Walt in Asheville Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Okay here is the story: Last year I took my SC400 to the local Toyota / Lexus specialist in our region. They have a good local reputation and I have used them in the past. I had no cooling going on. The mech tells me we need freon recharge. He advises me that I should convert to the new freon type by changing fittings. I agree to doing this. KEEP IN MIND that this car has had NO AC problems prior to this for 13 years and 90 thous miles. So I pick up the car and AC is cold. About two days later, the AC goes out. I call the shop and they tell me to stop by. In the next hour or so AC starts working again and is good for the rest of the summer. This year. I go to turn on AC and nothing. Compressor is not engaging at all. I do my homework here and figure out how to get AC Diag codes. I get the following codes: Error Code 21 - Inside Temp Sensor Fault Error Code 23 - Abnormal Refrigerant Pressure My question is: 1. Would the error Code 21 stop the compressor from engaging 2. Is there a chance the shop screwed up my AC last year In addition, before I cleared the old error codes out, I got an error 43 as well. Not sure what that is but it was left over. And is not coming up now. Did the shop screw up something electrical maybe?? Im supposed to meet the owner of the shop on Monday and I would like to have some more insight. I MAY take this to the dealer after this experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Maybe it's the second code keeping the compressor from running to protect itself. When they changed your refrigerant to the newer type, did they change the seals and hoses that needed changing?? If not, you could just be losing your freon over time. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Also, if they did not change the dryer, some of the old oil may have been left in the system. When this happens it mixes with the new oil. These oils are not compatible and will form a corrosive agent. One should always replace the dryer when doing these changes is what I was told by a mechanic. Also, your o rings could be drying out causing the refrigerant to escape. They may have put a stop leak agent into the system to patch the hole, but I don't believe that its a permanent fix. Also, R134 operates at a higher head pressure than r12 does. If your system wasn't designed for r134 then this could be the cause of the problem as its harder on the compressor and other components. It also doesn't have the cooling capacity of r12. Hope that helps a little. By the way, there's always some reason that a car gets low on freon. It had to escape from somewhere originally, so when they merely recharged the system, they didn't fix the cause. They only fixed the symptom. The only way to fix this permenantly is to find out where its leaking out using a leak detector (a chemical that is put into the system then a light shown onto to find the leak. . .just one method). They should be able to do this if they are a good shop. A lot of times it is the seals in the compressor. It can leak out from the compressor itself in other words. My personal opinion is that I would start looking there. Worst case is that it is in the evaporator (inside the dash) which may take some man hours to get to. You would be looking at some money to fix that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt in Asheville Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Well what has me concerned is that they changed out fittings to do the refrigerant conversion. And something did not get tightened correctly. So now I am out the refrigerant that they put in last year. And what REALLY has me bugged is now I have a system that is needing recharge EVERY DAMNED YEAR. 13 years prior, never a recharge. I because the original owner did everything with the dealership. I have checked the records. This is screwed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I think you need to find the leak. It could be as simple as a leaky o-ring or valve seat on the new connections. At least then you could get it fixed and not have to worry about recharging every year. Plus, if you don't find the leak and just keep putting in freon, you may also be losing oil. Once you lose enough oil then you will damage your compressor and really be looking at a big repair bill. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt in Asheville Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Are the dealerships any more conscientious???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I think as with any repair shop, it depends on the dealer. You should specifically ask this group about the dealer near you. Lexus of Dayton is fantastic. I have never had such good experiences both in purchasing and servicing my cars. But, that would be a bit of a drive for you. As a comparison, I have been to about 10 different Lexus dealers around the country while on business travel. I like to look at the condition of their used vehicles and the prices they put on them. I have yet to find a dealer that compares to mine in Dayton. I have heard some bad stories about some dealers, but you should ask around. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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