[redgtxdi]

Howdy all. Noob here. I posted over at Toyotanation, but forums I frequent usually move much faster than that......and this one seems to move more my speed so I figure I'll ask here & see........

I recently acquired a '94 (22RE). It's a great truck!! I am lovin' the heck out of this thing, except I want to bring it up to snuff as quickly as possible. I've done some fluid changes & other stuff, but I have a couple probs currently givin' me trouble........

#1.) A/C blower sounds like it's blowin' well, but even on high isn't very powerful. (I'm used to Toys blowin' like a blizzard).........sooooooo.........it was suggested that it could be the "BLOWER RESISTOR"(?). But, when I look on autozone.com or napa.com I only find a blower motor. It's $75 and I'll certainly spend it if it fixes the prob, but I guess the *evaporator* can leak oil into itself and clog air flow?? Anyway.........any suggestions on bringin' some airflow back would be much appreciated!!!!!!

(Being that the blower sounds like it's runnin' hard, I don't know think the blower's got anything wrong with it.)

#2.) I wanna change the A/C belt and the alternator belt but while the Alternator belt looks easy enough, I don't see how I can loosen slack on the A/C belt without removing the whole A/C unit. That little idler pulley there doesn't look like it's gonna give enough to get the belt off the pulleys. Any tricks??

(BTW, imho, the Haynes manual SUCKS in this regard. Haynes let me down here.)

TIA!!!

 

[redgtxdi]

OK, so I got a look at a little bit........(actually had my 8 year old daughter help me bleed the brakes last night.....she's learnin' as we go).........

When I open the glove box and sort-of bend the back of the glove box 'down', I can see into the blower unit. Blower's a little dusty, but definitely workin' well!! I suppose, then, that the flow blockage is coming from somewhere between there and the vents themselves.....

I know I would have to do a lot of work to remove the whole heater core.........(I assume that's where the A/C cooling core is too??).......so I was wondering if there was a way I could cheat with either a coat hanger, or stickin' an air blow gun in there??

Or maybe blowin' backward through one of the vents?? (Can you tell I really don't wanna pull the heater core apart?)

TIA

P.S. Oh, and about the belts..........while bleedin' brakes last night I got a good look underneath and my best guess is that there's no option.........that A/C unit definitely has to be unmounted??

 

[Benny]

You probably have a mouse nest in the fan. Unbolt the 3 or 4 screws on the bottom and pull the fan out. It comes straight down. Clean out debris and reinstall.

 

[redgtxdi]

Benny,

Thanks for the reply!! I'll try & do that here at lunch.....(if I don't break my neck down there, LOL).........and see what comes out. I'm surprised it still gets nice & cold........but that's what R-12 was aaaalllllll about........(Yeeyaessss)

And any advice on that A/C belt?? Is it "remove A/C bolts" only??

Thanks again!!

 

[RockDude415]

I'm not sure, but I think the idler will loosen off far enough to let you change the belt. It does on my 87's, anyway. Sometimes it LOOKS like the idler won't go any further, but if you give it a push, it'll go right on in. I've never had any trouble getting any of the belts on or off.
Good luck, and keep us up to date

 

[redgtxdi]

Thanks!! I'll try it tomorrow for sure! Today I tried the A/C thing.....

I decided to chase the A/C air-flow problem. Wow! What a chore!!

Oh, I finally got the blower out all right........not for a few explicatives...... :flipoff2: .....(that back bolt/screw is a friggin' mother) Anyway, after giving myself a full-on splitting headache from hanging upside-down for so long, it appears as though the fan blower is fine. I looked up in there and reached up in there to feel the duct where the air goes from there and I can't feel a thing, so I'd have to guess that there's some congestion somewhere between the blower and the vents.

I don't care to get into that dash anymore than I did today so if that's as much air as I'll get out of the *high* setting, then.........so be it!! That was a b*tch this today & I really don't wanna do that again!!

 

[redgtxdi]

Would blowing through the A/C vents with like a looong blow gun do anything good/bad/indifferent???

I was thinking that if it's something in the cooling core......(evaporator???).......that maybe blowin' it back might let it fall down somewhere into that box where it would do less harm??

Haynes manual only shows me the heater core at the bottom of that big box, but doesn't really show where the A/C core.......(again, evaporator???).......is.

TIA

P.S. Maybe '94 didn't have much air-flow????
(My '98 Camry will damn-near blow ya' out the car) :cool2:

 

[NMEinc]

yep the Heater core is in the main duct(under the entire dash) but the A/C evap is btwn the main duct and the blower housing. behind the left side of the glove box. although you won't be able to remove it without discharging the system though. best bet is to take the blower out again and see if the evap is indeed clogged(mirror and flashlight)................Karl

 

[4CrawlR]

While the blower motor is out, have a look at the brushes. If worn down, they can cause the motor to run slow on all speeds:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Blower.shtml#MotorRepair

 

[redgtxdi]

4crawlr,

Thanks VERY much for the info. IF and that's a big IF....... :grinpimp: I get the gumption to actually get down under there & pull that friggin' blower motor out again, I might pull the motor back off & see what the brushes look like, however, I do recall bending the back part of the glove box & noticing that the fan was certainly spinnin' it's arse off, so I'd probably lean more toward that *not* being the problem, than so, but I dunno.........(I suppose it'd be easier to drop that blower this time around, but it was still a beeeehotch)

Maybe if nothing's changed in the early 90's trucks, somebody can mention whether their *HI* setting really does blow like the dickens, or just so-so??

And, I will say thanks just in knowing that I *can't* let myself take that a/c cooling unit box apart even though it's not part of the heater core just 'cuz I *can't* well.......*won't* empty the refrigerant just so I can look at it......no way in hell..........no friggin' way!! :grinpimp:

 

[Benny]

Yes, the 90's style of blower will blow very well. Its not a weak system. You have a problem somewhere for sure

 

[redgtxdi]

Back to the belt(s) thing..........

Well, just a hint for anybody who's up against what I was up against today..........FORGET ABOUT CHANGING YOUR BELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I could not BELIEVE what I was up against today. Loosened the idler pulley & guess what..........YUP........NOT EVEN CLOSE to loosening the belt enough to take it off!!!!



A/C unit had to come completely off. Well, the bottom rear bolt on that A/C unit is in one of the more ridiculous places I've seen bolts before, but I tried & simply ran out of light. To top that off, the front bolts won't even come off 'cuz the A/C pulley is in the way..........WTF????



So, essentially you have to remove all the bolts, then pull the A/C unit forward to allow the bolts to release from their holes and move the A/C unit. Now, the rear belt for the alternator would be cake, but I can't remove it unless I remove the front one (or cut it off), so looks like this behotch it going to my local guy & I'll throw him a few bucks under the table & see what he can do with or if he actually feels like pullin' the A/C unit off. (Maybe it'll be easier for him on a lift).



Anyway, needless to say I find that quite ridiculous........(My Camry's brakes are easier to do than these friggin' belts!) What a joke! :mad3:



OK...........rant over!!