Hello and welcome to the forum.
Do check the manuals etc on ‘Hiacesoutheast’ and you should also be aware of and make good use of the Toyota Electronic Parts Catalogue. For my van it’s this:
https://toyota.epc-data.com/regius_ace/lh119v/114894/
But modify this to the details on the build plate (under the LH front seat).
Most of the A/C is in the 'electrics' section, but cut your teeth elsewhere!
The ‘Hiacesoutheast’ site will help you decode the details on the build plate and a load of other goodies are there, too.
Right, to the AC.
There are answers but it depends on the type of AC you have; front (and rear?) and type of condensers (therefore their volume). Your van should have a sticker, probably RH door jamb (or under LH seat) that states the load, but this is likely for the now banned ‘R12’ Freon refrigerant. If your system is completely empty it’s easy to swap the ports for those suitable for R134 and I’d also replace the system desiccant canister if that’s the case (Part number available on the EPC and can be purchased from the Amayama site the EPC links to or you can head straight there or try Megazip. The canister is also a standard Toyota part and available from the dealership (cultivate a relationship) or non-OEM from Autodoc etc.
If you have any vehicle documentation then the load and type are also there, but probably in Japanese. It’s possible to translate all this via google translate after OCR using whatever computer program you have (many add-on to pdf viewers for example).
Toyota made a big thing of the A/C in their vans and provided the original user with lots of detais and certificates for it.
Basically it’s very likely you will have to do some digging as there are lots of A/C variants.
If your system is not completely empty then you will have to do the research anyway then take this and your van to a good A/C garage who will empty the Freon, change the ports, fit your new desiccant canister and check the system holds a low pressure (vacuum) then fill it to the correct R12 to R134 ratio. A Good garage will also check the running high and low pressures to check it’s working optimally. They should also give you a receipt showing the refrigerant charge, which will be useful in a couple of years’ time! If it doesn’t hold a vacuum they won’t charge it. Most likely failure places if it currently holds some pressure is the compressor = expensive to rebuild or replace.
I think mine takes ~1.4kg R12 (this is a lot) but this is meaningless without knowing how much A/C you have and I’ve no idea how this relates to the amount of R134. Too much and you don’t get the pressure drop between the high and low sides and it’s inefficient. Too little and there’s other inefficiencies and a lack of lubrication in the compressor.
I understand R134 is 'less good' than R12 so a system designed for R12 won't get as cold when charged with R134, but this is fine to do. Modern vehicles designed for R134 have bigger heat exchangers.
HTH
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Thu Jul 21, 2022 5:15 pm
