Working on my 2013 A/C

First let me say hello to all you guys. Well I finally had my first problem with my 2013 Tacoma. My A/C went out a few days ago with the flashing light on my A/C button. While looking for info I came across this forum and signed up so I could download a wiring diagram that one of the other members had uploaded. It is a great help/necessity and I have just about nailed the problem down to a bad clutch coil. All I need to do is check the harness plug connections between the relay and coil to be sure.

I found complete A/C clutch kits on Ebay really cheap at about a tenth of the dealer cost and that sounds too good to be true/reliable. Have any of you had experience with any of those?

Thanks in advance and for all the great info this forum provides.

 

OldLiftMech - you might want to provide a URL pointer to the ebay replacement so folks here will know exactly which one you are talking about.

 

Here is an example of one I found on Ebay. It looks right but I'm not sure of the quality.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-A-C-Co...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

Can you say how you determined this? Coil has no electrical continuity?

 

This is what I have done and I do not take responsibility for what anyone else does based on my experience. Although I am an experienced mechanic and electrical troubleshooter this is my first time working on my Tacoma so there is still a learning curve.

Please look at the diagram before reading. Here is the wiring diagram I downloaded.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2013-tacoma-electrical-wire-diagrams.278185/

Pages 331 and 332 show the coil wire from the relay to the coil. It is the thick Purple wire marked V.

First I just tried a new relay without any real troubleshooting since that is the most common remedy, but that obviously didn't work. Next I tried engaging the coil directly by removing the relay, turning the key on and jumping the wires directly with a jumper wire. (NOTE the Diagram: There are two that energize the relay and two that are "Switched" by the relay. It is the "Switched"(relay plugs 3 and 5) wires that I jumped. IF you jump the "energizing"(relay plugs 1 and 2) wires then you will create a short and blow your fuse, or worse.!!) OK. Since the coil did not engage then I checked for proper voltage with my volt/ohm meter. With the key on you should read twelve volts across the two "Switched"(3 and 5) wires. Basically you are reading the twelve volts positive on the feed side(5) and you are picking up the negative on side (3) through the clutch coil winding and to ground.

WELL... I read voltage which would mean there is a complete circuit but I know dam well there isn't because the coil did not engage when I jumped directly. So I got out my test light and connected it to battery negative and probed for positive voltage at the plug connection 5 with the key on and it lit up nicely. So I know I'm getting my positive feed to the relay plug(5). Then I connected to battery positive and probed for negative at plug connection 3. NOTHING! No light.

This indicates a bad connection or a bad winding in the coil. Many times a volt meter will read a complete circuit on a static reading but when you try to pull a load it will just drop out and that is what is happening here.

So it could be a bad connection in the wire(broken) or plug that is barely touching and cannot carry a load. But most likely a bad winding in the clutch coil itself. I have not done anything else since this post because I have been busy elsewhere but my next obvious step is to disconnect the clutch coil wire and jump it directly. If it works then there is a wiring problem. If it doesn't work then it is obviously the coil is bad. If I had suspected the clutch coil from the start then I would have done this in the first place.


Ok. One other observation. When I pushed the A/C button it would come on for a few seconds and then start flashing. When I removed the relay and tested across plug 1 and 2 with my volt meter, when I push the A/C button and the meter would show voltage until the button started flashing, then the meter would drop off. This was to be expected. I thought I would mention it as well since it was part of my troubleshooting.


I appreciate any questions, comments or corrections.
Thanks

 

FWIW, i bought this exact one about this time last year. It lasted maybe 6 months or so of light winter use. Admittedly it could be a coincidence tho. I did not diagnose the compressor itself to check if it was on its way out or otherwise already a mess before doing this. $45 was worth the attempt and learning opportunity, vs. ~$100 for diagnosis and ~$1200 for a new oem rig. Mechanic confirmed it was the compressor that was bad when i finally took it in not that long ago. I've read you can also try a stethoscope to listen for grinding, but never tried that. I'd at least have someone check the compressor itself first, if you haven't already, and if you are concerned with potentially wasting time.

The overall install is pretty straightforward (instructions included with part are decent), but getting the old one off was a huge PITA and took a lot of patience over a couple days of DIY driveway tinkering.

 

Yep. Stuff like this can drive a person insane.

 

Thanks for the info Krist.

 

The clutch kit I referenced arrived this morning. There were no instructions but it wasn't hard to figure out. Also I tested it to make sure the new coil worked before I started the work. I also bought the clutch tool for holding it while I removed and then tightened the center bolt.
I didn't have the proper set of snap ring pliers but getting the old ones off wasn't too hard. Trying to get the new ones back on was practically impossible though so ended up modifying a pair that I had and they worked well. The picture in the link shows the proper connector but the one that I got had a flat connector on a long wire instead of the proper round connector on a short wire. I just cut the wire off the old clutch coil and crimped a flat female on the cut end to make a jumper then tie wrapped the excess wire out of the way. The wires exit the new coil differently than the factory coil so they had to be worked and bent so they wouldn't rub but I think I got the clearance needed ok.

Cranked it up and it blows nice cold air. All I have to do now is see how long it lasts. Overall I think that the $43.45 price with free shipping is worth it. Now that I know what to expect I think I could do the job in an hour easily.

After six years this is the first repair I've had to make on my Tacoma. So far I am all smiles.