Toyota Avalon Climate Control Questions

avalon123

Anyone have info. on how to change the air conditioning filter located behind the glove compartment? thanks

hello52

According to the Avalon Repair Manual, you remove the five screws holding the glove compartment in place (be aware of any wire connections); Remove the filter cover, pull out the filter, and replace with a new one, then reassemble.

deluxcar

I have been looking over my paper work involving the two times I changed the AC filter.
The first time was on October 3, 2000; parts $39.92, labor $68.00 and $2.00 tax for a total of $109.92

The second time was on August 1, 2002; parts $52.43, labor $15.00 and $2.72 tax for a total of $70.05.

Why the big difference in material (part) cost? The service manager did not have a good answer, but after I insisted that installation should be no more than 10 minutes (advice from a poster two years ago) he agreed to charge $15.00.

The big benefit for me this time was the mysterious disappearance of the rattle in the glove compartment area. The car was initially rattle-free but after changing the AC filter the first time an annoying rattle suddenly appeared. Although I had suspected that was the problem the technician thought otherwise. So please ask your service technician to be extra careful in installing the AC filter.

And avalon123 for $15.00 I would rather have the dealer do the install rather than suffer through a rattling cacophony.

yuedwardh

Any Avalon owners out there has similar whining noise from the AC compressor ? It happens when the weather is HOT; around 90 F with air condition on Auto. When I turnoff the air condition, the noise stop.However it seems even with the noise, I still have cooling. The noise is most annoying around slow speed (10-30 mph).

gaylecv

I have the same noise with my 2000 Avalon. I have 33000 miles on the vehicle. I have not taken it to the dealer for this problem. What has your dealer told you? The only other complaint I have is a wind noise from the drver's door.

yuedwardh

I have 16000 miles. I took the car to the dealer on Friday but the temperature is only 78F on that day and the whining sound is so faint that the dealer ask me to bring it back on a hot day.
Other than the compressor noise, my car is very quiet.

judytomt

We also have a 2000 Avalon with the compressor whining noise (35000 miles). Our dealer installed a new compressor which did not help. The last time we had service they "adjusted the hoses" which only helped the problem for a very short time. Anybody have any suggestions.

perryd

I have a 2002 Avalon with 6,400 miles on it. Just recently we have a musty smell coming from the vents. I'm sure this is not normal. Any suggestions why this is happening ?

norm1936

To those owners who posted messages about "Compressor Whine" on their 2000 Avalons:
Have you considered checking the Alternator on your cars ? I had a similar problem with my 2000 XLS, and it turned out to be a defective Alternator! When they finally agreed to replace it, the noise disappeared. Since the Alternator and A/C are so closely linked, maybe that is your problem. Good Luck.

yuedwardh

norm1936, Thanks for your suggestion. Can you elaborate what kind of alternator defect ? Were there other symptoms in addition to the compressor noise ? I will take my car to the dealer tomorrow because the temperature is going to hit 90F again.

norm1936

To yuedwardh:

The dealer first balked at changing the alternator. So I logged on tothe Toyota website and wrote an inquiry about the noise. Sure enough, I got a call from the dealer in 4 days, saying that they will change the alternator without charge. All the repair manifest said was that it was "a defective alternator" but did not specify the nature of the defect. You should try the same method in getting Toyota's attention. Good luck.

dp42

Thanks Yuedwardh, I could have written your post - exact same description as mine. 2000 Avalon AC whines even louder at hotter outside temps and slower acceleration! I wonder if Toyota is not aware of problem but just not telling. I am going to ask about alternator like norm1936. Sick of hearing this whine.

jagoode

99 Avalon with 50,000 miles

1. Heavy Mold Smell in AC ducts
2. AM/FM Preset Buttons on Radio just falling off from normal use

I have had the "Evaporator" cleaned and serviced-$100. This initially removed some smell, only it came back after 2 days of AC use in muggy San Diego weather. I bought the car with the smell a year ago, never really used the AC and thought it would dry-out and dissipate over time. Now I am getting sick, physically. Any ideas on extent of problem or if work done was a farce? Does the entire duct system need to be cleaned and is this something covered in typical warranty? A year ago they just told me to use Ozium spray in the ducts. A few months ago I was told to always use "Recirculate". Then I was told I needed to have the Evap cleaned. WTF?

Radio... come-on. You mean to tell me that a 4 year old car's stock radio button are going to break and fall out of sockets when you touch them?

Other that Suspension problems, Small cosmetic flaws, and rotting stench making me very ill. I like the car. The pick-up is great. The roominess, they reliability. Maybe I was meant for a Buick?

ghtec

Just bought a 98 with 77K miles and everything was working fine when I test-drove it. Well, sure enough, after just 3 weeks, the climate control system won't work at all for several days, then returns to normal again for a while(can only be TSB AC00599). Called local Toyota dealer to get a price to fix it and got stonewalled. They said each car is different and would have to be diagnosed.(at $70/hr). Can't the dealer take my word (and research) at face value and do the fix? Should I try another dealer? Help!

mcclearyfl

TSB's run the gamut from a TSB that almost amounts to a recall to TSB's that address very specific technical issues based on feedback from service departments. A TSB might be issued to clarify how to change a bulb -- this does not mean that the bulb is faulty in that model. Unless you have access to services that print out the contents of a TSB, an owner can be misled by the title.

farriz

Recently a month back when I switched on the AC there wasn't enough cool air. Hence I took it to an independent mechanic who said that he will charge it with gas added with dye hence we will know where the leak is from. A month later again there wasn't enough cooling and the mechanic looked at it and showed me that the gas is leaking from the AC Condenser and hence it needs to be replaced. The Toyota condenser costs $450.00 and generic brand costs $234.00.Total cost including labor for generic is $415.00 I have 79000 miles on this car. Did any one of you had this problem. I do not think this will be covered by warranty since I do not have extended warranty.

afblum

I purchased my 2003 XLS four months ago and everything works great except that I have to set the climate control temperature to 80 F before I feel any heat flow. I only really get hot air when I set it to HOT. Every car I have owned before (including my '99 Avalon XLS) would provide heat in cold weather at a 75 or lower setting. The dealer service manager claims that there is no way of adjusting the climate control and that this is normal. Has anyone else had this experience and is there any way of correcting this problem?

skyhawk5

On my 2002 Avalon, I have to set the temperature on the automatic climate control at 25 degrees Celsius for comfort... the setting should be 20 degrees Celsius! When I asked the local Toyota dealer to re-calibrate the system, he replied that it is set at the factory and cannot be re-calibrated! Therefore, it looks like we are stuck with having to use high temperature settings for optimal comfort. It's not a big deal - just a mild annoyance!

kicker9

My 03 XLS climate control works as afblum and skyhawk5 does, I just find a comfortable temperature and set it to that # , what the actual temperature reading is, is really immaterial to me. I do like the fact that the system keeps a constant temp. level.

mcescher1

My new 2003 Avalon is fine except that I cannot seem to get the temperature regulated properly and end up constantly fiddling with the controls. It either produces heating or cooling and never seems to settle down. I always have the two sides tied together so the problem has nothing to do with the separate controls for driver and passenger. Anyone else with a similar problem? Any suggestions? Thanks.

danbeth

The heater in my in-laws 1998 Avalon does not vary in intensity when you try and change the 4 way blower speed control. It sustains the same amount of air whether it is set at a low or high setting. I checked the under the dash fuse and it is OK. There is no check engine light coming on. I know there is a relay under the hood but I could not tell which one it is. I checked inder the glove compartment and removed the plastic shield. The only thing I found was a small amount of oil on the shield under the blowerfan motor. Also there was some oil on the wires above this shield. I do not think it is the heater core because there was no anti-freeze present. I suspect the motor could be going bad, but why would heat still be coming out the duct even at a very low rate. This is an automatic climate control system. Any help would be appreciated. thanks danbeth

danbeth

abfisch, I do not believe the oil is from an engine leak. As I mentioned before, there is a relay in the engine fuse box. I am not sure how to trouble-shoot this one. I would rather not start replacing parts at random. I am not ready to take it to the dealer yet. It has to be blower motor, relay, or the control switch, but which one or ones? Thanks.

nomad56

db-This can be a relay, or the control panel. 1)I am assuming you are pressing the four different fan speed buttons????? 2)Press "AUTO" and bring the temp all the way up(the car MUST be warmed up!!!), or ALL the way down. The system should kick into the HI speed after a couple seconds. If NOT, this is leading us to relays. To troubleshoot it yourself, remove the A/C control panel and "jump" the connectors to test the 4 speed settings. Each is its own circuit and set of relays. You should know a little about the plug/pin config before doing this. Assuming you do, "Jump" the following positions, per '96 model svc manual, and speeds: A1 with A15=LO: A1 with A13=Med 1: A1 with A12=Med 2: A1 with A9=HI. If each yields the correct speed, it IS probably the control panel. Let me know if any Q's -nomad56-

danbeth

Nomad56, Sounds Like a reasonable process. I will give it a go and let you know what happens. One other question, did you notice my earlier post concerning the oil residue immediately under the blower motor which was collecting on the plastic panel cover. What do you think is responsible for this oil? It is a very small quantity but it also was on the wire harness. How much of the dash do you remove to remove the A/C control panel? Thanks very much nomad56 for your assistance. Danbeth

nomad56

db-A/C control panel is easy. Pull the trim around the stereo-one piece. Then you'll be able to remove the screws that hold it in place. It has two large plugs that connect all of the controls. These plugs house the pins that you will "jump". The oil??? IF you clean it up and look back a few days later, is there more??? If what you are seeing has collected over 5 years, I suspect it is simply run-off from the blower assembly's moving parts that were lubricated when assembled, NOT a leak. -nomad56-

danbeth

Hi nomad56, Where in the engine compartment is the blower motor relay located? How do you identify it, by part number or can you describe it? I checked the two fuse boxes on the drivers side of the engine compartment. I could not see the difference between the other relays. How is it marked? The control panel checked out OK. thanks. danbeth

nomad56

db-There are several relays. Engine compartment has TWO. The Fan #2(5 pins) and #3(4 pins) relays. My Toyo/Lexus buddy said the "Fan #3" relay is the most likely candidate. These are in a strip with an empty position and one other relay. Located close to the front left strut tower.

There are several more, but start here. I am not sure I could come up with all of 'em without my svc manual???? I'll be home after Thanksgiving, if you you need more specific info. -nomad56-

danbeth

nomad56, Can you check your service manual and see if you can locate the blower motor linear controller. This part replaces the blower resistor on automatic climate control systems. See if it can be tested and replaced by a diys. I contacted Pat Goss(Motorweek) and he suggested this part as a source of the problem. Thanks Dan

danbeth

Hi nomad56, Thanks for the followup. I found an interesting link after you mentioned the A/C amplifier in your last post. Check this link: www.e-toolbox.com/ads/index.cfm and follow the year 1998, make Toyota and model Avalon. Go to technical service bulletin and Heater A/C system improvement. you will have to download the TSB. It talks about the TSB dated Nov.5 1999 and the title Auto A/C system improvement for a 1998 Avalon. It outlines the A/C amplifier, Servo motor, and Servo-link/damper replacement. It also shows a brief repair page. Do you have more detail in your service manual to replace these parts. If so, maybe you can send them to me by fax or mail. I would really like to solve this problem if you know what I mean. Take a look and give me your opinion since all the other options have checked out Ok. thanks Dan

nomad56

danbeth-I will look at my Svc man. and let ya' know if there's anything useful. ...give me a day or so to check it out(busy sched). -nomad56-

nomad56

db-sorry for the delay, been real busy. YES! the svc manual outlines procedures for the items in this svc "bulletin". 1) The A/C amplifier:Remove the stereo. It is, apparantly, mounted on the stereo bracket. 2) A/C blower motor removal, not quite as straight forward... I will gladly e-mail all these pages to ya'. If you can give me a day or two to scan 'em. I hope it's not a mad rush. Unfortunately, I am trying to hit a few deadlines with my work. Meanwhile, e-mail me your info. My e-mail is available to forum members. -nomad56-

rbremer

I have a 1998 Avalon with the same problem described in message #83. The HVAC will run OK for weeks and then all of a sudden it stops working. Sometimes I can turn the engine off for a few minutes and when I restart the engine the system will start working again. I've taken it to my local dealershipp and they say that they're not aware of a service bulletin for this. They said thier diagnosis was to relpace the computer (which I did for about $650) and it seemed to fix it for 3-4 months but now the problem is occuring again. Anyone have any advise?

nomad56

rbremer-If the new "computer" died, that's a fluke, and probably WARRANTY" work??? start there.

If the dealer does not give you a definitive diagnoses, you will have to start troubleshooting the system, to isolate the bad component.

What "computer" did the dealer replace? Toyo HVAC is a web of sensors, switches and relays. It often requires some electronic testing equipment and skills. Let us know.
-nomad56-

michanth

Dear Townhall,

I have a 1996 Avalon, Runs Great but I have encountered a problem with my fan. Many times the fan will not active by pushing the fan speed button or by the automatic climate control until until I drive the car over a speed bump at 10 mph or less. I know something elec / mech is loose but have no knowledge of where to look first except for the fuse box under the hood which seems to be fine. And it does not seem to matter if the a/c compressor is activated or not. there is no movement by the fan motor until I go over a good bump.

Any suggestions before bringing the car in for A/c fan work,$$$$???

All Help is Appreciated thanks in Advance

Michael

Mr_Shiftright

Does the fan work when the heater is on?

michanth

Yes, the fan when running will be active with a/c, heater, and defroster etc.. all combinations of the vent selector buttons. heater on or off, compressor on or off.

Thanks Mr_Shiftright HOST May 10, 2004 (4:04 pm)
Does the fan work when the heater is on?

nomad56

Michanth-NOT a guarantee, but it is most likely a bad relay. There are several in the Avy's A/C-heater system. A dealer, or good Toyo mechanic is your best bet... they are difficult to test, without proper equipment. Otherwise, the three you want to look at are behind the radio & a/c control panel. To isolate the bad one, you can "tap" each of them and see if the fan starts to run. If this reveals the bad one, go to a dealer or parts store and order a new one. If you are near a "Pick your own parts" yard, this is a great way to save a few bucks. -nomad56-

michanth

Thanks Nomad,

I will give the relay thing a try, and at the last resort, I can bring the car in to a Toyota Dealership.

Michael

pete7

Every few days to weeks my climate control system ceases to or starts working for no apparent reason. It has the exact same m.o. each time. The temp. readout does not come on, but the word "outside" stays lit. All of the lights for the fan control and blower position switches light up when you push them with the exception of the windshield defrost and a/c buttons. None of these switches turns anything on, however. The auto button does nothing.

I suspect it is one of the relays but have no way of knowing which of the dozens it might be. Since the symptoms are so specific, does anyone know what might be the cause?

nomad56

Pete...it sounds like the recirc air button is depressed, recirculated air will have moisture in it and fog the windshield worse than you can imagine. Therefore, it will not direct the recirc air at the windshield. Hmmm, A/C should work, though???? ..I am not sure about that button's lack of cooperation, but select FRESH AIR and let me know if we're closer. Otherwise it is more involved, and YES, probably a relay, and there's a handful of 'em that effect climate control. -nomad56-

pete7

Thanks for the reply. It was not the recirc. button though. None of the buttons works when it is out, even though they light up. Any ideas?

nomad56

pete7-Without test equip, this will tough to pinpoint. I would probably do a control panel, then relays, if I couldn't test 'em. I forgot to ask... Which A/C control panel do you have?? These can go bad causing "control" problems. The best way to replace that is from a "pick your own parts" type junk yard. This will save ya' lots of $$$$. Then pursue the relays, since they are hard to test(...and get to) without the right equip. You can avoid trial & error by having Toyo Dlr diagnose it, but this will probably cost a few $$. Sorry for the delay, I am travelling alot right now.

toydriver-replacement rotors are $80-$90 per/corner. Less if you shop it around. ie) eBay you can get a pair for about $100. Pads $60 to $160, depending on material. It's a "DIY'er" for me, but I think the book lists 2 hrs. -nomad56-

tomd14

The engine of my 2000 Avalon (37K miles) has started making a noise (like a trumpet blowing) when I hit the A/C button. A/C runs fine, but noise is rather bothersome. Before I take it in for service, has anyone ever experienced this problem before?

wgrimes

I'm experiencing the same symptoms in my '98 Avalon, made more difficult because it is intermittant and usually works when I take it to my auto repair shop. I at first thought it was a fuse but since all fuses checked out OK and because the problem went away, I had to rule that out. My mechanic has tried to run electrical checks and has toyed with the relays but with no luck so far. I promised him that I would bring it back whenever the problem reoccured.

I'm beginning to suspect that it might be related to outside air temperature, since it seems to work when the air is cooler (I live in San Francisco where cool summer prevail but 100+F temps are a few miles inland) but am still awaiting another warm day. My wife took it to the Central Valley for the weekend so I'll hear about it if it failed again. :-)

Please let us know if you come up with a solution. I'd take it to the dealer but have had some real problems with sabotage in the past.

danbeth

Several months ago my inlaws '98 Avalon was experiencing a failure with the speed control for the fan. I checked the past TSBs for their car and found one. The TSB which pertains to your problem is Titled Auto A/C system improvement. # AC005-99. If you have access to an alldata or your mechanic should, look this up. In our case the main problem was a part called the linear controller which on automatic systems controls the fan speed low to high. If you are experiencing one or more of the following: 1) The ambient temp. display may go blank or display"--" 2) Fresh/Recirc indicator light inoperative 3)Mode indicator light inoperative 4) Blower indicator light inoperative. The Parts which will need replacement are the A/C Amplifier(ECU), Air inlet Servo Motor, Servo Link(Damper plate). Should it be only a problem with the fan speed adjustment then the linear controller is in need of replacement. If your car has a manual system then replace the Resistor under the glove compartment near the blower motor. Need less to say the TSB part list is quite expensive. Good Luck

hawiianavowner

A/C noise in my 2000 Av was caused by the drive belt...when I sprayed belt dressing it went away temporarily. I tried to replace it, as the manual says you only have to loosen the pivot bolt and the adjusting bolt. I loosened both to the point of removal, but the alternator did not loosen to where I could remove the old belt.
Anyone have suggestions?

Other possible sources of noise are worn bearings of the spinning parts in the A/C & charging system, I also had two blower motors go bad in my 84 Corolla.
If this is too late and you have already gone to the dealer, please report back with what happened & what it cost to fix. I may have to go in also.

hawiianavowner

Wouldn't you know it-after posting the above I decided to do a little more research. Turns out the manual's charging section describes the situation better. A THIRD ARROW shows the location of the adjusting LOCK bolt which also must be loosened in order for the adjusting TENSION bolt to do it's job. A few scraped knuckles (very tight space) later and the new quiet belt is on and running.

Tomd14-still am curious as to what your problems were diagnosed as...

norm

Same problem with 2002 Avalon. In Auto mode, fan speed and cooling increases below temperature setting but does nothing above setting until max HOT. Dealer replaced sensors without any change. The factory rep (1-800-331-4331) suggests mentioning a "counter-measure" sensor to the dealer to correct the problem. (K1SDL@aol.com)

dec1950

Yesterday when I started my 1998 Avalon the AC went on for a few seconds then shut off. The outside temp reading also went off. When I restart the car the same thing happened. The car ran fine. Today I looked under the hood and the fans were not running. I found a box with three relays on Fan #3, Fan #2 and I forget the third. Anyway with the car shut off I individually removed each relay the put it back in. When I started the car the AC worked fine. Has anyone seen this? Do the relays reset or will I need to replace them?

wgrimes

A very belated thanks. I'll have my mechanic check it out.

ncain

After much ado, Toyota sent 2 factory reps complete with test equipment. Net result is that the system is so complex that it is hard to tell if it is working properly. I was convinced that it is working as designed, which leaves much to be desired. The sun sensor on the dash inhibits heat in bright sunlight. Covering it helps in cold weather and eliminates another variable. Just set temp where you want it and wait.