AC just not cold enough

[Bootsakah]

My 07 Tacoma is brand new, just picked it up last week. Yesterday it was around 95 F in Boise and the lady wanted the AC on while we were driving around. This is the first time I have used the AC for an extended time, and it never seemed to get really cold. My previous rig was a 97 Tacoma, the AC in that truck got very cold fairly quickly. I ran the AC for at least a 1/2 hour in my new truck and it just stayed "cool" and never got as cold as I expected.

I was wondering if this is just the way AC is working on these new vehicles, ie - some new coolant used? Or do I have a problem?

Thanks

[NitroPye]

I had a problem with my A/C the other day where it was on and a little cold but not at all. I got a little worried, but I rarely ever use A/C so I attributed it to it being unused. It has been ice cold since then though.

[TacoGuy]

Bigger truck: More Iron..and Plastic that needs to cool off before the cabin will cool off. Plastic is a poor conductor of heat so it will take awhile. The A/C compressor is a mechanical gismo: Mechanical stuff need to "break in" a little before it will perform to its best. 95 degrees is pretty hot to start off with. Give it a little time to get the parts seated. TacoGuy

[flyman767]

Seems to be a trend for new Tacoma's: Either the refrigerant(R134a) has developed a slow leak or it's been underserviced at the factory. If the problems continues have the dealer run a A/C system pressure test. Several others have stated the dealer had found a 'high pressure' fitting loose... resulting in the refrigerant loss.

[L R H]

Are You using the recirculate mode, or outside air?

[Bootsakah]

Thanks for the replies guys. I typically will only use the recirculate at first for a quicker cool down then switch to outside air. Its not that it isn't cold, but just doesn't seem as cold compared to my 10 year old Taco or any other new vehicle that I have been in lately. In any event, I have scheduled the dealer to take a look at it just in case, especially after hearing flyman77's response.

Thanks,
Boots

[Joeyg023]

I don't know if its the correct way, but I start out with fresh air then recirculate and mine stays real cool especially once I put on recirculate.

[dickinsonj]

I think most people use recirculate until it cools down inside and then switch to fresh air. That is what the automatic climate control does on my wife's car. Mine cooled down in just a few minutes the other day when the temperature was about 100 degrees F - so I'm guessing there is something wrong with your's.

[elfiero]

I've studied this "problem" on my truck and have found the A/C works very good when traveling above 5o mph. At speeds below this, it gets progressivley worse at producing ice cold air. If you look closely at where the A/C condenser is mounted, you will see large air gaps around all four sides, which means the engine mounted fan will have trouble pulling all the air through it, and will instead pull some of the air around it. What proves this is when you are traveling down the road at "higher" speeds, the air pressure in front of the truck forces large quantites of air through the condenser. Modern A/C(read:R134) depends even more on mass quantities of air flow to produce temp differential than did R12. If you were bent on increasing your A/Cs cold air output, you build some crude baffeling around the edges of the condenser, but you might be reducing the engines ability to cool its self. Choice #2- change to an electric cooling fan as this will produce more CFM through the condenser(and radiator) at low vehicle speeds and engine RPMs.

[lelandstanford]

You can always insulate A/C lines.

Insulating A/C Lines

[Mike-in-WV]

Keep in mind that the outside temp of 95 makes your truck about 130 inside. It will take awhile to cool. Roll the windows down for a few minutes when you first turn it on, seems to make the AC work faster. Make sure it's on full blast and set as cold as it will go and turn on the recirculating fan too. Let it run full blast but it will still take a while. Let's face it guy's, it's hot and the air is so humid you can cut it with a knife,Lol. Mike

[toku58]

I've noticed that the A.C. doesn't cool if you run it at full blast. Keep it one click below full and it seems to do better.

But yes! Our truck's A.C. is sub-par!

[Mike-in-WV]

Sure can't say that mine is sub par. It will freeze your "bippy" off, Lol.

[anestech*]

Mine works just fine here on the surface of the sun.

[Bootsakah]

In regards to the AC hose lines not being insulated, this to me seems pretty strange, and would cause the AC to have to work harder. I wonder if the Toyota mechanics can give a reason why they were not insulated?

Another thing I noticed is with the outside vented air. I was running around last night in the cool night air, in previous vehicles I have owned I like to turn on just the fan (AC off, temp dial to coldest setting) at night and let some of the cool air blow in. When I did this in my new Tacoma, the fan aided air blowing thru the vents was quite a bit hotter then the outside air (sticking my arm out and feeling it). Every vehicle I have owned before this the vent air is always the same temp as the outside air or very close to it. I drove on and it never seemed to get cooler. I noticed on the new Tacoma the inlet area for the fan was tucked slightly under the hood rather then a big vent area at the base of the windshield. Granted there is a rubber seal under the hood, but it doesn't look completely seemed up, like around the hinges. I wonder if the hot air from the engine compartment is some how mixing with the vent air and this in turn is limiting the AC's potential to get cooler? Has anyone else noticed this? Is your vent air warmer then the outside air?