4cyl, 5spd, Dlx, 150k miles

The previous said that the AC stopped working 2 years ago, that Pep Boys told him that he needed a compressor and he responded by taking the belt off the compressor. I'd like to get the AC going again in the next month or so.

Called Toyota, they said that there are no outstanding SSC's on the VIN#, so no luck getting a free expansion valve.

I did a little research. Can get a reman compressor with clutch on Ebay for about $150. Best price by far. The expansion valve and the accumulator seem to be widely available for about $30 each.

1) What R134A conversion kit should I get?

2) What belt should I get? Factory AC?

3) I assume that I replace the compressor by going in underneath the engine, and the expansion valve and accumulator by removing the glove box.

I also assume that I don't need to replace the condenser or the evaporator.

Am figuring about 1-2 hours to do this and I can drive to an AC shop to pull vacuum (clean and test for leaks) and to fill the system with oil and freon.

I hate working on AC...
Watch your tail on buying a compressor. There are at least 3 different ways that the compressor can be setup on the 85-94 22RE. Two different styles 86-88. They don't interchange with the bracket.

IF you get in a bind, ping me - I may have the bracket you need. I spent time chasing one down. I bought 3 before getting the right one.

Might check with rockauto.com - make sure they come with the compressor clutch.

The 134a conversion kits that I see typically are O-rings. I'd talk to an AC shop about it. After 20 years, it's probably a good idea to replace all the o-rings anyway.

Personally, I'd get the new compressor installed, assuming you trust the pep-boys diagnosis. Have it charged and professionally leak tested by an AC shop. AC leaks are hard to find without UV. The right way to do it is to evaculate it and see if it will hold vacuum overnight.

Yes, you can pull it from under the motor.

How would Pep Boys know what he needed?




Last time I took the compressor out of a '89 4runner I did it all from the top, but I had the radiator and the air intake tube out. You'll need to remove the discharge and suction hoses which are on the top, though you can probably get them from below. The accumulator is out in front of the radiator behind the grille. You'll need to remove the grille first. If you live in some nice climate like California you might be able to get the accumulator fittings apart (17mm flare wrench). The accumulator is the one item that really needs to be replaced, but be careful. If you are in a corrsive environment all the fittings out front may be beyond repair, which means you'll be looking for a new condenser and maybe a liquid line and a discharge hose as well. The liquid line is the the aluminum line with all the bends in it that runs from the evaporator to the accumulator and the discharge hose is the one that runs from the compressor to the condenser. They run about $50 and $100 each. I hope you have an easier time than I did. Good luck.







This is a shot of an '89 4runner rust bucket partsmobile <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> The lines are a little more complicated than in the drawing above which is for the pickup. -- Matt