Help! My A/C doesnt work

[solaraluv]

Yesterday I went to turn on th A/C, everything appeard ok until I noticed the green light on the a/c control start to blink and the compressor turned ofF. So I put the a/c in the off position and then turned it back on again. It ran for about three minutes and then it shut it self off and the light began to blink again. I checked everything I could think of and the system doesnt need to be charged. Can anyone help me please?

[solaraluv]

no one can help!!??

[MCOjerry]

Well, the blinking likght does mean a fault somewhere in your AC system. Could be something small, or big. Has it rained a lot lately where you are?

[Nyyankees3511]

Ill answer that lol, it hasnt rained much lately.

[MCOjerry]

HA HA, here either. Just wondering, because sometimes water in the engine bay can do that to your AC...but should come right back on after being turned off.

[Nyyankees3511]

Thats true, i remember after hitting some puddles it would blink and then back to normal.

[Chinky420]

all the blinking indicates is that the compressor is shutting itself down to prevent further damage/complications. the specific problem is not going to be indicated by the blinking light, rather, it's only letting you know that there is a problem somewhere

i'm in the midst of getting my a/c fixed (no a/c in tx = one sweaty ride), and we started w/ checking the freon levels, which wasn't it....so next thing i did was take it to an auto a/c repair shop and had them diagnose the prob. apparently my drier and pressure switch went out, go figure.

i'd recommend taking it to a specialist, as there as many component parts to the a/c system, and no real sensor to plus into (like obd-ii for engines) to tell you exactly what the problem is

~kwan

[solaraluv]

Well, the blinking likght does mean a fault somewhere in your AC system. Could be something small, or big. Has it rained a lot lately where you are?

No it hasnt rained that much

[solaraluv]

Well just came back from the dealer they said there is a problem with the compressor and the Im not sure what the cltch is but they estimated repair cost will be about $1,150 and at this point im ready to total this crap box! I have a few other small things to fix but at this point the car is starting to burn a hole in my pocket. I really dont think there is anything wrong with the compressor but Im no tech.

[kamikazi]

well... atless your window still roll down

[solaraluv]

all the blinking indicates is that the compressor is shutting itself down to prevent further damage/complications. the specific problem is not going to be indicated by the blinking light, rather, it's only letting you know that there is a problem somewhere

i'm in the midst of getting my a/c fixed (no a/c in tx = one sweaty ride), and we started w/ checking the freon levels, which wasn't it....so next thing i did was take it to an auto a/c repair shop and had them diagnose the prob. apparently my drier and pressure switch went out, go figure.

i'd recommend taking it to a specialist, as there as many component parts to the a/c system, and no real sensor to plus into (like obd-ii for engines) to tell you exactly what the problem is





so did you have the same issue I am having?
~kwan

[Chinky420]

let me do a bit of a breakdown

as far as symptoms go, yes i had the same issues - those being that the a/c would work for a bit (and only get cold on the drivers side), then the compressor would shut itself off w/ a blinking a/c light as the result, and hot air would be blown out.

i wouldn't take the dealers word on face, as my view of stealerships is that they pick the most expensive part of the system (in this case the compressor), and imply THAT is the problem (the dealer looked at my car, and told me too that the compressor was bad....)

a bad compressor didn't make sense in MY PARTICULAR instance though, since it would get a little cold for a bit, then the compressor would shut off. i dont know your particular symptoms (or the exact details of 'em), so i can't really say if this is the case with you.

what i did was take it to an a/c shop here in town (Carlslyle Air and Auto, or whatever), and they gave me a second opinion ... saying that it was the pressure switch and the dryer.

as i said before, i'm in the midst of fixing it, which means it's not working yet....as well as i'm in the middle of replacing my brake pads and rotors, and making a custom cai. so in the meantime i'm driving a loaner from my dad

ALSO, keep in mind that my ac has been broken since last august, and i just put it off until now (because i could bear the winter w/o an a/c), and in the meantime have had multiple people's opinion's on it. most everyone, except the stealership, thinks the compressor is ok (and DONT RUN THE A/C WHILE THIS PROBLEM IS UNRESOLVED, OTHERWISE IT WILL RESULT IN A BROKEN COMPRESSOR).

the best suggestion i can make to you right now is to get a second opinion. go to the yellowpages and check autoshops that specialize in airconditioning, and ask how much they know about toyota camry/solara's. when you find a reputable shop, drop your ride off to get an estimate, and they should be able to diagnose the problem more adequately than the stealership could. oh yeah, and make sure the a/c technicians/mechanics are ASE certified to work on passenger cars.

the dealership would have taken about a grand off me if i just went with their explanation of "compressors's bad" .... the parts that i was recommended to get by the carlslyle shop totalled to just under a hundred dollars, plus the labor (the price quoted w/ labor was a little less than 400). so i bought the parts and am having my house-call mechanic replace.

i trust the word of the auto-air shop over the stealership because knowing and fixing the problem is the bread and butter for those guys, while stealerships really try to nickle and dime you to death, and try to pull fast ones on you (if you're not cautious).

good luck with ya'll and hopefully it wont cost you an arm and a leg
~kwan

[MCOjerry]

Do you have AAMCO by you? They are advertising free AC checks here in FL. Maybe they are doing the same thing near you.

[WTF??]

Just bring the car into a shop... the AC needs servicing

[solaraluv]

let me do a bit of a breakdown

as far as symptoms go, yes i had the same issues - those being that the a/c would work for a bit (and only get cold on the drivers side), then the compressor would shut itself off w/ a blinking a/c light as the result, and hot air would be blown out.

i wouldn't take the dealers word on face, as my view of stealerships is that they pick the most expensive part of the system (in this case the compressor), and imply THAT is the problem (the dealer looked at my car, and told me too that the compressor was bad....)

a bad compressor didn't make sense in MY PARTICULAR instance though, since it would get a little cold for a bit, then the compressor would shut off. i dont know your particular symptoms (or the exact details of 'em), so i can't really say if this is the case with you.

what i did was take it to an a/c shop here in town (Carlslyle Air and Auto, or whatever), and they gave me a second opinion ... saying that it was the pressure switch and the dryer.

as i said before, i'm in the midst of fixing it, which means it's not working yet....as well as i'm in the middle of replacing my brake pads and rotors, and making a custom cai. so in the meantime i'm driving a loaner from my dad

ALSO, keep in mind that my ac has been broken since last august, and i just put it off until now (because i could bear the winter w/o an a/c), and in the meantime have had multiple people's opinion's on it. most everyone, except the stealership, thinks the compressor is ok (and DONT RUN THE A/C WHILE THIS PROBLEM IS UNRESOLVED, OTHERWISE IT WILL RESULT IN A BROKEN COMPRESSOR).

the best suggestion i can make to you right now is to get a second opinion. go to the yellowpages and check autoshops that specialize in airconditioning, and ask how much they know about toyota camry/solara's. when you find a reputable shop, drop your ride off to get an estimate, and they should be able to diagnose the problem more adequately than the stealership could. oh yeah, and make sure the a/c technicians/mechanics are ASE certified to work on passenger cars.

the dealership would have taken about a grand off me if i just went with their explanation of "compressors's bad" .... the parts that i was recommended to get by the carlslyle shop totalled to just under a hundred dollars, plus the labor (the price quoted w/ labor was a little less than 400). so i bought the parts and am having my house-call mechanic replace.

i trust the word of the auto-air shop over the stealership because knowing and fixing the problem is the bread and butter for those guys, while stealerships really try to nickle and dime you to death, and try to pull fast ones on you (if you're not cautious).

good luck with ya'll and hopefully it wont cost you an arm and a leg
~kwan

Thanks for the info. my problem is just about the same as yours. I know there system still has coolant because I checked and also the tech checked as well but I do remeber them telling me that once the compressor started to run and hot it would shut itsself down causing the blinking green a/c light. Would any body know what they meant by getting hot?