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Loud noise when AC is on

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Preeeus, Oct 11, 2017.

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  1. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    When the AC is turned on, it makes a loud noise. Turning off the AC causes the noise to stop.

    Toyota diagnosed the sound as a bad AC compressor, so they replaced it. That fixed it for a while, but now the sound is happening again. Is the new AC compressor failing?

    Here is the video:



    the password is ' repair '.

    Thanks.
     
    #1 Preeeus, Oct 11, 2017
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  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    they probably didnt add oil to compressor when they replaced it or bad compressor to start
     
    #2 tankyuong, Oct 11, 2017
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    did they charge you?
     
    #3 bisco, Oct 11, 2017
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  4. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    No, they were kind and did not charge.
     
    #4 Preeeus, Oct 15, 2017
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    they replaced a 7 year old $2,500. compressor for free? i guess you can't argue with that, but now you'll have to go back and ask what the sound is. are you getting cold air?
     
    #5 bisco, Oct 15, 2017
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  6. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    The AC compressor they replaced a year ago was, thankfully, covered under our extended warranty. The current one is covered for a couple more days under the 1-year parts warranty.

    The dealership that performed the original replacement identified the sound as coming from the AC compressor again. This time, however, they said the sound is normal. They brought out a similar model year Prius (a 2011... ours is 2010), and it did make a fairly similar sound. The weird thing is that ours was not making the sound before... or at least not nearly that loud.

    We are getting cold air.

    Given that the dealership claims the sound is normal, and we aren't experts to contradict them, we aren't sure what to do except live with it.
     
    #6 Preeeus, Oct 18, 2017
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  7. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    Opinions/recommendations from others are welcome!
     
    #7 Preeeus, Oct 19, 2017
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    find another 2010 to compare it to? does the dealer have any used gen 3's?
     
    #8 bisco, Oct 19, 2017
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  9. toilet

    toilet Junior Member

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    I have the same noise. I got the car in 2015. It's a 2012 Gen 3. I didn't notice the noise at first (which I feel I definitely would've noticed earlier had it existed) but in about early 2016, I noticed it but AC worked perfectly fine. It's June '18 now and the car makes the same exact noise and AC still cools and hasn't leaked (though I feel the cooling efficiency keeps fluctuating, especially in the past week, no idea why). That sound seems pretty normal then. Any thoughts on MAINTENANCE work I should do at this point to keep the AC at full blast? Is the AC drier replaceable on this? Should the compressor oil be changed even though there is NO leakage? Cabin filters are routinely swapped out.
     
    #9 toilet, Jun 26, 2018
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  10. stan kinaz

    stan kinaz Junior Member

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    I replaced the fan assembly and no more noise. The fan on the driver's side stopped working.
     
    #10 stan kinaz, Jul 28, 2024
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  11. OptimusPriustus

    OptimusPriustus Active Member

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    Just few days back i noticed our Prius A/C make exactly same noise. I am not primary user so i am not sure how long this has been going on. Our other car (different brand) A/C made same noise several years and i always assumed it’s about to die but it just kept going. Then it finally gave up and A/C just stopped working. Compressor was replaced at dealership and to my great disappointment new compressor sound same. So Prius A/C making this sound i am going to do this: nothing:)
     
    #11 OptimusPriustus, Jul 30, 2024
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