 of 107
Re: '01 Highlander Aircond problem [Alirob] by slowcar
Aug 25, 2009 (12:26 pm)
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Replying to: Alirob (Aug 07, 2009 1:38 pm)

No...It seems like you and I were the only ones having this problem. It must be some thing very simple that prevents the freon from going to the driver side's vent. Hate to bring it in the dealer and spend $thousands$ .... Please post it here if you found some thing. Thanks.
#86 of 107
Re: '01 Highlander Aircond problem [slowcar] by rohoo
Aug 28, 2009 (5:29 am)
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Replying to: slowcar (Jul 20, 2009 1:35 pm)

slowcar,
I have the exact same problem on my 01' Highlander. The temperature range is approximately 12-18 degrees warmer on the drivers side as opposed to the passenger side. I will let you know if I come up with anything.
#87 of 107
Re: a good way to thank you for helping me [kburger1] by cps2698
Sep 06, 2009 (8:07 am)
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Replying to: kburger1 (May 27, 2009 10:14 pm)

Just wanted to thank the original poster regarding the ac temp issue and the loose nut. Just as you said, my husband took the knob off and the nut was loose. Boy am I glad I was reading this yesterday. It saved us a lot of money!
#88 of 107
Re: '01 Highlander Aircond problem [rohoo] by slowcar
Oct 08, 2009 (9:23 am)
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Replying to: rohoo (Aug 28, 2009 5:29 am)

Any news? Also I noticed that the driver's side air will kick in cold if the outside temperature is low enough, like in the low 80's. I even heard a "click" sound from a solenoid when it started getting cold. Of course the passenger's side stays cold the whole time.....Any body's having an idea? Please help.
#89 of 107
Re: '01 Highlander Aircond problem [slowcar] by wwest
Oct 08, 2009 (12:14 pm)
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Replying to: slowcar (Jul 20, 2009 1:35 pm)

Thiis is just/simply a guess. In the conditions you describe the Toyota and Lexus series automatic climate control has always, since at least 1990, been VERY prone to sudden, inadvertent, fogging of the interior windshield surface. There is even addressed, obliquely, within your owners manual with a direction to NEVER have the system in defrost/defog/demist mode during cooling airflow operation.
 
While those systems are prone to "automatically" putting the system into a mode wherein the danger is more likely to arise, having the manual system in recirculate mode during cooling use is one of the base criteria for "stumbling" across the same windshield fogging situation.
 
Even without the system being in defrost/defog/demist mode there is still a not insignificant possibility that the windshield interior surface will be cooled to the cabin dewpoint and gradually, or in some unique case, SUDDENLY fog over with a light coating of condensation.
 
What you may be experiencing is Toyota/Lexus latest FIX for the HAZARDS arising from a seriously flawed A/C design. Having the driver's side air outflow be somewhat higher in temperature would undoubtedly allviate some of the potential for windshield fogging on that side of the vehicle.
#90 of 107
Re: Toyota Highlander A/C problems [alleycat7] by kricket2
Oct 09, 2009 (6:51 am)
Reply

Replying to: alleycat7 (Sep 18, 2007 2:55 pm)

yes, my heat does not stay on "hot" The dealer says it is vacuumed sealed
and it needs to be replaced for $1000.00. you can pull the knob off and adjust
the nut. however I have hit bumps in the road and it turns to cold air. I called
Toyota and they will not recall it due to it is not a "saftey problem" It is when I
am unable to defrost my windsheild. I am not paying that... more calls to Toyota
to help them recall this issue.
#91 of 107
wwest ... by slowcar
Oct 10, 2009 (5:56 am)
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Thanks, wwest for the information but I don't think that was the problem. The air cond had been working just fine all these years and the problem just popped up more than a year ago. I don't think the temp in driver side is higher than that of the passenger side...it's just that the driver side vent sucks in the carbin's air (recirculation mode) and blows it right back out without having the liquid freon going thru the evaporator. When I heard a little "click" sound of the solenoid then the driver side started getting cold just like the other side. Anyway, thanks for the info. If you can think of any thing else, please advise.
#92 of 107
Re: wwest ... [slowcar] by wwest
Oct 10, 2009 (8:25 am)
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Replying to: slowcar (Oct 10, 2009 5:56 am)

The mechanical airflow path of automotive A/C.
 
Air inlet with a damper door to select fresh intake airflow or recirculate. Fresh airflow is usually taken in at the foot of the windshield on the passenger side (US). Recirculate airflow is taken in from an opening behind the glove box' traditional position. ALL system airflow, regardless of fresh/recirc intake origin, then flows through the pollen filter, the blower ("sucker") and then to, through, the cooling evaporator core. The cooling evaporator core is typically operated at ~34F(***). So if the blower speed is fairly low the airflow temperature at this point might be very close to freezing.
 
The next step is the reheat/remix vane/door. The control system will "set" the position of the vane door such that a selected portion of that just previously cooled airflow will be diverted from the "main" flow path and through the ~180F heater core. Downstream of the heater core the two airflow portions will remix/merge and the end result will be system outlet airflow that is cool enough, sometimes just BARELY cool enough, to maintain the passenger cabin, OVERALL, at your selected temperature setpoint.
 
If you turn the manual control to maximum cooling or the automatic one to the lowest temperature setting then NO airflow will be reheated and the outflow might be discomfortingly COLD.
 
*** Currently no method is used to moderate the operating temperature of the evaporator, mostly in order to take full (but RANDOM) advantage of the evaporator's dehumidification aspects.
#93 of 107
Wwest...follow up questions by slowcar
Oct 14, 2009 (10:52 am)
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wwest: few questions.
 
1) It doesn't seem to be efficient to heat up part of the cold air (+34F) with the +180F heater core and then re-mix it with the original cold air to regulate the temperature. It's like running your house aircond at full speed and then open the windows slightly to maintain the set temperture.
 
p.s. BTW, I thought the car air cond regulates the temperature via the Expansion Valve, where it opens to allow liquid freon from the Condenser to flow to the Evaporator if it wants to cool down the air. When the cabin's air is cool enough this Expansion Valve will be closed; thus no more cooling. Am I wrong?
 
2) Is there a vane door separately for passenger side and driver side so that on the driver side, the vane door was stuck and won't allow the cold air to go through and mix in with the warm air? If there isn't a separate vane door for the driver side, then why the passenger side's temp is much lower (20F) than that of driver side if both sides share the same vane door?
 
The kicker is that the system had been working no problem until recently !!! So it can't be the problem with the Toyota aircond design.
#94 of 107
Re: EZ Airconditioner fix [cpiper] by ryan99
Oct 15, 2009 (4:20 pm)
Reply

Replying to: cpiper (Mar 08, 2008 5:51 am)

Whoever found this quick fix is a genius! I've had my Highlander for three weeks and today found the heat to be erratic. I took the knob off and sure enough the switch was loose and I could duplicate the problem in my hands...Thanks again!

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