AC is bipolar...

Hello all, I have a 2005 access cab 4cyl 5spd prerunner. I have noticed for the past week that my Tacoma is having issues with the AC turning on after the initial start. I can hear the clutch on the compressor begin to engage but nothing blowing out of the vents. I then turn off the truck, and on again, after a 1min drive the ac turns on and works just like it used to. Any thoughts?

 

this is a very common problem. usually it's the contact between the pins on the resistor. Do a search for "AC Resistor" or "AC won't work" and you'll find lots of threads on it with detailed pictures, etc.

Sometimes you can clean/bend the contacts enough to make it work again (for a while) but eventually, it will come back. It's a design flaw in that the pins diameter is not robust enough to not bend when lots of heat is applied. The resistor gets very hot, bends the thin metal pin...then you get no contact.

Also, sometimes it's the blower, but it seems the resistor is usually the culprit. Hope that helps.

 

I tried a search but there was a ton of threads and didn't come across one yet that mentioned this, but I wasn't searching "AC Resistor" as key words. Hope it is as easy as a couple of pins that need to be adjusted. Thanks

 

Here's one with some pictures of the resistor. You can see the problem with it.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-builds/107093-before-you-replace-blower-resistor.html

 

I've wondered if there was a work-a-round for the pins being too thin/bending.

Could you somehow bypass the connector? Put some sort of crimp/connector on the pins, with a small lead going to the actual wires that come into the plug (and maybe solder them in place)?

Usually on longer trips is when the problem rears its head on my truck. I guess because on shorter trips the pin doesn't get hot enough to bend, but with pro-longed heat, it's just too much.

Anyone have any thoughts to a more permanent fix?