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How I fixed my 2010 Rav4 AC for $40

64K views 63 replies 17 participants last post by  shinenut  
#1 ·
My sister's AC stopped working and the dealer wanted over $1000 to replace the entire AC compressor. It turns out the AC flow sensor goes bad on these cars, not the entire pump. eBay sells aftermarket sensors for around $40. The website won't let me post the link so just google " rav4 AC flow sensor".

You don't even have to remote the old sensor. Remove the top rad support from the car, reach in and unplug the old sensor. Then, take the new sensor plug it in and I zip tie it to the AC line. The AC is now blowing cold again.

143674
 
#2 · (Edited)
What year is the RAV4?

Just to be clear. You had enough room to get the snap ring and sensor off without taking the Radiator fan out?

That would be great if you could! Did you take any pics while doing it?

BTW. Here's the link to the Flow Sensor for
Denso TSE17C Compressor

 
#3 · (Edited)
What year is the RAV4?

Just to be clear. You had enough room to get the snap ring and sensor off without taking the Radiator fan out?

That would be great if you could! Did you take any pics while doing it?
This is a 2010 rav4 with the inline 4. I had enough room to get the old sensor out after hours of work. I could not get the new one back in so I gave up and just plugged it in and the AC worked.

I didn't take any pictures which is a shame. It was not that difficult to get the rad support out. I believe it was four bolts. This is a family members car. I thought if I made an account and shared this maybe I could save someone a $1000 trip to the dealer.

I made a post about interior rattles and it got deleted. If anyone has any rattles clean and lubricate the rear hatch locks. Then place down felt under each door's window switch. For the dash rip out all of the trim and place down more felt. Most squeaks came from the gear selector plate so I sprayed silicone lube around the plastic bit that is snapped into it. The squeaks and rattles are greatly reduced now. I saw someone shim the rear hatch. I might try this later today.
 
#4 ·
Well done, Nick! Thank you for this. Does your sister's RAV4 have the auto A/C (Limited) or the manual? Someone else on the forum had this same problem, and measured the voltage on the sensor. Apparently the voltage was out of range so he changed the sensor and that fixed it.
 
#10 ·


 
#21 ·
Great Ideas guys, pity I didnt see all this before my wife blew $1000 on a new compressor.....alas we now have an aircon that still doesn't function....
So when the car is cold, starts up, air con blows cold, drive for 1/2hr, stop and do some shopping.... come back start up, aircon now blows hot.....
same thing every time... and the aircon guys are backtracking something fast about this....
any Ideas guys.... Im ok working on cars but the eyes are going... to many years welding and getin old... so give me something to try here please... Cheers
 
#22 ·
Get TECHSTREAM and check the FLOW SENSOR VOLTAGE. With AC OFF it has to be at least 3.8volts.

Techstream


 
#23 ·
My AC was not working and blowing outside air and I was able to fix my AC 2011 Rav4 LE v4 by using a piece of magnet and saved over $2000. The problem was a faulty AC flow sensor on the compressor and by adding the magnet it amplify the weak signal for the computer system to work correctly. I followed procedures provided on this link below:
I put magnetic on, it turned on the fan and AC, I had to also add some refrigerant since it was low. The AC is now working great and cold.

RX350 2010/2011 Air conditioning DTC B1479 cheap solution - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion
The solution is provided by User OjeG, scroll down and read for this easy fix. Took me 15 minutes from start to finish.
Reply #88 by user OjeG for Easy fix with Neodymium magnet
 
#24 · (Edited)
Like I said somewhere else, that magnet solution is just forcing the sensor to send a full level signal all the time. That negates the control loop for the compressor, and that will make the compressor pump high pressure all the time.

It might damage the compressor seals, and will freeze the evaporator coil, especially when run the AC in the spring/fall as dehumidifier (defroster mode when outside air temperature is low, but moist).

The correct fix is replacing that sensor. Once circular clip to remove.
I found this video, where the sensors are clear and you can see the circ clips too.:

 
#25 ·
Hello,

I am super stressed as it is really hot out and my mom's AC has been out for a while. Initially, it would work then after some usage the AC light would flash and cold air no longer would blow out. I then replaced the Mg CLT Fuse Relay (Used Denso OEM part for replacement) and that seemed to do the trick when I tested. However, the next day my family said the issue came back. It got progressively worse where now no cold air turns on and it goes to AC flashing light after 8-10 seconds of turning it on. Will this sensor solution work with a 2006 RAV4 V6 Automatic? I rather just try that and see if that fixes it.

I checked the Low pressure and it was fine. The radiator and condenser fan work. Checked other AC related fuses/relay and they are fine. The magnetic clutch spins freely, and gently tried tapping it with a rubber hammer to see if it was stick but no luck with that either.

Is there a part number for this sensor so I could order from Amazon/Rockauto? Otherwise if someone ordered from eBay recently do they have an exact link so I could order from that same trusted source. I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!
 
#26 · (Edited)
Toyota doesn't sell separately this sensor.
The 6cyl compressor is different. For the 4 cyl compressor I found this:

Fits:
TSE14C / TSE14F / TSE17C / TSB19C
Applications:
For TSE14C / TSE14F / TSE17C Compressor
2012-2017 Toyota Camry 2.5 Liter Gas Engine ONLY!
2011-2016 Toyota Sienna 3.5 Liter Engine ONLY!
2009-2012 Toyota RAV4 2.5 Liter Engine ONLY!
2011-2016 Scion tC 2.5 Liter Engine
2010-2016 Subaru Legacy 2.5 Liter / 3.6 Liter
2010-2015 Subaru Outback 2.5 Liter / 3.6 Liter
2011-2013 Toyota Corolla 1.8 Liter Engine ONLY!
2011-2014 Toyota Matrix 1.8 Liter Engine ONLY!
This new Flow Sensor is compatible with your original Denso TSE17C/TSE14C Compressor for the vehicles listed above!
 
#29 ·
I am using this version: Toyota Techstream V15.00.028 (04/2020) + Loader
The installation on Windows 7 x64 was a trip tough... I don't even remember what actually worked from those:

 
#30 · (Edited)
You just need to get any version working then you can update to a newer version over it.

The Drivers are the problem on windows 10


 
#32 ·
All,

I can't seem to see the Flow Sensor in Techstream. I've tried over 5 different drivers, and three versions of Techstream where I tried both North America and Japan region.

V13.00.022
V14.30.023
V15.10.029

Now that I am reading this thread more closely it appears that the 2006 V6 RAV4 may not even have a flow sensor. Is that correct? Below is the screen I see when I navigate to Body Electrical > Air Conditioner > Data list, no matter which Techstream or driver I use:

153337


Does that mean the V6 does not have the flow sensor? I'm wondering if I can just try the magnet trick to at least temporarily get AC to work, thoughts if magnet works with V6?

Thank You!
 
#35 · (Edited)
You can't replace a sensor with a relay ;)

In the above pic I can see what looks like a clutch solenoid connection, but also there is one more connector on the rear of the compressor that I think is the pressure sensor.
My Ford, Huyndai, Kia cars have the pressure sensors in the accumulator bottle, easy to access. Nothing in the actual compressor. Toyota is "different".

In the diagram below I see that what appears to be flow sensor is only for the 4 cyl engines (the *2):

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#40 · (Edited)
It's strange that there are no codes present... You even have techstream!
Maybe this:
 
#41 ·
I did the same thing. Got the post from Amazon for less than $40. Thanks for the fix!
I'll try to attach my photos in case it helps someone. I had to remove the radiator to get my hand in there. Also removed the bumper because I was having trouble getting the radiator out. You can see I just left the old sensor in place. The code was cleared when I rescanned. My zip tie wasn't as nicely placed as yours but I just looked for the least stressful place to put mine. If like to get to it now easily if it happens again. The clip was difficult to release and I didn't want to break it.
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