I understand you meant "if it was ever CONFIRMED that you have to have the fitting to make it work?" Confirmed by who? If you mean yourself then you won't find out till you try it. The very few people that have done it already said so (i.e. klr_toy and I).
in short, it can be done without the upgraded evaporator box. But you need the venturi fitting (a must have item) that is pretty much unavailable separately.
Please share with the entire community how exactly would you do that mod for $400-500 (even without the fitting). Wait! You didn't mean that by buying used parts that (some, like ac computer) are pretty much unavailable on the used parts market. This is exactly the kind of thinking that makes you bash my thread for the price I'm asking simply because you think it "should", by your standards, be cheaper, when in reality it is impossible.
Relax there Keyboard Tiger... I'm not bashing anything. There's nothing wrong with checking & double-checking to see if something will work. What I'm wondering is this: Like I've said, I'm not too concerned with the "Auto" functionality of the system... I'd just like the look. Perhaps if we just replaced the Thermistor & the Amp, maybe the system would work in manual mode, since it would seem that the venturi fitting bringing the air in is for sampling the cabin temp to adjust in the Auto mode. It's worth a shot...
As far as the price, at any given time you can find a Sequoia Auto panel on ebay, through LKQ online... for around $100 or less. Of course, this methodology is based on the assumption that the Sequoia panel will work on the Tundra. No one has provided a definitive answer as of yet, so if it WON'T work, then my numbers are incorrect, and you'll have to go out & find the Tundra specific panel.
The Thermistor
new is $18.74, and the Auto A/C Amplifier
new is $333.61. It was stated in the thread that you so graciously contributed to, that the rest of the parts (ie the "Ambient Temp Sensor" - $12.07, the "In-Car Temp Sensor" - $18.74, the "Light-Sensor" - $110.27, and the "Air-Hose" - $8.98) were not NEEDED to make this work.
So, if the "Venturi Fitting" is not needed, the cost would be:
- Control Panel = $100 (+/-, although I only paid $75 shipped, and assuming the Sequoia panel will work);
- Auto Amp = $333.61
- Thermistor = $18.74
TOTAL = $452.35
Again, I'd really like to try this, but it's moved down my "Mod-List" at the moment in favor of some other performance & aesthetic mods. If/When I try it, and it definitely
doesn't work, I'll gladly announce that the Generous, Patient, All-Knowing and Humble PENER was right.... not a big deal. And if it
does work, I'll post it with a nice DIY writeup so that others can use the info to make it work for them as well, if they so wish. I don't mind trying & failing to reach a definitive conclusion...
So PENER, can you explain exactly how to access the A/C Amplifier behind the glovebox? Do I remove both upper & lower boxes to get to it?
