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AC problems/diagnostic help - 2007 Toyota Corolla S


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bonzovt
New User

Jul 12, 2011, 10:10 AM

Post #1 of 4 (15624 views)
post icon AC problems/diagnostic help - 2007 Toyota Corolla S Sign In

I've been having AC issues for a few weeks and already tried some things, but still can't get to the root of the issue. Doesn't help much that it will be 102 degrees today! Maybe someone has an idea??

Out of nowhere, AC stopped working one day. It was just blowing warm air and the compressor clutch was never engaging when I turned on AC. Tried getting a recharge but of course it didn't work. They told me I needed a new compressor. I brought the car to some friends to diag the issue and they made a quick cable and hooked it from the car battery directly to the compressor and AC starting blowing cold air! They said it was electrical, probably my relay. I went and got a new relay the next day and put it in myself, turned on the AC and the compressor clutch would start turning, then stop, over and over again. My friends said it had something to do with the pressure at that point.

I brought it back to the shop and had them look and possibly recharge to normal levels. They said it was a bad pressure sensor. I got one from the Toyota dealer and had the shop put it in. Then they recharged and gave me the car back saying I had AC, but the compressor was still bad. They said the pressure levels were off and it was because the compressor wasn't working properly even though I had AC. They said it could work for 5 days or 5 months but would eventually give out.

Took the car back to my friends to look at pressure levels and they were definitely off. A buddy who does AC took the car and flushed the system and filled it up with 134a and made sure it had the correct pressure levels. After then it worked GREAT for about a week and a half. Went on an 8hr road trip 4th of July weekend and worked the whole way up and driving around the city. The car sat for a couple days and then on the way home, no AC! Could never get the clutch to kick on. Somehow, after 4hrs on the road I was running the defogger pretty high and noticed it was getting cold. Turned on AC and it worked for about 20 min, then went away. I could "trick" it on like this the rest of the way home, but since then I just have no AC at all.

I'm still wondering if this just means I should replace the compressor. We just seem unsure, because when we get the clutch to actually kick in, the AC works great. Could it just be that since the compressor clutch is flaky, then the compressor really is the culprit? I bought a newer Corolla to avoid having random car issues like this, but I guess it is unavoidable! Is it still possible there is some smaller part going bad? Any ideas/thoughts would be much appreciated!!


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 12, 2011, 11:09 AM

Post #2 of 4 (15611 views)
Re: AC problems/diagnostic help - 2007 Toyota Corolla S Sign In

The only thing I can tell you for sure is that if you keep listening to your friends and following their instructions, you will be replacing a compressor and probably a few things along with it.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



bonzovt
New User

Jul 12, 2011, 11:57 AM

Post #3 of 4 (15606 views)
Re: AC problems/diagnostic help - 2007 Toyota Corolla S Sign In

That wasn't very helpful at all. I'm looking for some insight on what I should try to focus on. Most "average" car owners like myself don't trust your typical mechanic and have had bad experiences with them in the past. At least with my friends I know they are trying and looking out for my best interests, not how much $$ they can rake out of me. Why did the initial shop just tell me to replace the compressor, without doing any diag to find out that other parts were bad? I asked this and they just said, we would have had to replace those parts as well once we put the new compressor in, which would have been another $300 on top of the $1k+ to do the compressor.

Anyone else out there who can actually post something worth my time?


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 12, 2011, 1:27 PM

Post #4 of 4 (15601 views)
Re: AC problems/diagnostic help - 2007 Toyota Corolla S Sign In

A/C is not a DIY job. Unfortunately, everyone seems to think it's simple and they readily give advice that can both hurt you seriously, and damage the system severely. It takes years of experience to recognize issues with a physical inspection and yes, once the system is opened, there are other components that have to be replaced at the same time. As`long as you eep messing with it, your problems are only going to get worse.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.







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