A/C evaporator core, where is it located?

JJONES72

MEMBER
2004 TOYOTA AVALON
3.0L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
255,000 MILES

I was told I have a leak in my A/C coil and an estimate of $1,600. I have researched and everything I found says no repair. So, I wanted to know where it's located and if I could do a DIY. I have a problem with the actuator on the driver side that I have already taken off and manually temporarily fixed until I get new one.

5 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,702 POSTS

When you say A/C coil do you mean the evaporator or the condenser? Please check out the images below for clarification.

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Monday, May 22nd, 2023 AT 10:25 AM

JJONES72

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4 POSTS

Firestone just said I had a pin hole in the ac coil. That's all I know about it. I thought about getting a can of sealant with dye in it to see if I could see anything come out. That wouldn't fix the leak though.

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Monday, May 22nd, 2023 AT 2:24 PM

KEN L

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47,702 POSTS

Is the part in the front of the car or inside the passenger compartment?

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Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023 AT 10:35 AM

JJONES72

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4 POSTS

They said inside. Said the whole dash would have to come out to replace it. I didn't know whether they were just trying make me think it was a big job because they quoted me $1,600.00.

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Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023 AT 1:41 PM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,702 POSTS

Yes, it is a big job, you will need to drain the engine coolant and vacuum down the AC system.

This video can help:

https://youtu.be/4EqdrBVb0sY

and guide can help as well, and I have included how to do the job on your car in the images below

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-replacing-a-car-ac-evaporator

Check out the images (below). Let us know what happens and please upload pictures or videos of the problem so we can see what's going on.

Images (Click to make bigger)