Avelon AC intermittent

[nomtchairs]

the AC in my 98' avalon works intermittently. Some days it will work perfect and then it will just trip out and the outside temp gauge stops working as well (but there is a few seconds before the outside temp display goes out) . It will usually start working again the next time I start the car.
In searching the internet this seems to be a common problem but I have found no solutions posted. Can anyone here give me any ideas? Thanks