Air Con failed

[Canaussie]

Well my wife sent me text today saying that as she was driving the kids to swim lessons the AC stopped blowing cold air. So I get home and check it all out and seems there is a funny noise coming from the compressor?? So I'm thinking the clutch maybe? Is this a normal thing for D4's? Oh 2.7L MY12. Hope it's just a one off, any other hings to look for?

Cheers

[connock]

maybe a fuse ? is the clutch clicking in ?


connock

[Canaussie]

Checking fuses but only one listed is the climate control fuse #62. Clutch doesn't seem to engage as motor does not load up

[Canaussie]

Well after further investigating looks like the front I the ac compressor has pooped away from the unit. Don't know if it can be popped back on or does this mean something more serious??

[Graeme]

I understand that the 2.7 compressor does not utilise a clutch. The pulley is sacrificial for when the compressor siezes.

[bbyer]

The AC system when fully "off" is really only about 95% off. As such, the AC compressor is always running and hence no clutch is required. Clutch or no clutch, the compressor will still seize, so per the previous post, the need for a frangible pulley.

Somewhere near the heater/AC assembly, there is a variable orifice called the refrigerant solenoid valve that varies the flow of the R134A from full on to about 95% off. The 5% min flow is to keep the compressor lubricated since it is aways running until it seizes.

The link below contains some files explaining how the system is supposed to operate.

DISCO3.CO.UK Photo Gallery - Heater Air Conditioner System (http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=30300)

[TDV6]

A friend had his aircon fail out west because of a pollen filter blocked by bull-dust, so they wound down the windows and the car filled up with more dust and the cd player then also seized up, just more things to check.

Ryall

[Canaussie]

Ya the filter was replaced not long ago after we got back from cape trip. Hmmm not one compressor in Australia as they supposedly never fail. So now it has to be brought in special.....bummer

[BobD]

Ya the filter was replaced not long ago after we got back from cape trip. Hmmm not one compressor in Australia as they supposedly never fail. So now it has to be brought in special.....bummer

When the starter motor on my 2010 D4 failed one week after our Cape York trip in 2012 there were also none in the country as they never fail! Took less than a week, from memory, to get one from England and get it fitted under warranty.

Interesting also, that when the power steering pipe failed at Lorne Hill on a 50,000 km old LC 200 series in our group, the only spare pipes in Australia were located in Alice Springs. His car had to be trucked from Lorne Hill to Mt Isa, however, to get it fitted. They have obviously been experiencing failures in Alice springs due to the rough roads and the new part had been factory modified to reduce the chance of another fatigue failure, once Toyota had found that replacements were occuring. This same new part then failed again in Perth last year as it was chafing on something due to incorrect installation.

Bob

[Canaussie]

Ya warranty is great!!! But being in central qld when it's hot sucks

[BobD]

Ya warranty is great!!! But being in central qld when it's hot sucks

Yeah, when we went through on the way back to Perth from the Cape it was 40 in Richmond and 42 in Mt Isa. We decided to get a Park Home at the CP rather than sleep in our roof top tent. Luckily my starter motor failed at a shopping centre in Perth rather than outback QLD!

[Canaussie]

Yaaa that woulda be terrible. We loved our cape trip, Disco took us everywhere in style and through all the tough tracks. Maytown was awesome

[bbyer]

Hmmm not one compressor in Australia as they supposedly never fail. So now it has to be brought in special.....bummer We get the same story here - "not in stock as it never fails" - it being alternatively the generator or the starter. Re the AC compressor, it is not much of a problem here as we only need it about a month a year when the outside air temperature gets into the high twenties - that is winter for you guys. We have been hearing on the news about the high forties in Victoria state these days - not fun for anyone anytime.

I guess we are lucky that Denso did not build the air suspension compressor.