AC Switch related Issues?

[Captain Obvious]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and writing on behalf of my wifes 2004 4 Runner. Recently her AC has stopped working and we took it to a trusted mechanic friend and he says it seems to him like it's in the panel where the switch is somewhere. He said he added coolant, tested all of the mechanics of the AC and everything seems to be working with the ac all the way to the dash. Which leads to believe that its in the control switch. From what he was gathering it's like $1000+ to purchase this control panel because it's all one piece or something. I told him to just leave it be and I would come get the vehicle and research a bit before taking that step. So my question I guess is....Are there any known issues with the switch or electronics around the ac switch that I should be aware of? I'm going to do some searching to gain some knowledge thru the forums. Figured I would just go ahead and post the question as well. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[COn4mer]

I don't know if it's your switch or not, but before you spend $1000 on a new one, check and see if you can find a used one. I had to replace my control panel for a different reason, and I purchased the whole panel which includes all three controls and the information display, for $100 on eBay. It's simple to replace, you can find information here and videos on Youtube. If you get a used one and it turns out that wasn't the problem, you can turn around and re-sell it for what you paid.

 

[Maughinbaugh]

No mention of a flashing light on the dash but I had to deal with that. Relay issue under the hood. If you have fogs you can switch the failed relay with that one. See this tread http://www.toyota-4runner.org/problems-warranty-issues/17634-c-light-flashing.html