Air Conditioning

Cleaning the vent tube is one thing to do.

But stopping the ac system about 5 minutes or so before you shut the system off also keeps the mold / mildew away.

Then just ensure the air filter is free of rodent remnants and you should be fine .

 

Best maintenance for a cars ac system is to always use it year round even in the cold keep the recirc always closed to keep the nasty smells out of your car and the ac keeps windows from fogging.

 

If it aint broke don’t ......

 

The cooling was getting kinda weak on ours, about a year back so I got an evac/test/charge done at the dealership, for around $150 (CDN) plus taxes.

We tend to use it very little, though I'm cognizant it's good to use it occasionally, to keep the oil circulated. It's a good idea to shut if off a mile or so before your destination, to give humidity a chance to clear. You may need to crack windows when doing this, it tends to fog up.

 

AC removes humidity from your car, and does a great job at it, you want humidity keep your AC off.

 

I never thought my Gen 2 Prius had very good heat or AC. The new one is better but still is nothing to brag about.
Both work OK if you travel far enough but nothing like my American cars. My truck has the best AC I have ever seen and don't know about it's heat, I have never used it.

 

If you have the vent open instead of recirc, it cannot cool or heat the air coming in from outside like it can cool or heat the air that's in the car.
Chrysler has this feature where it automatically turns off the recirc after 5 minutes of being turned on.
My old minivan I turned on recirc and disconnected the vent door control, on my new one I could not reach the plug to do the same thing, so I jammed some UHMU to keep the vent closed forever.
If I want outside air I open a window and the heater and AC work much better.
On the Prius recirc stays on unless you switch to defrost.

 

You're going to suffocate, man.

Outside air for me, 99% of the time, barring driving behind a stinky bus.

 

It should not need maintenance. But it may need the vent tube cleared from time to time as has been mentioned. I have never had to do that on any of my four Prii. Also mentioned was that it's not good for it to just sit. The seals can dry out from lack of fresh lubrication.

BUT, my PiP did have a small coolant leak. I wonder if that's because it came from New Hampshire and the A/C didn't get run very much. I found in the records that the original owner had it recharged in July, 2016 (50,229 miles). Then in May, 2018 (75,220 miles) I needed it topped off. They actually evacuated and replaced it all.

Then a few weeks ago, my compressor made a noise like stripped gears and quit running. When I found out how much Toyota wanted for a new compressor, I was starting to think my beloved PiP was going to be trade bait. But Todd at Tampa Hybrids sold me a known good used compressor for $100 and the place that does his A/C work installed it for $200 (87,203 miles). We'll see how long that holds up. So far, so good.

 

Yeah, just under a grand, "street price":

Compressor - Toyota (88370-47033) | McGeorge Toyota Parts

 

Does anybody know whether there's a seal that needs occasional exercise (like a normal belt-driven car compressor), or is the compressor hermetically sealed with the motor, as in your average refrigerator compressor?

 

There is a video or more of a Prius AC compressor tear down and the guy explains how they wear out surface tolerances increase, no replaceable seal that wears out.

 

2010 Prius here. I live near Palm Springs, so in the summer good A/C is a must when it's 115. I never noticed before, but this summer the A/C has been woefully inadequate. I had my local guy do his "A/C service" but it didn't really help. The air feels relatively cool but one thing I notice is the fan really doesn't blow very hard, even on full. Can the fan weaken over time?

 

If you have ECO mode selected, that puts a slightly lower cap on how hard the A/C and fan will run.

If the cabin filter is very dirty, that can make the airflow weaker.

 

Yeah I've noticed that, and for that reason I never use Eco mode. But I wonder if somehow the electronics failed and I am stuck in eco mode? I've got to find someone else with a 2010 and compare. anyway thanks for replying!