2012 Toyota Camry AC (compressor) Not Coming On | Workaround 

What Size Magnet to be Exact? I had my mechanic put in a new flow sensor & it didn't do anything. TY

Good job

What’s the problem with your ac

God bless RU-vid and good people that are will to share life experiences, to help others.

Thank you, the magnet trick does work. Any ideas how hard to replace the flow sensor in 2012 Camry? Do I need to remove the compressor or can it be replaced w/ the compressor in place?

@@bezahosts5777 As far as I can tell it should be possible with the AC in place. I watched a couple videos on servicing this AC compressor. It doesn't need to be evacuated. So you should be able to get at the sensor snap ring easily from underneath the car; That said, I have not attempted taking it off/replacing it yet, been driving around using AC as needed with the magnet in place since this video was posted

That s right But I changed 2 sensors and the same problem, it cuts off the power and does not turn it back on

Me too did you fix it and how?

Yeah you can use other magnets as long as they are strong enough. I tried a weaker magnet before getting these and it didnt do anything.

It’ll make the noise in the beginning of acceleration.

I guess you didn't watch the part where I said "you can replace the sensor but this magnet trick will get you by FOR THE TIME BEING". Obviously cleaning any rust/corrosion before putting the new part on. I found this solution in a couple of Toyota/Lexus forums and was simply making a video to show positioning, etc. Many users reported doing this with no noticed impact other than they had an AC that worked...Not sure how "cutting wires" is a less stupid workaround then just actually fixing the issue, like i explained in the video....

@@KJL00 yes, so many people were misguided by some people, who does not care about harmony of system. And advice to change sensor shows, that you also did not understand why this happens. No need to change sensor. Need to remove, clean, maybe grind down of sensor, put some silicone around, press sensor inside, and that is it. Boss, don't be angry on me, I am not trying to humiliate you, but people, teaching others to fix something, should investigate everything, not forums, where same people are talking there. This issue is in all lexus and toyotas starting maybe from 2000's. And nobody in these forums tried to dive into the problem itself... Read comments under your video. People did not understood, that this way of fixing is temporary. This is what i name misguiding.

@@kesturbo This was what I looked at for trying to figure out how to remove: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mcmy5MSfs-I.html. In the video they never show the face side of the sensor so i'm not sure what material it is. looks completely encased in plastic. I had assumed I may have to clean off any corrosion that may have formed on the compressor body. I see your point with the silicone but I'd rather not make it harder to get off there if I need to. I may take a look at it further.

@@KJL00 Have a look at this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7Ca2RcuDacE.html . I am sure - you don't understand russian language, but at least you will understand what is bellow that plastic sensor. That guy showed, that inside compressor cover there is valve with magnet, which working distance is 1-2 mm. It means magnet, which moves 1-2 mm makes difference in sensor value 0.7-4.2 volts. Imagine, how bad is effect if sensor is pulled up from rusted aluminium surface on 0.3mm. I think - it is better to clean that sensor space, and it is better to grind down of sensor and push it deeper. Only after that need to put some washer between sensor and horse shoe ring to keep it in place. When people put magnet on sensor - they pull valve with magnet up, closer to sensor. Or additional magnet affects sensor by itself. That is why sensor sees different value and AC starts working. But position of magnet changes all flow measuring system and it shows strange data. If you search for videos of working sensor, you will see, that flow sensor value changes according to engine rpm. This sensor value is important in calculation of how long ac clutch should be on, as we know temperature of gas, amount of gas (flow speed on preferred time), room temperature. So using all this data ECU can calculate when ac compressor clutch must engage and when disengage. Now i see video from pakistani car doctors, which even advices to bypass flow sensor. Probably he is smarter than toyota and lexus engineers. :)

i guess you are one of those corrupt ac technician who are about to lost income because of this magnet trick. who the fuck care about your system works. magnet fix the issue thats it.

I literally had the same problem! I live in Texas too and know the struggle!

I have a 2013 Toyota Camry, I hope this is the problem.

I did the replacement on a 2012 Camry. There’s not a lot of space to access it and, if you’re in a state that uses salt in the winter, you will likely have to destroy the old part to get it out, once you get the plug off. I recommend putting tape over the plug to keep chips and debris out of it until you get the old part removed.

Did you try magnet to see if pipe got any colder? If not then you may have a leak and there may not be enough coolant in the system

@@KJL00 so I took my car back to the shop, and they say the problem is with the compressor itself, bcs there is apparently no pressure coming. They have checked the flow sensor again, and there is power in the system. Just some mechanical failure within the compressor.

The AC will run constant when the switch is on in the car. It wont cycle. That said i cant think of any major issue. I read a few forums where others ran like this for years. Glue shouldnt be necessary, if you can id remove it, you will need to remove a snap ring to replace the sensor. If the magnet is glued on you wont be able to remove/replace the old sensor.

@@KJL00 If the AC keeps running nonstop when the switch is on, wouldn't that be bad for the compressor? Does that mean the thermostat no longer gets the compressor to take a break after working for a while?

@@esitundeamos4526 Chances are you will be turning off the AC yourself because it will be pretty cold.. Again others reported running theirs like this for years without issue. If you're really worried about the compressor, replace the sensor. The magnet method is a "workaround".

I haven't tried replacing mine yet. Check out this video for replacing the sensor: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mcmy5MSfs-I.html It seems evacuating the system is not required. Might be harder to do when its on the car but seems simple enough. I have been just using the magnet for now.

@@KJL00 I replaced the sensor last night and it works perfectly fine! Due to lack of space I could not detach the old one and just taped the new one to it.

@@babakkk100 you taped the new sensor to the old sensor with the old sensor in place? It would probably be better to try and and get the old one off and replace it with the new one. Otherwise you are basically doing the same thing as the magnet, only it costs more and could fall off if the tape degrades/loosens.

@@KJL00 Its pretty hard to remove the rusted snap ring which hold the old one to the compressor even by using the plier !

Amazon or ebay. Neodymium or "rare earth" magnet.

@@KJL00 I got some Neodymium magnets from Harbor Freight. Pill sized-Rare earth 10 in a pack for $1.49. One on the sensor at the snap ring worked for me.

dude that's what I said. I tried to put a magnet on mine and I can't even find a spot to stick to. there's a bolt near that spot but near isn't exactly what he was talking about.

@@JoeNathan42420 I tried it on two vehicles so far nothing happened I bought the strongest neodymium magnet I could find. There is a steel C clip that holds in the valve that the magnet kinda hold to

@@coldfinger459sub0 yeah I seen that too. I did, more than once get it to kick on while I was waving around nut grabber down there (one of those extending pens with a magnet on the end to pick up dropped nuts or something) but I don't know for sure if it was the nut grabber or chance 🤷

@@JoeNathan42420 I use that to