A/C out... NOT relay! Help please.

Huskey4Runner

Huskey4Runner

New member
I've spent a lot of time searching on this forum to find the culprit to my A/C problem and can't find anything. I have already replaced the faulty relay (b/c the owner before didn't take care of it while the TSB warranty took care of it) but the A/C still blows cold air for about 3 minutes then it cuts off. The magnetic clutch just disengages itself. The fan is blowing, but not cold air. Any ideas as to what's wrong? Thanks for anyone who can help.
 
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Huskey4Runner said:
I've spent a lot of time searching on this forum to find the culprit to my A/C problem and can't find anything. I have already replaced the faulty relay (b/c the owner before didn't take care of it while the TSB warranty took care of it) but the A/C still blows cold air for about 3 minutes then it cuts off. The magnetic clutch just disengages itself. The fan is blowing, but not cold air. Any ideas as to what's wrong? Thanks for anyone who can help.
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You may be low on refrigerant. Look for a tube in front of the radiator. There is a valve and a sight glass in this tube(looks like a clear round glass). Start the engine and turn on the A/C, look closely at the glass. If you see bubbles going by you are low on refrigerant.
 
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Huskey4Runner said:
Thought about that too, but no bubbles. Any other thoughts...? Thanks for your help.
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Other than the possibility that the inside temperature that was set has been reached and the A/C is simply cycling normally that's all I've got. Take it to a good A/C shop or the dealer. By the way you never mentioned what year 4Runner you have.
 
Sorry about that... I've got a 2003 SR5 V8 4X4. I've got an appointment to see my mechanic tomorrow morning. Just would like to know what I might be up against if at all possible. Thanks drmorbius for your input.
 
Huskey4Runner said:
Sorry about that... I've got a 2003 SR5 V8 4X4. I've got an appointment to see my mechanic tomorrow morning. Just would like to know what I might be up against if at all possible. Thanks drmorbius for your input.
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Best of luck and please let us know what fixes it so we can all learn.
 
Huskey4Runner said:
I've spent a lot of time searching on this forum to find the culprit to my A/C problem and can't find anything. I have already replaced the faulty relay (b/c the owner before didn't take care of it while the TSB warranty took care of it) but the A/C still blows cold air for about 3 minutes then it cuts off. The magnetic clutch just disengages itself. The fan is blowing, but not cold air. Any ideas as to what's wrong? Thanks for anyone who can help.
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You mention a previous owner so how long have you had the T4R? Is this a new to you concern and when did you change the relay? The reason I ask is because the only 2 things I can think of have already been mentioned. Does it cut off completely or does it still cycle? Try it out by setting the temp a little higher or lower and see if it cycles on and off. Also, new components can fail in a short time if you got a dud new relay. You can test this by checking the relay with a meter or after pulling the relay, jumpering the circuit "on" temporarily for more than the three minutes to rule it in or out as the cause.
 
Re: Re: A/C out... NOT relay! Help please.

Kmvreter said:
You mention a previous owner so how long have you had the T4R? Is this a new to you concern and when did you change the relay? The reason I ask is because the only 2 things I can think of have already been mentioned. Does it cut off completely or does it still cycle? Try it out by setting the temp a little higher or lower and see if it cycles on and off. Also, new components can fail in a short time if you got a dud new relay. You can test this by checking the relay with a meter or after pulling the relay, jumpering the circuit "on" temporarily for more than the three minutes to rule it in or out as the cause.
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:iagree: One last thought, there is a small grill under the key which samples the air temperature. While working on another project I disconnected the hose behind this grill and found it to be packed with dust bunnies. After vacuuming this out my A/C began cycling at the proper temperatures again.
 
Yeah, that's my main concern, that it doesn't seem to be any of these other common things. Picked up the 4Runner about a month ago. Sold my '06 TSX for it. The 4R had high mileage (90k) but needed to lower monthly payments so the wife and I could get into a better house. And 90k didn't seem like a lot for a Toyota. So, all yacking aside,... I may have replaced the relay for no purpose. Most of the people here who have had that problem (as well as Camry owners) have had a blinking A/C light. I don't have that. It just blows freezing cold, then gets warm (just the fan blowing in outside air). Mechanic mentioned stuff about pressure and switches. He's been my trustworthy mechanic since I've been down in SoCal so I trust him. Any other thoughts you guys may have would be great. This forum is freakin' amazing. Love it. Blessings.

P.S. Is the faulty relay switch problem always accompanied by a blinking A/C light?
 
Oh, and I thought about that "thermostat" thing down by the ignition switch. I had pulled it out to run the constant 12v power mod and to custom install my Jawbone charger through the center console into the little storage bay adjacent to the shifter... So I got down there and vacuumed it out with a dust devil. Still experiencing the problem, but again thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Huskey4Runner said:
Yeah, that's my main concern, that it doesn't seem to be any of these other common things. Picked up the 4Runner about a month ago. Sold my '06 TSX for it. The 4R had high mileage (90k) but needed to lower monthly payments so the wife and I could get into a better house. And 90k didn't seem like a lot for a Toyota. So, all yacking aside,... I may have replaced the relay for no purpose. Most of the people here who have had that problem (as well as Camry owners) have had a blinking A/C light. I don't have that. It just blows freezing cold, then gets warm (just the fan blowing in outside air). Mechanic mentioned stuff about pressure and switches. He's been my trustworthy mechanic since I've been down in SoCal so I trust him. Any other thoughts you guys may have would be great. This forum is freakin' amazing. Love it. Blessings.

P.S. Is the faulty relay switch problem always accompanied by a blinking A/C light?
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The faulty relay always accompanies the blinking light.
 
So the 4Runner has been at the mechanic all day and they still can't diagnose the problem. This sucks! Any other ideas as what might be the culprit? Replaced the relay with new one, and still ice cold for a few minutes, then just fan and no cold air. Blah...!!!
 
Huskey4Runner said:
So the 4Runner has been at the mechanic all day and they still can't diagnose the problem. This sucks! Any other ideas as what might be the culprit? Replaced the relay with new one, and still ice cold for a few minutes, then just fan and no cold air. Blah...!!!
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Pull out the A/C control section in the middle of the dash and check that all ribbon connectors are tight and that the ribbon ends are clean. I cleaned mine with alcohol. These connections are very important.
 
QUESTION? Hold your breath, this may be a long one...

I recently did the 12v constant power mod. Worked great. Only problem being an auxiliary 3-port 12v 'module' that the previous owner installed (put under dash) did not have constant power after the mod. Only the stock ones did. The previous owner just ran a ground wire from the 'module' and the wire that gave it power and stuck it into an empty spot on the interior fuse box (located below and left of steering wheel). I merely moved it over to another empty fuse and vuala, constant power. The mechanic just called and said he's still trying to figure it out but even with the NEW relay, it seemed to be running hot. ANY WAY my little mod is causing it to run hot and thus causing the Magnetic Clutch to disengage?

Thanks for bearing with me guys. Y'all rock!
 
Huskey4Runner said:
QUESTION? Hold your breath, this may be a long one...

I recently did the 12v constant power mod. Worked great. Only problem being an auxiliary 3-port 12v 'module' that the previous owner installed (put under dash) did not have constant power after the mod. Only the stock ones did. The previous owner just ran a ground wire from the 'module' and the wire that gave it power and stuck it into an empty spot on the interior fuse box (located below and left of steering wheel). I merely moved it over to another empty fuse and vuala, constant power. The mechanic just called and said he's still trying to figure it out but even with the NEW relay, it seemed to be running hot. ANY WAY my little mod is causing it to run hot and thus causing the Magnetic Clutch to disengage?

Thanks for bearing with me guys. Y'all rock!
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Why wonder, it should be easy to pull the 2 wires and check it out.
 
THE LATEST... Mechanic said that my 4R is overheating. I guess since this issue first came up Wednesday night and I didn't drive it yesterday I may not have noticed. I went and checked at Bob's Automotive and lo and behold, the 4R is overheating. They're replacing the thermostat. Mechanic is saying that when the car overheats as much as it is, the computer shuts off A/C.

What do you guys think...?
 
Huskey4Runner said:
THE LATEST... Mechanic said that my 4R is overheating. I guess since this issue first came up Wednesday night and I didn't drive it yesterday I may not have noticed. I went and checked at Bob's Automotive and lo and behold, the 4R is overheating. They're replacing the thermostat. Mechanic is saying that when the car overheats as much as it is, the computer shuts off A/C.

What do you guys think...?
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Finally something that makes sense!
 
hey, was this matter ever resolved? I too have an 03 SR5 V8 and the problem just started a few days ago. Already replaced the relay a few months ago, and today the dealer evacuated the system and found that I wasn't low on coolent. After sitting around for 3 hours, I left to get things done. But, before I go back would appreciate some input.

thanks in advance.
 
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