Hi all.
I know some of you are experts on this problem. Please, tell me which direction I have to take to fix my a/c.

It's a minivan (Toyota Previa 1993) which has front and rear A/C.
(1) Its A/C is not cool enough (almost not cool).
(2) Recently, to make it worse, the air does not blow out of the duct. The fan seems to run, but there is no air.

Does this sound familir?
Anyone interested in trying to fix it? I am willing to pay.
Please, pm me...

4/28/2006 3:50:05 PM

1. needs a charge 2. lewlzorz

4/28/2006 3:54:16 PM

BIG DOLLA

BIIIIIGGGG DOOOLLLLAAAA


For one, if it's a '93, then chances are overwhelmingly high that it was built with an R12 AC system. You can have it charged...IF you can find anybody with R12 refrigerant in stock. No small feat, as it's been out of production for about 10 years in the US. There are a lot of shops with some recycled R12 in stock, but they are few and far between. Expect to pay between $125 and $200 to have it done.

Your other option is to retrofit to R134 refrigerant, which is not done properly for cheap. As a matter of fact, it can get damn expensive if you want a system that will provide trouble-free cooling. A lot of folks are getting their system evacuated and then using a 35 dolla kit from Advance or Autozone or the like to convert to R134. Some have decent results; a hell of a lot don't.

As far as your fan? Can you hear it running? Can you feel it blowing ANYWHERE? Like your feet, through the defrost vents, etc. How about when you turn on the heat? Does the fan blow properly then?

4/28/2006 3:59:37 PM

sweet

I was actually reading something on this yesterday in the GEICO magazine.

4/28/2006 4:06:36 PM

Hold on. Let me check..

4/28/2006 4:07:01 PM

zxappeal,

I just checked. And darn! it reads "Charge R-12"....
So, I have to prepare $125-$200 just for (1)...

Regarding (2), let me revise my previous description.
The air blows, but very very weak. The weak air comes out of almost every duct... hmmm
It's a little cool when A/C is on. It's warm when heater is on...
When A/C is turned on, it makes funny noise.

Does this help?

4/28/2006 4:11:49 PM

I think (2) is more urgent.
Because it used to be cool (though not cool enough) if I run it for a while.
I think I should make the air blow first, and then look for that scarse recharge thingy...

4/28/2006 4:17:13 PM

air mix door servo malfunction is my guess. If you pick heat and then select your floor vents, does air come out anywhere else?

BTW, gargsy, most HVAC motor controls in cars are conducted using vacuum servos. Some are electric stepper motor arrangements.

[Edited on April 28, 2006 at 4:23 PM. Reason : more...]

4/28/2006 4:22:40 PM

hold...
i will check

4/28/2006 4:23:06 PM

No, there is no air in all the vents...

This is what I did:
A/C off,
max heat (blue-->red thingy),
selected floor vent ("foot" icon thingy, right?)

4/28/2006 4:29:26 PM