Help on Gen 5 A/C Flashing Light

[RICO8458]

Hello brothers:

my gen 5 air conditioner dashboard botton light is flashing/blinking, and the A/C is only blowing out warm air now.

Question: does this mean i have to replace the so called freon? or replace it?

or is my entire unit trashed?

[ToyotaToday]

Originally Posted by RICO8458

Hello brothers:

my gen 5 air conditioner dashboard botton light is flashing/blinking, and the A/C is only blowing out warm air now.

Question: does this mean i have to replace the so called freon? or replace it?

or is my entire unit trashed?

Well. It's not really possible to answer that question without know what is broken. It may be the A/C clutch, it may be the A/C relay switch, it may be the compressor, it may be low on freon.
Not possible to answer your question without all the details.

[njerald]

Relay, if you had searched......................

[RICO8458]

copy that. from what i observe thus far:

when i put on the air conditioner, the A/C botton green light on the button just starts flashing and blinking.

warm air comes out of the vents.

no choice but take to the shop for diagnosis and prognosis and surgery. lol.

[CharmCityES]

same thing happened to my ES300 and it turned out to be an a/c magnetic clutch relay ($45 at the dealer, took 2 mins to replace)
its a common issue with the ES/avalon/camry/solara....i think theres a TSB for it

[RICO8458]

Thanks Captain, that is what i will do. buy the MG CLT Relay.

[JSM1284]

ELECTRICAL
EL011-05

Title:
A/C LIGHT FLASHING - MAGNETIC
CLUTCH RELAY

Models:
'01 - '04 Camry, ECHO, & Celica
'02 - '04 4Runner, Corolla, & MR2 Spyder
'03 - '04 Highlander, Matrix, Sienna, & Solara

June 3, 2005

Introduction

This bulletin is to provide information regarding countermeasures to the A/C magnetic clutch relay for A/C light flashing (inoperative A/C) issues on some vehicles equipped with a magnetic clutch compressor.

Applicable Vehicles

^ 2001 - 2004 model year Camry, ECHO, and Celica vehicles.

^ 2002 - 2004 model year 4Runner, Corolla, and MR2 Spyder vehicles.

^ 2003 - 2004 model year Highlander, Matrix, Sienna, and Solara vehicles.





Parts Information

Inspection Procedure

1. Locate the A/C magnetic clutch relay.

2. Verify the part number printed on the side of the relay.

A. If the part number is 90987-02022, please replace the relay with the countermeasured relay P/N 90987-02028.

B. If the part number does not match 90987-02022, then please diagnose problems by referring to the Technical Information System (TIS): applicable model year and vehicle Repair Manual: Air Conditioning: Troubleshooting.


NOTE :Relays other than P/N 90987-02028 should not be used for this application.





Warranty Information

Applicable Warranty*:

This repair is covered under the Toyota Comprehensive Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle's in-service date.

* Warranty application is limited to correction of a problem based upon a customer's specific complaint.

[RICO8458]

That Is Excellent. Thanks So Much. Appreciate It Greatly. What If My Car Is A 2005? Which It Is. I Think This Problem Can Still Relate To My 2005 Model Because My Light Is Flashing And Blinking Too.

[JSM1284]

Swap the relay with a known good one to verify

[aka paco]

Just wanted to update this thread with my Flashing AC light problem, since it seems to be a fairly common issue, 2003 Camry SE around 130k my AC light started flashing and of course AC wasn't working, looked around on the forums and found out it's commonly the "AC Clutch" relay, you can get a newer replacement from the dealer for like $50, but i also found you can go to most any parts store, tell them you need the AC clutch relay, and they should have a relay for about $15.

I got the 15 dollar relay, works great, AC working again yay ready for summer


the way i veryified it was my relay, i took out the relay and replaced it with one from my DRL's, when i did that my AC worked great, I think the amp rating or something might be different on the DRL relay so i just used it to test, and then picked up the 15 ac clutch relay from the parts store..

so basically save yourself some cash and get the parts store relay unless you want to spend 50 or 60 bucks to have the oem relay.

[Joel930]

Darn I did this repair at the dealer and they said it was something a little more pricey.

Cost me around $250. I hope the dealer did not get me, I really do.
I forget what part it was but they claimed that it was like a compressor or something like that. I will double check.

BTW-how do you change a relay or better yet know which one is which?

[aka paco]

Originally Posted by Joel930

Darn I did this repair at the dealer and they said it was something a little more pricey.

Cost me around $250. I hope the dealer did not get me, I really do.
I forget what part it was but they claimed that it was like a compressor or something like that. I will double check.

BTW-how do you change a relay or better yet know which one is which?

it's in the fuse box in your engine bay, pop the lid off and use the underside of the lid to find the AC clutch relay, i think it said "AC MC" on my 03 4cyl SE it was the first big relay on the right side nearest to you. It was a white relay made by "Denso"

i went to advance auto parts, "O'reileys" had it as well, asked for the AC clutch relay, both places had a matching part for $15 bucks

the one from advance was black and looked like this



right when i walked out the parts store i popped my hood, put the new relay in and enjoyed cold AC on the drive back home.

[Joel930]

WOW! That is really neat.

It sounds like everyone who has the blinking AC light problem has resolved it by changing the relay.

Is this the resolution 99% of the time or from time to time can it be something a little more complicated?

[aka paco]

Originally Posted by Joel930

WOW! That is really neat.

It sounds like everyone who has the blinking AC light problem has resolved it by changing the relay.

Is this the resolution 99% of the time or from time to time can it be something a little more complicated?

From what i've read searching around these forums and other camry forums, the original oem relay commonly fails and is the problem, some people say the flashing AC light can be a clogged cabin filter, or maybe another AC related issue.

the way i tested it, is i took out one of my DRL relay's that fit in the AC spot, my AC worked after doing that, i've read it isn't a good idea to keep the drl relay there though, might have different amp rating or something..

Just thought i'd update this thread since warm weather is starting to get here, and folks might have this issue..

[deerslayer65]

I have a 2002 Camry 4cyl LE which had the A/C flashing light. The dealer replaced the relay with a new part number, he said they didnt make the older part anymore (right around 155K on the car). He said the newer part is heavier duty.

However, when the A/C is on and the engine is idling it really shakes the whole engine pretty bad. I dont know if anyone else has had this same issue. I think its odd a replacement part would put that noticeable a strain on the engine. Has anyone else run into this issue?