A/C not turning on - Help, please!

[rickathenrystuff]

Hi, I'm new here, but rest assured, I did search both google and this forum for an answer and didn't find anything. Any help would be appreciated.

Here is my issue:

I have a 99 solara. The blower works fine, but doesn't blow cold air when I turn the air conditioning on. It's been that way since I got it about 6 months ago. The A/C light turns on, but the a/c fan doesn't turn on under the hood. I've checked all of the fuses that I could find under the hood and all are fine. It seems to me that it would be an electrical issue since it doesn't even seem to engage, but I'm not sure.

I provided everything that seemed relevant, but let me know if I need to give more info.

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
-Rick

[SteveSolara]

did you go check to see if there is any AC fluid left in it? maybe there is a leak? The AC itself is prob not turning on.

[rickathenrystuff]

I didn't check the AC fluid - how do you do that? However, the reason I didn't check that was because the AC isn't even engaging - would low fluid stop it from engaging? It seems to me that it would still turn on, just not get cold...

Thanks!
-Rick

[SteveSolara]

I didn't check the AC fluid - how do you do that? However, the reason I didn't check that was because the AC isn't even engaging - would low fluid stop it from engaging? It seems to me that it would still turn on, just not get cold...

Thanks!
-Rick

You can bring it to a shop and they can look at your AC fluid level. Butt in this case i think your AC pump your unit is fried, you can try to manually jump it if you know how, but if it turns on manually than you have a fuse blown or shortage. But I am not entirely sure, best thing to do is bring it to a local shop, not Toyota cause they will charge you like crazy

[ACProductions]

A lot of A/C systems are built in with a low cut off switch.

Once the freon (or "AC fluid" lol) leaks out of the system there is a low disconnect switch that won't let the compressor run, otherwise it might get damaged.

Or its a relay or fuse.

Have it checked out by a shop, they'll usually check it for free.

I believe the solara is like 1.43 lbs of 134a I'll have to double check that.

[TheGreenDutch]

sounds like your A/C ran out of freon. should be like 35 -50 bucks to recharge.

[99trollaraSLE]

The solara v6 SLE takes 1.76 lbs of 134a, just an FYI. Its in the factory service manual. I did not see a distinction b/w the 4 banger. There should be brown colored relays under the hood ("fuse box"). The fan you are concerned with is Fan No. 2. Check the relay. The fan will have nothing to do with the compressor not running. You can have Ice cold air with the condenser fan (AC Fan) completely shut off. I know b/c that's how I roll. I have to disconnect the AC fan ("condenser fan") because as soon as it comes on it makes my high pressure side spike to ridiculous levels and my compressor shuts down. The result is that I don't get any cooling at idle when its hot outside and my vents just blow hot ambient air. WIth the AC fan disconnected, I get pretty cold air even in 100+ degree weather, but at idle i'm sure it doesn't get nearly as cool as it should (though its still better than many other cars so I can't complain too much).

Here's what I can tell you if you have not solved your issue by simply adding refrigerant to the system. You have to attach manifold gauges to the high pressure AND low pressure side. Its been said over and over, but many people ignore this and figure, meh... if low side is in the norm than chances are so is my high side. BIG MISTAKE. You can read alot of posts by people who did that, continued to have problems, only to find out they overcharged their system and it doesn't cool properly giving symptoms exactly like if you didn't have enough refrigerant.

From the Factory Service Manual
With the manifold gauges installed, start car and set your AC to max cool (not auto). The low side should read b/w 25-35 psi at 85 degrees F outside and 199-220 psi High Side (this is with the engine revving at 1500 - 2000 rpm. Your reading will be slightly higher if you just let it idle at the typical 750 rpms. Also, it will be slightly higher the hotter it is outside.

This diagnostic is crucial to determine whether you have refrigerant and to give you an idea of how much. You will never know by just putting the gauge that comes with the R134a kits. I can tell you this from personal experience. I had added refrigerant b/c of the issue I mentioned above. I attached the gauge and relied on the labelled PSI on the gauge to add appropriate amount of refrigerant. Turns out, the gauge didn't coincide with the Factory Service Manuals recommendation on how much refrigerant should be in there and I likely over filled it. Also, I had no idea that though my low pressure appeared to be normal according to the guage, my high side pressure was skyrocketing. This is what caused my A/C not to work, not my refrigerant levels even though it appeared I was low by attaching the low pressure gauge from the refrigerant kit. The only way I'd realize that my problem was related to the condenser fan motor (somehow, I still don't know what the issue is exactly- replacing the motor did not fix it) is by looking at the symptoms in the factory service manual and comparing my gauge readings (high and low side) to the Factory Service Manual diagnostic tips.

I tried to avoid getting the manifold gauges as I figured it was overkill for an A/C system. I wasted alot of time trying to figure out what was wrong. As soon as I got the gauges, the problem became clear. Now, I just need to figure out what about my condenser fan motor makes the high pressure spike. It only does so when the fan runs, but does not spike when the fan is off. Though my A/c works with the condenser fan disconnected (don't know how well compared to fully operational system), i'm worried that this can cause further issues as I'm sure the condenser fan also helps the engine cooling and I don't like the idea of running on half the fans. Apparently, no one on SolaraGuy has any clue why this would be occurring.

I'm not going to take it to a dealer for diagnostic because they will try to talk me into replacing the entire AC system. Also, I haven't ran into a single mechanic to whom I described my symptoms and who was able to even come close to suggesting my fan motor might be causing the high side pressure to spike. Half the mechanics I asked for advice stated it was an obstruction and wanted hourly blank check to locate it and the other half told me that my A/C blowing ambient air at idle was normal operation for a 1999 toyota solara because its an older car. In short, most mechanics don't know a damn thing about AC systems. For example, alot don't know that overcharging a system causes the exact same symptoms as undercharging. As i stated before, my A/c blows cold at idle now that the fan motor is disconnected. So, I wouldn't trust any mechanic to try doing a diagnostic on my A/c system as they will just fumble around racking up the labor charge and won't know what the issue is.

I suppose I'll just have to continue narrowing down my problem and its probably something at the relay circuits or wiring going to the fan motor (a short or touching wires). I guess my last step before giving up on reconnecting the condenser fan motor is grabbing the wiring from a junkyard camry or solara and replacing the connection.

In any event, I definitely recommend checking your pressures before using a DIY refrigerant charge. I'd bet most shops would check the levels for you at little or no charge if you don't want to pay 50 bucks for the gauges.