Check Air Conditioner only when hot out

[Red Beard]

A couple years ago I refreshed my Air Conditioning system, all the parts behind the glovebox, replaced the condenser, successfully pulled a vacuum, and recharged. Nice and cold air blowing consistently.

But on particular hot days or, if on a warmer day and the car sits parked after running, the "Check Air Conditioner" warning appears and the a/c button will blink on the Climate screen, and no cold air. With about 5 minutes of driving, it'll work again after pressing the button on the Climate screen. I'm assuming because things cooled down?

Is it possible I overcharged my system and when it gets hot, the charge pressure exceeds the expected pressure and the compressor won't run?

 

[Red Beard]

Hot week up here in Pennsylvania. So I’ve had this happened a bunch lately.

Something I’ve noticed is that my aftermarket condenser fan I added isn’t kicking on either.

The manual does mention something about pressures being too high where it won’t kick on, but the pressures seemed fine when I checked them with a set of manifolds. 32 psi on the low side off the top of my head.

 

[Red Beard]

Ok I found out a wire from the relay to the high pressure switch broke at the crimp. Repaired that and the fan was working again. Will see if the issue arises again.

 

[Scrappy]

Having this same issue where AC light came on - it happened the other day when temp was 95 outside and I was driving at highway speeds. As soon as I got home, I popped the hood and saw that the compressor clutch was “sticking”, meaning it would engage but then seem to get stuck. Sometimes it would stop completely, and sometimes it would fully engage. After doing some research online, apparently the high temps can cause the magnetic force in the coil to weaken. If your air gap between your clutch and coil is already a little too high, the high temps can worsen this issue and the clutch won’t engage properly. It’s possible that your ac works after driving for a couple minutes because the breeze helps cool things down after your car has been sitting in the heat. It’s possible this isn’t the same issue for you, but worth mentioning!

 

[Red Beard]

Having this same issue where AC light came on - it happened the other day when temp was 95 outside and I was driving at highway speeds. As soon as I got home, I popped the hood and saw that the compressor clutch was “sticking”, meaning it would engage but then seem to get stuck. Sometimes it would stop completely, and sometimes it would fully engage. After doing some research online, apparently the high temps can cause the magnetic force in the coil to weaken. If your air gap between your clutch and coil is already a little too high, the high temps can worsen this issue and the clutch won’t engage properly. It’s possible that your ac works after driving for a couple minutes because the breeze helps cool things down after your car has been sitting in the heat. It’s possible this isn’t the same issue for you, but worth mentioning!

Ah, this is super helpful to know! I'll look into the air gap.

I have a new radiator and fan clutch ready to go in. Was gonna see if that helps at all, not sure if that will cool the AC clutch.

 

[oakback]

I have a new radiator and fan clutch ready to go in. Was gonna see if that helps at all, not sure if that will cool the AC clutch.

I recently had my ac leak repaired at a shop. After the repair was completed they said it cooled fine except when sitting still. They said my fan clutch was bad, but not bad enough to be noticeable on engine temps (I hadn't had problems with overheating). They said the fan clutch at Toyota was backordered, so they rebuild it by draining and refilling the silicone oil. I can definitely hear the difference with the fan roar now, and the ac has been working great in the 100F days we've been having in humid Florida.

 

[Red Beard]

I recently had my ac leak repaired at a shop. After the repair was completed they said it cooled fine except when sitting still. They said my fan clutch was bad, but not bad enough to be noticeable on engine temps (I hadn't had problems with overheating). They said the fan clutch at Toyota was backordered, so they rebuild it by draining and refilling the silicone oil. I can definitely hear the difference with the fan roar now, and the ac has been working great in the 100F days we've been having in humid Florida.

Thanks for that info! Yeah I’m hoping it’s the fan clutch. I’ve known I’ve needed it since last summer after noticing some overheating on real hot days while idling. New one is sitting in the garage along with new radiator so I just gotta make some time.

 

[Red Beard]

Ok, just a quick update in case anyone else has this issue. This problem was solved by reconnecting my condenser fan. There was a wire wiggled out of its butt connector, causing the fan to not run. My model didn't come with a condenser fan, but I added it like others have done.

After I fixed that wire, the A/C works as expected and I'm not getting the Check Air Conditioner error anymore. So I guess having that wire connected to the pressure switch but not completing the circuit to fan caused the error? Not sure. But it works for now and its been pretty damn hot.

 

[Beauski100]

This just started happening to me. In the morning the A/C will freeze me out, but on the way home in the texas heat, it will only work for about 2 minutes before the A/C light blinks and blows hot air.

 

[rbrave]

I’m weighing a few things with my AC as the mid-Atlantic wet heat starts to settle in for the season.

Mine is a 98. It has a hard time keeping cold, but is okay at keeping cool at the peak of the day. Will look into adding one.

Second - I have an intermittent “booooooooonggggggg” when I’m at a light or after I turn the car off. Right behind the DS firewall. Last summer when it started I was worried it was the master cylinder, but it definitely only happens when the AC is running. Theories on what is going on here? What’s the first step in tracking this down?

 

[Red Beard]

Ok, just a quick update in case anyone else has this issue. This problem was solved by reconnecting my condenser fan. There was a wire wiggled out of its butt connector, causing the fan to not run. My model didn't come with a condenser fan, but I added it like others have done.

After I fixed that wire, the A/C works as expected and I'm not getting the Check Air Conditioner error anymore. So I guess having that wire connected to the pressure switch but not completing the circuit to fan caused the error? Not sure. But it works for now and its been pretty damn hot.

Another update on this from my end. Unfortunately, I'm still running into this issue.

Here's how it goes:
1. Hot day, above 80°F
2. Car is parked in garage, drive to work, A/C runs fine
3. I stop for gas on the way, turn off engine
4. Get back in, start up, and notice the A/C light is blinking after about 5 seconds.
5. Drive a little bit, turn off A/C and turn it back on, A/C works again.
This also sometimes happens when sitting at a light for a while.

Radiator temps are within range 189-196°F, new fan clutch and radiator are in.

So.. I'm wondering if its my (probably original 227k mile) A/C compressor? Maybe it can't handle the pressure when the air is hot? I was looking around other threads, I saw a few people mention they replace it around 250k, so maybe this one is ready to go.

What are other symptoms of failing compressor?