2012 Camry V6 A/C problem
Asked by Kay May 23, 2016 at 02:34 PM about the 2012 Toyota Camry SE V6
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
When I cold-start the car, the compressor takes longer and longer to come on
- yesterday it took about 15 miles to start cooling. After it comes on, I can turn
the car off and back on and the cooling works fine; it doesn't stop cooling after
the car has been running. Older Camry's had relay issues, could that be the
culprit here? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
10 Answers
migration_Lastchance... answered 8 years ago
Sounds like she may be low on refrigerant. Are there any warning lights on or flashing?
Thanks for the comments; it's not low on refrigerant and no warnings. I took it to my car guy and he said that the 2 codes that he got indicate that it is the compressor. I was hoping for an inexpensive fix like my old Camry, but this model doesn't have the easily replaceable relays. To expand on the issue in case others are having the same problem - the compressor operation appears to be tied in to the temperature of the car. In the morning when it's cool it comes on; in the afternoon after it's run long enough to cool the engine compartment it will come on (or that's my theory!). After sitting and warming up, no compressor operation until it cools back off.
migration_Lastchance... answered 8 years ago
The AC system on this vehicle has several sensors and a computer which control this AC system.. Outside air temp....Inside air temp..Refrigerant.Pressure and temp sensors are involved. Those AC CODES...are key diagnostic information about what might be broke. What were the letters and numbers associated with this system Codes?
Hi Kay....any update concerning this AC issue?
Yes, unfortunately! It turns out that Toyota had a service bulletin on the compressor/clutch assembly and mine was not replaced by the original owner. As it's been more than 3 years, the service bulletin offer had expired. Evidently, the electronics allowed the clutches to overheat, causing the symptoms that I had. It's now been replaced and I have A/C again (with compressor assembly that was ordered but not used for the TSB replacements).
Interesting. We all learned something from this issue. Thanks for the update and enjoy your AC.
I had the compressor rebuilt, and it worked about 3 months until I drove out of town and on the way back, it's up to it's old ways, going in and out, not blowing as cold as it should...coolant levels have been checked and ok, the people who rebuilt the compressor supposed to have 1 year warranty but they come up with every reason saying that shouldn't be the case. I am in Texas, it's hot!
I always worry about any automotive component that is "rebuilt". Much of that rebuilding takes place off shore. Suggest you take the vehicle to a competent/fair automotive repair facility for further diagnosis. One needs to have a AC Gauge Set(testing tool)...and....a Scan Tool in place when the issue occurs. The Gauge Set will monitor high and low side pressures in the system while the Scan Tool will indicate the electronic controls. Also ...a thorough review of Toyota Service Bulletins should be available to the tech.for this issue. We need to know if there are any codes in the system and we need to know the numerical designation of same.
I took my car to a technician to refill AC gas, when he attempted doing this the compressor failed to compress the gas. He checked and confirmed power supply to the compressor. I really cant tell what the problem is, don't know if its the type of gas I had used to refill the car AC or the compressor is faulty. Many thanks