Air Conditioning Not So Good

I went with the EVO. It is faster and does more for little increase in cost.

 

I did the cheaper one. It worked just fine. Waited less than a minute to open settings.

 

Thanks, I'm hoping it helps a little with the AC as well. Also have you disabled the seat belt chime with the cheaper one, the dealership refused to do it and I'm over it, it is so annoying.

 

I disabled chimes w the OBD

 

Yes, Seat belt chimes for all 5 seats are easily defeated. I also changed my instant lane change turn signal from the factory 3 flashes to 7. I changed the side mirror fold preference from locking/unlocking doors to Ignition On/Off ( I hated the mirrors folding every time I go in and out at home to get things form the cab) You can also set your Fob to roll down/up some or all of your windows on a button click ( incl sunroof if you have one ) for quick venting. It's fun to play with. Theres even more.

 

Ok, I just did this with my loaner Carista. I *think* I feel it getting colder while sitting in the driveway. I'll find out for sure on my next drive.

But, some folks are increasing the ambient temp to +2 as well. I left mine set to "normal" but want to make sure I did this correctly before I send it off to the next guy. Wouldn't this affect the ambient air temp reading displayed on the cluster?

 

I did not change the ambient temp, just the -2C calibration adjustment.

 

The ambient air gauge on the cluster does show incorrect if you change that setting also. I changed mine and I believe it maxes the cool but if you do the temp only setting to -2 it might be enough for you and your retain a more accurate cluster reading. This whole thing is obviously a fuel economy thing by toyota and probably other manufacturers too.

 

Up until recently I was pretty disappointed with the AC (still not happy with the heat but that’s another story). I can’t stand being warm and prefer the cold year around so the AC not being as cold as my 2018 Tacoma didn’t make me too happy.

I changed the temp setting to -2 and it really didn’t do much for me. Pano and all windows (mins windshield) ceramic tinted with the best stuff I could find in town. Didn’t notice a ton of difference after getting it. I use a covercraft windshield shade whenever i park as well. I was at the point where I was ready to waste some time at the dealership having them check the AC charge.

Then a few guys on here/FB recommended using the Auto setting over manual. They also mentioned to crack just one window while the AC spins up and gets to cooling to help push out the warm stagnant air in the cab. Then shut the window down.

Not sure if my AC decided to break in right at the same time as trying the above, but using Auto with recirculate on feels much much much better than using manual setting. The cab seems to cool down much faster and it’s been much warmer lately (90-100F).

I start off with LO and keep one of the back windows cracked for usually 3-5mins. After another 5mins I can usually set the temp to 70-72 and feel pretty cool. Especially if I run the vented seats. It was over 100 yesterday and I felt great in the cab.

Maybe give auto a try with a cracked window for a few mins and see what happens.

 

Yes, I found also that the AUTO setting works much much better for a fast cool down and keeping it cold. In fact once cooled down and things have reached steady state I am having to bump the set point up to 74, 75 because it gets just too cold. I am thinking I might go back in and change the -2F offset back to null to make the set point be more accurate.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/pay-it-forward-carista.144198/#post-3624789

 

So I'm not trying to throw stones but rather trying to understand the posts going on here. Is it just me or are there not many people posting in this thread that live in a desert climate setting? Does the humidity perhaps have something to do with the AC complaints you all have? I live in southern NM and it's hot here 7 months out of the year (probably more for most peeps). We had 44 consecutive 100+ degree days here last year and it's been 100+ for at least a dozen in the last month and I have ZERO complaints on the AC performance of my 3rd Gen. I know the AZ crowd is huge on these forums and don't see many of them posting in here either.

Maybe I'm just a lucky SOB and my tundy does wonders?

BTW for reference ....mine has been set on auto @ 70 since the day I drove it off the lot and never had to adjust the settings. (Summer or winter) It's either off and the windows are down or it's on auto.

 

What exactly does the -2 offset do? Can someone give an example? Trying to understand how this would impact the AC vs just setting the temp colder manually...

 

I was wondering about the -2 offset as well. Is it not the same as just lowering desired temp by -2? I personally have not had a problem with my AC I just set it at 68 instead of say 70. I always have it set to AUTO though. I also release hot air by lowering windows a little if extremely initially when I get in the car.

 

Tundra A/C working fine and keeping me cool in this absurd heat wave. This from yesterday and not just starting out but after 10 miles of driving. I can't say the same thing for my home A/C which died about 4 days ago. I have a new condenser and coil coming freight today and will install them this evening or tomorrow.

 

If you set it at 74F, the -2F offset will require the AC to operate to give you 72F.

 

I roll the windows down completely for a few seconds, or open and close a door a few times, to flush the superheated air out quickly, so my truck will cool down a lot faster.

For me, the -2 AC calibration made the AC operate more like what I was used to in my 2015 Tundra. I made the adjustment while the truck was running and the AC was on Auto set to 70 degrees. As soon as I saved the changes, the AC fan speed kicked up and the air started blowing cooler.

What I'm not clear on is the AC calibrations are in Celsius. Isn't -2 degrees Celsius equal to 28 degrees Fahrenheit? That seems like a pretty significant adjustment. What am I missing?

 

I live in AZ so mine is perpetually at the lowest possible temperature. It's been so long since I've touched it but I think below 60 is "low" or something and that's what mine stays on. Its been 115 for too many days this summer and AC does great and I'm never under covered parking.

 

Honestly I live in Florida and haven’t tinted the windows yet . I find it blows very cold , just takes a while to get going .

 

Work in absolute degrees..... 2 Fahrenheit degrees = 1.1 Celsius degrees.

 

I used the Carista to lower the -2C and added in the all windows down on long unlock.
As I’m walking to the truck after a full day in the heat (105 the other day)
I roll down all windows, hop in, start it set at 68 . After about 2 minutes (by the time I get out of the parking lot) I’m rolling up the windows and enjoying a nice cool ride home.
Getting the superheated air out with windows down works every time.
I even have to bump it up to 70 after about 5 minutes.

 

It’s -2°C. (3.6°F)

 

Thanks! So, the -2C calibration adjustment is actually a -3.6F adjustment, if my math is correct. That makes more sense.

It also explains why the adjustment makes a noticeable difference in the functionality of the cooling system.

 

Is there a CN version of Carista? Interesting.

 

I did the -2 Carista change and it helped quite a bit. I wasn’t really to upset with my AC prior but sometimes on short drives it felt that it wasn’t super cold. Highway drives for long periods of time and I’m freezing and always have to turn it up. I think what really helped alot was the ceramic tint on all glass including the windshield and sunroof. If you want to actually feel comfy in your truck ceramic tint helps alot

 

What exactly is the difference be the eco and obd? Does obd give you less options to change? Looks like Amazon ran out of evos…

fyi - Amazon ran out of evo’s yesterday or they pulled the deal. In any case you can use code SFDCARISTA on their site and get it for the prime deal price. Think they might have had the code active with the prime deal - which would have really been an amazing deal, if so they found their mistake and yanked it.

anyway….

 

I’ve only had my truck a few days, but I live in the Phoenix area and my AC works fine. Set at 70 and I am comfortable.

 

I'm with ya! I'm in Texas but just returned from a trip to Panama City FL--and humidity on the coast didn't impair the functionality of the AC. Like you, mine is on AUTO and set on 70 degrees. Wife and daughter routinely turn their side up to 72 as we roll down the highway. Copes very well with Texas heat and humidity.

 

^^This.^^
Since I've made some changes to my approach, my opinion on A/C system performance has improved dramatically.
1) Carista -2C
2) "Dump" hot air with all windows down. (Continue for a few blocks with rear window down to headrest level.)
3) Run in auto with recirculate on. Better blower performance and seemingly colder, sooner.

I end up at roughly 72-75 and life is good.

We haven't had the extreme heat in MN yet this summer (only a couple low 90's so far) that many of you have had, but we certainly get plenty of humidity.

 

Tennessee here, 95-100°

Took in for 1K oil change.

Hop in to leave and AC was on “LO”

They know.

It worked.

That’s all.