Technical > Automotive > 04 Corolla A/C went out - Fixed with new relay

04 Corolla A/C went out - Fixed with new relay

Glad you got it diagnosed, and fixed. Good info, thanks.

reply to r81984

This is located under the engine hood on the driver side of the engine. The MG CLT Relay is the clutch relay.

This is the pinouts for the high and low pressure sensors for the ac system.

reply to r81984
I'd be surprised that a vehicle from 2004 had a "defective" relay, wouldn't you? If it had been "defective" I am sure the fault would have presented much sooner than in 8 years. I'd hardly call that a defect of any sort, but I am glad you were able to suss out and repair the fault.
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"from a broken heart to a hole in the sky"

Well toyota issued a service bulletin stating that it was defective back on 2005 so something was wrong with it.
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...brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Once again, I am glad you found a fix for the car. Relay

The link for the relay shows what the part number should be as a replacement. Just curious, was the only symptom that the air con was inoperative?

Call out from the bulletin: NOTE :Relays other than P/N 90987-02028 should not be used for this application.

The fact that the relay had failed does not indicate there was a defect after 8 years, it simply means that it had reached the end of the service life. The weakest points in the relay can be solder connections or the [worn] contacts inside, basically the mechanical portion. If there was a defect at this point, it would have been covered under warranty by Toyota, but the bulletin specifically covers that part for 3/36 from the service date. Incidentally, the bulletin nowhere states that the relay is "defective".

TSBs are sometimes misapplied by folks when repairing automobiles so this is why I am making the distinction here as a coincidence rather than anything else. Saying a relay is defective after it has been in service ostensibly for over 8 years (it may have already been replaced based on that bulletin) and thousands upon thousands of switching actions is a long stretch.
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"from a broken heart to a hole in the sky"

I did not have that flashing light symptoms.
My AC light was always solid when turned on.
The stuck relay or damaged relay would not turn on the compressor clutch.

A service bulletin is what they issue when they dont want to do a recall. They only do recalls when they are forced to or if the liability is so great it would be worth doing a recall.
That part had to had a high failure rate to get a TSB.
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...brought to you by Carl's Jr.

The failure mode as per the bulletin is a flashing A/C light and inoperative A/C.

A TSB would be issued if there is no safety related concern, also issued when the possibility exists that there would be a difficult diagnosis and/or several faults have been observed. If there is commonality with a part number, there would be an updated part number. Toyota found out what happens when recalls are not issued in a timely manner.

Most manufacturers are not "forced" to "do"recalls; they bill the part and time back to the manufacturer of the part. There is the need however to find the true cause of a fault and what a proper repair is. Since a relay for air con is not a safety concern, no recall would be issued.
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"from a broken heart to a hole in the sky"