Hello Nairalander, I your help on how to solve the problem associated with my car's air conditioning problem.

The car details is as bellow Make/model: Toyota Corolla
Year: 2008 Transmission: Automatic
Odometer: less than 32,000

The problem is that the car AC would normally cool and stopped on its own and start blowing only fan. It will pick up again after some times and this has been on for some time now. The problem is particularly worst in slow moving traffic, to the point that I have to put it off and wind down the glasses.

Another dimension to the problem is that it causes the car to do over-heating as much as the coolant gauge reaching the red zone. I took it to a AC repairer who initially said it was the sensor in the compressor and advised that I changed the sensor. I took to his advice and he changed the sensor but the problem persist.

Now he had advice that I change the compressor completely and that I should use Toyota Highlander's compressor instead. He claimed that the Highlander compressor is better. But my fear is will this have an effect on the performance of my car. Please kindly advise me. Thanks

start the car, put it in park..note ur rpm, turn on the ac..observe the rpm guage closely...tell us what you noticed and ur rpm values

Bad thermostat.

I guess it is your thermostat that needed to be changed ab-initio.... Also dont ever try putting another car's compressor onto your car! what will happen is the nuts or screws will not fit and your AC man/ panel-beater will have to "work" the new compressor into your car which will required a metal plate for the new compressor to sit and what that translate to is that you will have to change your fan belt to say the least (that is if they will get the setting /alignment of the belt right) and as you know the belt controls multitude of things in your car...in other words, your car will not function well/at all/ not to its full capacity. After sometime, that fitted metal plate will break....and the stroy goes on....not to talk of things that will happen to setting the RPM and all sorts!

ADVISE: go get a new compressor ( I prefer the manual over the automatic), MAKE SURE YOU CHANGE THE THERMOSTAT... then you are good to go
whenever a roadside artisan tells you something, always have it at the back of your mind that you have more IQ than 90% of them!

Thank you all for your responses.

@cretin, I will check that when I get back to the car park later in the evening.

@macIB

Thanks for your response but I needed more clarifications, why did you think manual compressor is better than the automatic? And when u said thermostat, which thermostat are u refering to? Is it the same as the engine thermostat?

Moreso, could this be responsible for the car doing overheating? Like I said, the coolant gauge sometimes raises to the red zone (at which point I simply put off the AC and sometimes the engine too to allow it cool). Every factory fitted accesories are still in place and I ensure my mechanic do not temper with anything in the car.

Please help.

I am not really a guru with motor caars but I have had a very long experience, although bad, with my car AC so I got to read so much about it and from constant repairing, got a lot of info on how it works as per in the car. The manual compressor is 1stly cheaper than the automatic and if you are buying a tokunbo, it would be tested right there in your presence to ascertain that it works!...make sure your AC condenser is in good working condition first and foremost before fixing a new AC compressor.
As per the thermostat, it is always located behind the glove compartment in the toyotas, just around the air filter for the AC. It regulates the coldness of the system. If the system works for a long time, it could freeze up and blocks the flow of gas within the system and it will only blow air without cooling, until it removes the freezed ice and starts blowing cold air again!....that was your initial problem... Now 2 things you need to check for the thermostat..1. make sure the fuse to it is working perfectly. if not replace it 2. if not the fuse, you may have to replace the thermostat itself which is not expensive.(1,500-3000)
I cannot say much about the coolant gauge raising, i guess others on this forum can help better, but i dont think that has anything to do with the cooling system. they are diffrent system entirely except they are connected by the fan belt which drives the water pump!
hope my epistle helps

2 pieces of advice.
1. Get a better ac tech/mechanic/service center. That guy is only experimenting with you car and will ruin it in no time. This is a modern car that should only be serviced by qualified personnel, not roadside quack. Don't worry about paying a little more.

2. Change the thermostat before the compressor. Thermostats are very cheap.

Car Ac gurus on this thread, i noticed something with my Nissan xterra. When i start the truck in the morning, the AC works fine though it wont cool too well. But when the engine gets hot it starts blowing hot air only. Also when i start the car when the engine is hot, the AC will never blow cold again, it only blows hot air.
Please help a brother in need before i begin to spend. Thanks a bunch

I don't think ur problem is your compressor. How many belts does alternator, water pump, oil pump and ac compressor use. I guess it's one. Check that belt. It may be loose and or worn out. If that is the case, buy an original one and exact size for ur car. Problem will be solved.

vitality22:
Car Ac gurus on this thread, i noticed something with my Nissan xterra. When i start the truck in the morning, the AC works fine though it wont cool too well. But when the engine gets hot it starts blowing hot air only. Also when i start the car when the engine is hot, the AC will never blow cold again, it only blows hot air.
Please help a brother in need before i begin to spend. Thanks a bunch

gas leakage. Trace it

k2wise:
Bad thermostat.

Even if na #100 u fund me bro i will appreciate.

ID: 67061

Equal2DeTask:


Even if na #100 u fund me bro i will appreciate.


ID: 67061

OBOY U FOLLOW AM REACH THIS THREAD

emmaak2:



OBOY U FOLLOW AM REACH THIS THREAD

lolz...Oya fund me na bro

vitality22:
Car Ac gurus on this thread, i noticed something with my Nissan xterra. When i start the truck in the morning, the AC works fine though it wont cool too well. But when the engine gets hot it starts blowing hot air only. Also when i start the car when the engine is hot, the AC will never blow cold again, it only blows hot air.
Please help a brother in need before i begin to spend. Thanks a bunch

diagnostics is the ideal thing before tracing the leak if at all there is any leaks. it sounds like low refrigerant in the system to me.

if you are within Abuja bring it to my workshop let me have it properly diagnosed cos any advice here can be somehow misleading, I want to say that your previous ac technician misfired, there is no such thing as sensor inside r134a compressor, have I serviced, replaced, and turn apart Toyota corolla compressor to scratch and there is no such thing as sensor inside corolla compressor,
I am in Abuja and some folks who cant afford going to Toyota franchise auto fix comes to my garage for solution.

mrcoolautofix:
if you are within Abuja bring it to my workshop let me have it properly diagnosed cos any advice here can be somehow misleading, I want to say that your previous ac technician misfired, there is no such thing as sensor inside r134a compressor, have I serviced, replaced, and turn apart Toyota corolla compressor to scratch and there is no such thing as sensor inside corolla compressor,
I am in Abuja and some folks who cant afford going to Toyota franchise auto fix comes to my garage for solution.

My 2010 Corolla AC gave up last week after ceasing and coming back on intermittently for a while. Where is your workshop In Abuja so i can bring it in for checking please?

Ystone:


My 2010 Corolla AC gave up last week after ceasing and coming back on intermittently for a while. Where is your workshop In Abuja so i can bring it in for checking please?

Dutse Alhaji call this number 08061371793 if you have not resolved the issue

Please stop trial and error methodology. Dont use different compressor. Replace with exact manufacturer's specs.

Check Mosbus on nairaland. I have engaged him on 2 different cars and there was no regrets

Ystone:


My 2010 Corolla AC gave up last week after ceasing and coming back on intermittently for a while. Where is your workshop In Abuja so i can bring it in for checking please?

Dutse Alhaji if you have not got it fixed