2003 Es300 Flashing A/c Light?

[CA girl]

Does the flashing A/C light designate anything in particular or do I just need a routine A/C service?

[blk_on_blk]

Some have said it means your refrigerant is too low and so the system won't kick in and it gives the flashing light. I'm not sure if it is specific to refrigerant, or if the flashing green light is just a 'dummy light' that comes on when something with the A/C system is wrong enough to trip a sensor.

We had an obstruction in our A/C system lines, and so the system wouldn't cool, but no lights flashed.

First thing I would check is how charged your A/C system is. You may simply need some refrigerant added.

[CA girl]

Some have said it means your coolant is too low and so the system won't kick in and it gives the flashing light. I'm not sure if it is specific to coolant, or if the flashing green light is just a 'dummy light' that comes on when something with the A/C system is wrong enough to trip a sensor.

We had an obstruction in our A/C system lines, and so the system wouldn't cool, but no lights flashed.

First thing I would check is how charged your A/C system is. You may simply need some refrigerant added.

[CA girl]

Thanks! :)

Some have said it means your coolant is too low and so the system won't kick in and it gives the flashing light. I'm not sure if it is specific to coolant, or if the flashing green light is just a 'dummy light' that comes on when something with the A/C system is wrong enough to trip a sensor.

We had an obstruction in our A/C system lines, and so the system wouldn't cool, but no lights flashed.

First thing I would check is how charged your A/C system is. You may simply need some refrigerant added.

[kashi125]

Check the part number on your Magnetic Clutch Relay in the fuse box under the hood. If it has part number "90987-02022" printed on the side of it, replace it with a new relay part number "90987-02028".

This is a common problem with 02-04 ES300 and a lot of Camry, 4Runners etc and there is a Technical Service Bulletin out for it.

New relay is ~$50 online or $75 from a Toyota dealer.

[blk_on_blk]

That's right... someone else had the same problem and it was the clutch relay. If I remember right, they had the same blinking light, and the clutch relay was the cuprit. Hmm, I also seem to remember hearing of the same problem/symptom and it ended up being a heavily clogged vent/AC filter located behind the glove box. So, maybe when it flashes it's just a 'hey, something is wrong' indicator. Looks like there are three things to check for.

[kashi125]

You should also run the HVAC Diagnostic Procedure which puts the system through a series of tests and displays error codes if any.

To do this, with the ignition OFF, press and hold the Auto button and the Recirc button at the same time, then turn the key to ON. All lights on the climate control display will flash a couple of times and then it will enter diagnostic mode. At the end, it should say "00" on the LCD if all is good, otherwise it will display an error code.

Note: Do this diagnostic procedure in bright sunlight, otherwise it can display a code (21 and 24 if I remember correctly) for solar sensor even if solar sensor is OK.

After this procedure and checking the relay part number you will be armed with enough knowledge to either fix the problem yourself, or at least not get ripped off if you take it to a mechanic. Good luck!

[SW03ES]

Its simply a dummy light that indicates something is wrong with the HVAC. Is it cooling okay? It'll probably come and go.

Mine was a faulty clutch relay.