2015 Toyota Tacoma AC Issues

Hey everyone,

I've been having some issues with my truck's AC for a good 3 years now, and I'm finally done with all the hassle. I want to get it fixed. Originally the AC would only work sometimes, and I would kick around below the glovebox and it would start working again miraculously. It turned out there was a wiring issue, and it started to burn so I replaced all the wiring and blower motor resistor. This fixed my AC problems, that the AC now ran reliably, but when it started again, the air blew out of the vents much weaker than it used to. I would still hear the AC blowing hard as I raised the AC from low to high, and the air coming out of the vents would increase accordingly, but it was very weak. Now, blowing on high is about the same as blowing one step above low. And again, I'm having issues; the AC only works on high after I had the dealership look into it.

They suggested that it was likely an issue with the evaporator core, a part that costs about $100. And they were going to charge me $1,900 to get it all fixed, which is quite ridiculous to me. I know it's because there's a lot of labor involved. So I want to fix it myself, and I hope some of you who've had similar experiences can guide me to getting my AC back to the way it should be, blowing strong and working reliably. I really appreciate any knowledge, advice, or related experiences with problems like mine. All the best!

 

So are you saying your blower only works on high and no other speeds or it just doesn't blow much air?

Have you checked the connectors on the motor, resistor, and on the back of the control panel? All 3 have problems with losing connection and melting.

What about your cabin air filter?

 

Is the air coming out of the vents cold? Regardless of how the blower is running/acting, if the air coming out of the vents is cold, it's unlikely that it's the evaporator. Is the pipe under the hood going to the firewall/evaporator cold or frosty? The wiring or resister could be heading south again or it could be the blower on it's way out. When they start to fail, they can run slower than the setting, run intermittently or erratically. (slow down and speed up on their own)

 

Hey Williston! The air is cold and adjusts to different temperature settings normally. I don't see any cold or frosty piping under the hood.

 

Dm93, yes blower only works on high. I don't see any burning in the wiring for the blower motor resistor, but I'm thinking I'll still need to replace it because of this issue. It sounds like the blower motor is working hard, but the air is weak. I have not checked behind the control panel either, I'm not sure how to access it or what I should be looking for.

 

What about your cabin air filter, what's it look like?

 

Cabin air filter not too clean. I also discovered some issues with the blower motor resistor wiring, the dealership messed around with it. I just ordered replacement parts for the blower motor resistor, blower motor, cabin air filter, and wiring. They're coming in tomorrow and Thursday, so I'll see what happens. I hope the new blower motor fixes the weak air problems. It sounds like the system works really hard, so I'm not sure if there's clogging somewhere.

 

Also make sure the blower is turning the right way, there should be an arrow on the blower wheel indicating the direction it should rotate.

 

Ok: That's good. Forget about the pipes under the hood. I'm not an a/c tech and I don't play one on T.V. but I have had an evaporator failure in a vehicle I owned. When it happened, the result was warm air from all the vents because the evap developed a pin-hole leak. Something is going on with the air delivery system: either another resister pack failure, the wiring and connector, or the blower itself. Since it works fine on high, I'd suspect the resister pack and connector is the culprit. My own s.o.p. after learning about this problem here is to avoid running the blower on 1 whenever possible: it generates the most heat.

"edit": (Catching up)

I don't think you need a new blower motor either. Leave it on the counter and replace the resister pack and connector first. You can't usually return electrical parts.

I think you need to find another dealer.

 

I also discovered that my truck leaks a little water under the cab. I've seen a trick with a straw that drains all the water from a pipe that runs under the passenger side glovebox. I'm gona try to do all I can, I just want normal AC lol

 

That's likely just water draining from the evaporator case drain hose. It's normal. It's also a good sign and indicator that your evaporator is nice and cold and
doing its job.

 

Do you have a part number for the wiring assembly for the blower motor ? Mine was having the same issues but narrowed it down to just a poor connection with those wires

 

Howdy everyone,

Sorry for the long absence, I've finally found my solution! The initial problem was bad wiring/electrical issues (the pigtail wires burned out at the pin connector due to a bad blower motor resistor). So, the way to solve this was to purchase a new wire connector to the blower motor, and a new blower motor resistor with its respective wiring assembly.

* Here's a YouTube video for how to replace the blower motor resistor as above: How to Replace Blower Motor Resistor 05-15 Toyota Tacoma - YouTube​

Now, the reason for the weak air blowing was that for the wire assembly connecting to the blower motor (two wires) I installed them in reverse! Thus, the blower motor itself ran well but spun in reverse, resulting in a weaker air flow. By uncoupling the wire connections and recoupling with the correct pairs, the blower motor spin direction was reversed, and my airflow is back to normal!

* Here's another YouTube video for the repair referenced in the paragraph above: 2014 Toyota Tacoma weak airflow from the air vents - YouTube​

The parts for replacement can be found below:

Blower motor resistor:

$19 Dorman 973-582 HVAC Blower Motor Resistor Kit Compatible with Select Toyota Models

Amazon.com: Dorman 973-582 HVAC Blower Motor Resistor Kit Compatible with Select Toyota Models : Automotive
Blower motor connector:

$10 12 Gauge Blower Motor Connector Harness for Toyota Tacoma 2005-2016 Replace 82998-12380 90980-10916, 6"es 12 Gauge Wire Harness

Amazon.com: 12 Gauge Blower Motor Connector Harness for Toyota Tacoma 2005-2016 Replace 82998-12380 90980-10916, 6 Inches 12 Gauge Wire Harness : Automotive​

They're not OEM parts, but they work fine for me and cost much less.

I couldn't find the OEM part numbers for these, but calling in the Toyota dealership service department would be helpful. Just ask for the resistor pigtail wiring assembly and the connector wire to the blower motor.

Thanks all for all the input!