Intermittent air problem

And that's your clue: the compressor shuts off, and turning everything off resets it. There's only a few things that can cause this

a) the clutch or the relay that controls it, or the circuit that controls the relay. b) the refrigerant pressure gets too high. Compressors have a temperature sensor that shuts off the clutch. When was the system last recharged? Was all the air vacuumed out or did someone just top it up with Duracool or similar? Air in the system compresses at a different rate than refrigerant and causes excess heat build up.

Since this is a 2003, I'd guess it likely a) rather than b). You could start by R/R all the AC circuit connectors you can see in the engine bay, while giving them a squirt of WD40. You should be able to identify the AC clutch relay somewhere. When the problem happens again, give the relay a tap to see if its stuck.

Stewart DIBBS

I would not add Freon to you system if I were you.

mike

dead and just blowing hot air. I took it to the dealer but unfortunately that was one of its good days and after 2 ½ hours they could find nothing wrong with it, the thing had plenty of Freon. The next day the problem surfaced again. I'm hoping somebody here is smarter than the Toyota mechanic.

The flashing AC light is an indication that the computer for the AC detected a difference between the engine and AC compressor RPM and disabled the AC. This will happen if something is binding the compressor or more often, if water splashes on the AC drive belt and it slips. If you drive through a big puddle and the belt slips, this will occur.

You didn't mention how many miles are on the AC drive belt but if more than