3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
ok a friend of mine has a 97 camry and has been having ac issue. i feel bad for her because she doesnt have a lot of money so hopefully yall can help me help her. she has been having ac issues and whats been going on is the ac blew cold then would blow hot. she took it to a auto shop who said it was the compressor well turns out its not. now he said its some thing inside the dash that is clogged. all she knows is the part is around 30 but the labor is 350. she cant remember the part name but she said it was a valve. any help would be great
is it in the dash or by the ac controls? i wish i had more info but thats all she can tell me she she is kinda upset. all i know is its inside the car in the dash and since its not working the air wont come out cold
ok after doing some research i think thats the part.how hard is it to change it out? i have never worked on a toyota but i have fix my ac in my cadillac
To pull the expansion valve is a lot of labor since I think it is under the dash close to the evaporator core. You could do the work yourself and then get the system evacuated and recharged. That would save alot of money. ie. $250 -$300 if you replace the valve yourself vs $800-$1000 if a shop does it.
If the tech suspects a blockage, then a full system flush will also probably be needed. Blockages normally don't occur unless the compressor is disintegrating or a sealant has been used in the system.
Some other things you may want to check before taking the tech's word:
1. Make sure the rad fan(s) (ie. if there are 2) are working at full speed with the A/C on. If one of them is starting to die and is either stopped or slow, you can get this symptom.
2. Does the A/C light start blinking at all when it gets warm?
To pull the expansion valve is a lot of labor since I think it is under the dash close to the evaporator core. You could do the work yourself and then get the system evacuated and recharged. That would save alot of money. ie. $250 -$300 if you replace the valve yourself vs $800-$1000 if a shop does it.
If the tech suspects a blockage, then a full system flush will also probably be needed. Blockages normally don't occur unless the compressor is disintegrating or a sealant has been used in the system.
Some other things you may want to check before taking the tech's word:
1. Make sure the rad fan(s) (ie. if there are 2) are working at full speed with the A/C on. If one of them is starting to die and is either stopped or slow, you can get this symptom.
2. Does the A/C light start blinking at all when it gets warm?
dave mc
well see thats just it i dont trust this guy too well. he first thought it was the compressor and he changed it and that wasnt the issue. now he told her he is sure its the expansion valve. so if i turn the ac on (even though the ac isnt working) both rad fans should work fine? if not that could be causing the ac to blow hot? also if the ac light blinks what can that mean? i do have an ac vacuum with the gauges that i used on my cadillacs. sorry for so many questions im just trying to fix this for her thank you for your help too
ok well if u have the equipment, then sure, you can do it all yourself. Yes, with the A/C on, the rad fans should be on at full speed constantly. I had a similar symptom with my Saturn. It would be warm when idling half the time. When moving, it would become cold again because the rad and condenser sandwich was receiving decent air from the front without the aid of the fan.
If the A/C light blinks, it means the A/C amplifier/control module detected a fault in the A/C system. The fault could be from a compressor whose clutch is slipping (ie. serpentine belt tension or just a bad compressor clutch, but that would be noisy), or the low or high pressure A/C switch has tripped which is indicating excessive pressure or insufficient pressure (ie. low freon).
Are the A/C controls auto-climate control or manual air blend type?
Why not just do the 4 60 like everyone else w/o AC (like me)
4 windows down, 60 miles an hour. Just sucks when it's raining haha.
haha i did that for a while too before but its not for me its for a friend. she has a little kid. and it gets pretty hot in houston around 100's and the humidity is bad
Quote:
Originally Posted by davemac2
ok well if u have the equipment, then sure, you can do it all yourself. Yes, with the A/C on, the rad fans should be on at full speed constantly. I had a similar symptom with my Saturn. It would be warm when idling half the time. When moving, it would become cold again because the rad and condenser sandwich was receiving decent air from the front without the aid of the fan.
If the A/C light blinks, it means the A/C amplifier/control module detected a fault in the A/C system. The fault could be from a compressor whose clutch is slipping (ie. serpentine belt tension or just a bad compressor clutch, but that would be noisy), or the low or high pressure A/C switch has tripped which is indicating excessive pressure or insufficient pressure (ie. low freon).
Are the A/C controls auto-climate control or manual air blend type?
dave mc
i was reading a few other threads on this issue and some people said they took apart the dash to get to the expansion valve. is that true? i downloaded a serivce book for this camry but it doesnt help with this issue.
i was reading a few other threads on this issue and some people said they took apart the dash to get to the expansion valve. is that true? i downloaded a serivce book for this camry but it doesnt help with this issue.
Yes I believe so. It's a lot of work, so you better be sure you have eliminated other possibilities before diving into this. besides the fan check, you will want to check the dynamic A/C pressures carefully yourself with the compressor cycling to see how it is behaving.
Have you looked at the magnetic clutch relay and tested it with similar relay?
i havnt got to look at the car yet, but i will hopefully tonight or tomorrow. im just going on what the autoshop told her. does toyota have a good OBD? does it throw codes with ac system is not working right?
Auto climate control has dial (like radio volume) to select temperature you want to maintain... and will select fan speed and mix warm/outside or A/C to adjust cabin temp.
Manual control is the dials that you select for fan speed, temp, and where the air is routed.
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