96 Camry AC problem

[low00ranger]

I posted here a couple of weeks ago about my wife's Camry giving off some sort of burning smell from the AC compressor or alternator area after we drove it for a while. Well a couple of days ago, her car got to where we could run it with the A/C blowing freezing cold for a few minutes, but then the air would get hot and the AC light would start flashing. We could let the car sit for a while and the AC would work fine the next time we drove it, but for only 3-4 minutes. Now whenever we turn that AC on, the engine jumps up and stays about 400 RPM higher until we cut the AC off, and it always blows hot with the AC light flashing. I know the flashing light indicates just a general problem with the A/C, but do any of these other symptoms suggest something more specific?

[hooRAH]

Because the AC was running and you state that the AC got VERY cold, my diagnosis is that you over-pressurized the high side line. This may have burned out the compressor, but I can't say for sure. The idle jumping 400 rpm higher is normal, as the ECU is compensating for the extra drag on the compressor (which isn't there, but the ECU expects it to be).

If you have a clog in the system, the high side pressure can rise extremely quickly and possibly blow a hose apart. The higher the pressure differential between the high and low pressure side, the more efficient the air conditioning will be, so the fact that your AC was very cold supports this diagnosis.
Unless you have a set of pressure gauges, you will probably have to take this to a shop for diagnosis of your clog. I will tell you this though - be careful about mentioning a burning smell. A good mechanic will diagnose the problem on his own, a bad one will jump immediately insist you need a new compressor. You may still need a new compressor, but certain buzzwords will make people jump to conclusions. Find why the pressure goes too high.

[low00ranger]

Actually, I think I saw a leak from one of the lines running into the compressor back before we started having this problem. I didn't check it out much then, and haven't had time to look at it since this problem came up. I will look at it tonite to see if it actually is some type of fluid leakage and will get some pics also.