AC shuts off

I have 2017 Tacoma and when I turn the AC on it shuts itself off within a minute. I can turn it right back on and it will shut off again. It does blow cold air for the short period of time it is on.
Looking for any help on what could be causing the problem.

 

Could be low on refrigerant, could be several things, I'd get it to a tech and let them diagnose and repair.

 

Likely low in Ref, or compressor clutch is slipping or not connecting. There may be a fuse for it that might be worth checking. This happens when AC is turned on, the system does a self check and if it’s not seeing correct pressure it shuts off again to prevent compressor damage. Most if not all Toyota’s do this when there is an AC issue

 

I have the same problem on my 17 Sport. I ran tech stream and found a trouble code at the compressor speed sensor. I’m waiting on a new one to get here, fingers crossed it works.

 

Interesting. Definitely follow up on this!

 

Well, Success! It was a bad compressor sensor - Toyota p/n 88346-04020.

I still need to re-pressurize the system but the light stays on, I can hear the pump going, and I can definitely feel a small amount colder air blowing.

What I did:

Fair warning, getting to the sensor is a real PITA.
The sensor is located directly on top of the compressor with two 8mm bolts. The problem is, there is barely enough clearance between the compressor and alternator to even get a finger into where to bolts are. There is no way to fit a socket, even with an 8mm open ended wrench it's impossible to get to one of the two bolts.

BE SURE TO DEPRESSURIZE THE SYSTEM - The sensor fits into a pressurized area of the compressor.
BE SURE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY

To get around the whole clearance issue I decided to pull the alternator. It was not fun the first time around.
First, put a 14mm socket on the tensioner pulley to loosen the belt and use a 1/4 drill bit to hold the tensioner in place - once you rotate the pulley, you'll see a small hole on the right side where the bit goes.

Next remove the front rubber engine cover in the driver's wheel well. You'll see two bolts holding the big wiring harness in place. Remove them.

Look down at the back of the alternator - There are two harness connectors and a wire under a rubber boot. Remove the wire and unclip the connectors.

Now for the tough part - Removing the back harness bolt that connects the alternator to the engine block. First, remove the black brace bar that connects the top of the engine to the block. It creates a little more clearance in a tight work area. Look behind the compressor and remove the vertical wire bracket that has two "zip ties" on it. I for the life of me could not pop the clip loose so I ended up just cutting the ties and re-zip tied it when reassembly took place.

Next, find the bolt that holds the alternator harness bracket to the block. The bracket is "grade 8" gold color and it's what the wire holder you just removed is mounted to. The bolt is DIRECTLY under that zip-tie wire holder. You'll see another bolt lower down - it is not that one. I got my fingers under the bracket and found it that way. Remove it and take a sigh of relief.

After the rear end is free, remove the two front bolts that mount the alternator. Once they are out you can remove the alternator. The alt. fits very tight and I had to use a long punch and dead blow to knock it free of the mounts. I slid it out of the way, just enough to access the ac sensor bolts from above. There's a harness connector on the ac unit that if you haven't unclipped it yet, do it now. There is also an 8mm bolt holding the sensor wire bracket in place - remove it. There is a small wire with a rubber connector on the front of the alternator. Remove the small bracket and disconnect the wire. Now, if the ac system is depressurized, you can remove the sensor that is mounted with two 8mm bolts.

Put the new one in and reinstall everything. I found that getting the rear bracket bolt back in was much easier once I both knew where it was and had the right combo of socket extensions and adaptors.

Make sure when you get to tensioning the belt that it is routed correctly and fully seated on the pulleys.

Hopefully this helps and I didn't miss anything!

 

Good job on following up! Sounds like a lot of work. Glad u got it sorted.

 

I had this very same issue. After reading through a lot of forums and doing a ton of research I thought it was the compressor pick up sensor. After talking with the Toyota dealership they didn’t want to do anything but replace the compressor at a cost of $3100!! So I took it to my local mechanic and after they had it for 2 days they came to the same conclusion. Compressor pick up sensor part #88346-04020 was not sending a signal back to the CAN and thus killing power to compressor. Sensor sits on top of compressor and they said only way to remove sensor is to remove compressor replace sensor and then reinstall compressor. Sensor sits inside the system so either way the refrigerant needs to be evacuated. $850 later and I have cold air again. Still a kick in the nuts but a lot better than paying the dealership $3100. Hope this helps someone out there!!

 

Mine is doing the same thing what did you find out about yours

 

Must have fixed it or traded it off, as jack hasn't logged in since mid 2021