The temptation to "DIY" an AC repair is high, the costs of doing it wrong are higher. Also, it is ILLEGAL (like a violation of Federal Law) to charge a system with a leak; and that is, BTW, the ONLY way for an AC system to become low on charge. If you do not have the knowledge or tools to locate and repair the leak(s), you should not be working on AC.
Go back and read Patrick's comments. 134a is 134a as long as there are no additives. No stop leak no oil no ether no dye. Also when using gauges they have to be new never used or used only on hybrid systems because there will be traces of the wrong oil in them. This will contaminate the system. The whole issue stems from the compressor being 200v 3 phase ac and windings are bathed in the oil from what I understand. If the oil is not a dielectric oil it will short out the windings
Mostly right, the PAG oil is not dielectrically neutral and SMALL traces would not normally cause any concern, even the Toyota documents suggest that if care is used to avoid contamination with PAG oil, "regular" R134a tools can be used on the Hybrid systems. The problem is that most AC "technicians" are nothing more than under educated gorillas with an AC machine to use. Not THEIR fault!!!!! Education on AC systems with regard to PROPER diagnosis and repair based on OEM guidelines is badly lacking, even at dealerships. End result, you get folks doing what they did on the last one, without actually performing any step-based, root cause finding diagnostics. This often leads to adding oil to a system that does not require it, component replacement where not warranted and high costs for the customer. Having dedicated tools for Hybrids IS the right path, but useless without proper training. The windings are already insulated, if not they would short to each other. The danger is that the oil will create a path to chassis ground, making the entire car electrically charged. It takes more of the wrong oil to do this than one might believe, but it can also be DEADLY to experiment.
I hooked up the AC unit to a tester today and it just blew 0's. No pressure readings on either side of the gauges. I hooked up a 12 ounce can of pure 134a, and opened both valves and it didn't draw anything out of the can. I suspect the compressor is not turning on or getting power. Anyone know where the fuse is for the compressor or if there is one? Looks like I can pick up a used compressor for around $100. I might not want to do the work to replace, but I would think I could find someone to do it for reasonable. Anyone replaced one?
Astralography, instead of throwing parts at your car why don't have you have it diagnosed first? Since you have no pressure at all, there is a major leak in the system. The compressor is possibly bad, but more likely condenser or hard lines have a hole in them. If your car was in my shop I would charge the system with Nitrogen and look for a massive leak, then go from there. And for those mechanics that say "you can service the AC on a hybrid car the same way as a normal car" they are ignorant fools. Let them keep recharging hybrids and ruining them. More customers for me to redo the job after the compressor stops working in a few months! BTW., all the AC machime suppliers now sell Hybrid compatible equipment. If the shop working on your AC doesn't have such a machine or gives you a blank stare when you ask what equipment they use find another shop that knows what they are doing.
Yeah I also think DIY and AC should not be in the same sentence: it can lead to very expensive mistakes, and messes up the atmosphere.
I've never been quite sure whether the issue with incompatible oils is the oil's own conductivity, or more to do with it being chemically aggressive to the existing insulation on the windings. Seems to me it has to involve at least some of the latter. (Who cares if the oil itself is electrically conductive, as long as the windings are insulated, as you point out, and the insulation remains effective?) In any case, once the insulation starts losing effectiveness, unwanted current paths are likely to include both winding-phase-to-phase and winding-to-chassis. The high-voltage system monitors for leakage to ground (or do the Gen 2 compressor phase circuits not have that protection?) so I think it would be more likely to put up a diagnostic code eventually and fail safe, rather than zapping you when you touch the car. -Chap
Chap, If you look at a Prius AC compressor, it is NOT isolated from the refrigerant, the motor runs in it. This is just like an electric fuel pump in a gas tank, the motor is insulated from the gasoline, but immersed in it With a hybrid AC compressor, as long as the motor and power couplings are 100% insulated from the refrigerant (and therefore oil), no worries. The second it is not AND you have a conductive oil
We clearly have understood that the same way. ... and ditto that. That insulation would be the job of the coating applied to the wire ... without which the windings would short to each other and to the enclosure. I'm inclined to think the first part of that is the bigger part. As long as the insulation is intact, conductivity of the fluid isn't a problem. "The second it is not," you've got trouble (which may show up sooner with a conductive oil than without, but trouble is trouble). But does that loss of insulation integrity just "happen", or does something cause it? The compressors last a good long time as long as only ND-11 oil is used. If inappropriate oil were merely conductive but did not degrade the existing insulation in any way, I suspect they'd still last a good long time. On the other hand, if inappropriate oil is chemically incompatible with the insulation coating and degrades it, you would expect to see damage result. I don't know the chemistry of the oil or the coating, so I can't say I know for a fact, but I strongly suspect this is the real issue in the choice of oil, and not simply whether it conducts. -Chap
Toyota is so meticulous with its oil... they better be so with their h11 harness... Electric current will not go out of its coils due to lesser resistance. I know a bunch of 2012 - 2017 priuses who refilled with regular refrigerant, in garage. They do not look for extra headaches.
To summarize. You can put your own Refrigerant in your Prius and you don't have to pay the dealership's outrageous fees. You just need to make sure your refrigerant is either of these: R134a with ND11 oil R134a with no oil (won't fix leaks) hyb-134a (uses non conductive oil) Do NOT use R134a with PAG oil, Ester oil, mineral oil or dye. Also, be aware that there are mechanics on here that try to scare people out of DIY.
if i borrow a vacuum pump, can the vacuum somehow contaminate my ac... going to buy new manifold gauge set btw, i did not have a leak, i was replacing another part and to get to the nut, i disconnected the ac line and the refrigerant escaped... just need to recharge, though seems prudent to vacuum it and use some compatible oil.
Not prudent: necessary. At the same time your refrigerant escaped, air got in. Air is noncondensible and the A/C won't work well till it's out. Those following at home, for exactly the reason demonstrated here, don't just go disconnecting A/C lines to get to some nut. The refrigerant escapes, and it's a hazard to the atmosphere. Find another way to get to the nut, or have the refrigerant reclaimed first, then disconnect the line.
cool ty i had no idea it was an ac line... i wish the video had been more clear about that or was some marker saying it is ac
