Add some air to the system.

 

Appreciate your suggestion.
This will not help- flow sensor is not directly exposed to Freon.
It is outside the sealed system.
I know an external magnet will trip it so I am guessing there is a magnet in the compressor which moves when the freon flows and it does the same.

 

Would a magnet dis-lodge it?
Heat gun to get the compressor to expand around it or can of freon sprayed on the switch so it contracts.

 

I am leery about applying heat and damaging something.
I will try the magnet.
I may see if I can wedge a thin screw driver under it. Not easy to get at when it is in the car. Did remove the coolant expansion tank to provide better access. May have to remove the cooling fan assembly next weekend if i can not get it out.

Tomorrow I am going to pull the guards off under the engine to see if I can see it better.

See link below

Amazon.com: Dorman 926-818 Air Conditioning Compressor Flow Sensor Compatible with Select Lexus / Scion / Toyota Models (OE FIX), Black : Automotive

Buy Dorman 926-818 Air Conditioning Compressor Flow Sensor Compatible with Select Lexus / Scion / Toyota Models (OE FIX), Black: Ambient Air Temperature - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

At this point just drive a screw into the sensor and pull it out like a nail with a cats paw or claw hammer. You know how thick the sensor is so you can wrap the screw in tape to mark depth so you don't go through it. A self tapping sheet metal screw should do the trick. I wouldn't worry about a heat gun, the compressor is attached to an engine that runs at 200 degrees for hours on end and has a lot of mass to shed heat away from the work area. You might try soaking it with some cleaner like simple-green, it could be impacted with mud/silt/salt binding it in place and those are water soluble not oil soluble, so soak in simple green, flush with strong water, and try again.

 

I was able to remove the switch. This is a 4 cylinder, not sure if a 6 cylinder would have the compressor in the same place and orientation.

Remove the lower panel under the compressor.
If you put your head in front of the front RH tire and look at the compressor from the side under the car you will see an angle which you can wedge a long flat blade screw driver between the switch and the compressor.

Working from this position put a long screw driver about 14" long just above one of the brackets (bumper?) and with a metal hammer tap the end with the screw driver wedging it between the round body of the switch and the compressor. I broke off the connector section of the switch so this is how I had to remove it. Helps to have someone with you to guide the screw driver from above.

Waiting for a good pair of snap ring pliers to put it back in. New switch slides in with no problem. Will put grease around it to reduce corrosion.

Thank you for your suggestions. This one was really stuck in place.

 

It is now fixed. I hope this will help someone.

Reasembly was working from the top of the engine. The Dorman part would not sit all the way into the pocket. It may be because the pocket had rounded edges at the bottom and the part had a square edge. I filed a ~.03" radius on the edges of the Dorman part and it slid about .03" further into the pocket so I could engage the snap ring.

Do not squeeze the snap ring tighter than you have to or you will distort it and will not lock into the groove. I squeezed the snap ring so the ears touched each other which caused it to fall out after inserting. I had to spread the ears slightly which expanded the ring so it would lock into the groove.

I tied a piece of thin polyester sewing thread around one of the ears and a washer on the other end of the thread so when the ring sprung out of the pliers it would not go far. Helped a lot.

The alternative plan was to coat the top of the sensor and pocket after installation with silicone Permatex to hold it in the pocket if the ring did not work.

If you loose the ring I believe it is the McMaster part number below. This is not included with the kit.

Snap ring pliers- used .045" diameter tips which come bent at 45degree angle. Had to bend the tips slightly to squeeze the ring more. Most kits do not come with 045" tips.

 

Thanks for your post! I broke my sensor also and having a hard time getting the rest off. I will try from underneath like you suggested.

 

If the 4 cylinder, remove the snap ring from above first. Then work from underneath.
I believe a 6 cylinder is a lot harder to access the switch.

 

2016 Camry LE (4 Cylinder) (75,000 Miles)

Just had this same exact issue.

Sensor snapped while trying to remove it.

I removed (upper radiator hose / cold air intake / radiator fan / coolant expansion tank) to get more working room. Used a heat gun and various picking tools / screw drivers to ultimately get it out. It was a real pain.

Ultimately fixed my issue - AC compressor not working.

Hope another approach can further help the next guy with this issue.

Videos that helped me diagnose the initial problem leading to this sensor:

 

Had the same issue taking mine off too. I just hit it with a flat head and hammer an broke it all apart. In the process of putting on the new one my snap ring popped off my pliers and I can not find it. does anyone know what size it is and maybe where to get a replacement?

 

From post above

 

Anyone know the part number for the plug for the flow sensor? The RAV4 I'm repairing was in an accident and the both the sensor and the plug were damaged. Update: It looks like this is the camshaft position sensor uses the same plug, so one can likely order one of those for roughly $7.00 to $12.00 (plus shipping) from various e-bay sellers.

 

could you please share the link @C.MJ

 

Sure @aresham Here is one of numerous examples from eBay, and here’s an example from partsgeek.com

 

Can anyone tell me the order of the wires? I broke them off at the plug and have no idea which order they go on in the back of the plug. Mine has light blue, light green, and purple.

 

I have a 2013 Highlander V6. AC compressor comes on intermittently for awhile now. Put a 5/16” neodymium magnet on AC flow sensor and AC works now. I ordered the Dorman flow sensor.

My question is, if I can’t successfully get the old sensor out and have to zip tie the new sensor onto an AC line, is this a long term solution? Or does the new sensor need to be put into same spot as the old one?
Thanks

 

You can get it off. Just break it up till it all comes out. Then wire brush the surface to clean.

 

Thanks for the response!

 

Needs to be put back where it came from..
If you loose the retaining ring, apply RTV engine sealant under it to hold in place.

 

Thank you for the response! Haven’t done the swap yet but curious about the snap ring. Earlier in the thread I think I saw a reference to a McMaster 98455A117 snap ring. Is that still a good reference?

 

How do you remove one that is really stuck?

 

You may need to break it in pieces.
4 cylinder use a screw divee from inside passenger wheel well and hit with a hammer.
6 cyl more difficult to get at.

 

Does anyone know if the Dorman replacement sensor is a true replacement that functions the same as the original OEM part, or is the Dorman part just a "bypass" that is effectively the same as leaving a magnet permanently attached? The reason I ask is the guy in the video below shows that after replacing with the Dorman part and monitoring the sensor voltage level with a scan tool, the voltage seems to remain steady at 4.3V regardless of whether the AC system is running. When I use a scan tool to watch the sensor voltage level on my 2016 Camry with the OEM part (before replacement) the voltage starts off at 3.8V with the AC system off, then when AC is turned on it drops down then fluctuates between 2.5-3.8 while the system is running. It goes back to 3.8V when AC is turned off. I'm wondering if the Dorman part is just sending a "fixed" value to make the computer happy and not actually monitoring the flow rate like the OEM part does?

If this is indeed the case (i.e., Dorman doesn't send accurate data), are there any long-term consequences for the compressor or other components (e.g., if the compressor is running "harder" than it really needs to, could this cause excessive wear / shorter life, etc.)? It probably doesn't matter since the alternative is replacing the entire compressor anyway, but just wondering if anyone who has done this fix has had any issues later (months/years) down the road with compressor failure or any other negative consequences.

 

Not sure how it operates but your only choice if you want to buy the switch only is Dorman or another aftermarket part.
Toyota does not sell this part unless you want to buy it already installed in the compressor.
Buy an aftermarket compressor and you may end up with an aftermarket switch as well.

No problems since I put mine in 2 years ago.