I'd replace the relay first as it's cheap and DIY.

 

Try your horn relay in the ac relay slot, magnetic clutch, and see if the compressor turns on right away.

 

Ok I will try the relay thing. But the serpentine belt just broke right now , so I have to get that replaced first. I will let you know about it ASAP. I can only pray that the problem will be this small.

 

Usually an A/C system that turns on slow or turns on and off is low on refrigerant.

The magnetic coil for the clutch on these 03-08 models does seem to have issues requiring replacement, but I've only seen it at higher mileage, so I'd guess even though the vehicle has 25K on the odometer, it may have spent a lot of time at idle with the A/C on.

The good news is you can replace the magnetic coil and the entire clutch for not a lot of money. It's fairly simple and can be done prior to installing the new belt. The main issue is access - a lot of techs would want to do the replacement by evacuating the entire A/C system, then taking out the compressor. The easy way is to get at the front of the compressor through the passenger side wheelwell, and with the right tools, you can pop the pulley/clutch/coil off and the new one on. You may point this out to your A/C tech and/or see what he wants to just replace the coil/clutch without removing the compressor.

He may only want to do it his way though, but whatever way it gets done, I would say that replacing the magnetic coil and clutch does seem like the fix for a common A/C compressor not engaging issue on the 03-08's.

As for the serpentine belt, be sure to get a quality brand such as Bando or Gates. Cheap belts don't last as long, and aren't worth the initial cost savings, especially for something so critical to vehicle operation.

 

My A/C clutch coil burned out on my 2004 Corolla at about 180K. It would work when the engine was not completely hot, but would shut off after being at normal operating temperature for about 10 minutes. If I parked the car and left the hood open, it would stay on and never have a problem. Close the hood and 10 minutes later it would quit. Determined the heat would short it out and make it not work until cooled off a bit. Whole new Denso compressors are less than $200, so I just replaced the whole thing. 331K miles now on the car with that Denso replacement compressor, so it's gone about 151K miles so far and still working. I'm in Texas, by the way, so A/C is used a lot.

 

Simply amazing. How in the world did you find a 2003 Corolla with only 25K miles? That is driving only 1,785 miles/year, 149 miles/month, or 5 miles/day. Did you check the carfax to see it was salvaged, had a new engine put in, or odometer could've been reset? Just out of curiosity, how much did you pay for this?
Anyway, more power to you.

For your reference, I have a 2003 Corolla with 214K miles. Interior and exterior has dings, scratches, and wear signs everywhere, but this darn car has been incredibly reliable.

Everything is pretty much original, except for maintenance items like tires, brakes, filters, PCV, belts, battery, etc. I'm in Houston and due to the high temperature and humidity, AC is used essentially anytime the car is driven. I still have original AC Compressor, and AC blow arctic cold air within few minutes, but I do have to charge little more freon nearly every year. I think I have a small slow leak, but it's cheap enough to recharge (by myself) for few bucks each time.

Your worn belt could've definitely effected compressor. Since it's broken, I would definitely change that first and test the AC fro few days before doing anything else.

 

Hi, I live in India and bought the car for 150k INR which roughly equals to 2300 USD. As far as this price is concerned it's quite a good deal as most of the Corollas which I saw were priced above 180k INR and were in a lot worse condition.
The odometer is not rolled back, I got it checked at Toyota A.S.S. The engine is original , checked it thoroughly. The engine is in very good condition with amazing pickup and no leaks anywhere. I even drove that car at 85 mph and felt as safe as I do in my 2012 Honda.

 

I am sorry for replying so late. Due to some unavoidable work I had to leave my place but now I am back at my home and all set to get the compressor fixed. I am going to take into account everything that has been posted here, AC relay, compressor clutch etc. I will keep you guys updated. Thank you very much for helping me out.

 

UPDATE: I took it to an auto electrician and he thoroughly checked the AC and the cooling system. He also did all the diagnostic and finally concluded that there is some problem with the ECM. The compressor as well as the radiator fan which should run simultaneously are not getting current when required. I have left the vehicle at his place and I am hoping for the best.

 

UPDATE: Electrician confirmed that thermostat (cooling sensor) has gone kaput and is sending corrupt data to the cooling system. Because of that compressor was not engaging as it should. I haven't yet got cooling sensor replaced because of time constraints, instead the guy bypassed the cooling sensor and AC is chilling as it should.