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AC Button Light

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Main Forum' started by mannymendez25, May 23, 2023.

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  1. mannymendez25

    mannymendez25 Member

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    I've noticed that every once and a while, the light on the AC button will turn off however the AC will continue blowing cold air. I've reviewed the owners manual but didnt find anything. Anyone know why this is happening?
     
    #1 mannymendez25, May 23, 2023
  2. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    My guess is that the AC light is showing if the compressor is actually running.
    The HVAC system could be 'pulse and coasting'. Runs the compressor until the ducting and all is chilled. Then turning off, letting the chilled components cool the air for a bit and repeat.
     
    #2 Trollbait, May 24, 2023
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    That’s pretty cool. On my gen 2 and 3, the light stays on constantly
     
    #3 bisco, May 24, 2023
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I guess Toyota changed the way it shows the user? It normally cycles but previously, the A/C light stays on regardless of operation (assuming you’re in Auto mode).

    Cold air can continue to blow after the A/C is off. There is residual cooling on the pipes as the air moves over it.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, May 24, 2023
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    My Gen 3 can be in AUTO mode whether I have turned the A/C on or off with that button. If I have turned it off, the AUTO mode still does everything else, just doesn't use A/C. (Defrosting will still use it though.)
     
    #5 ChapmanF, May 24, 2023
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  6. mannymendez25

    mannymendez25 Member

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    Thats what I was thinking but once the light turns off, I never see it turn back on.
     
    #6 mannymendez25, May 25, 2023
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    oh, that's different. maybe something is wrong
     
    #7 bisco, May 25, 2023
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Still cooling points to an issue in the switch then.
     
    #8 Trollbait, May 25, 2023
  9. yarrh

    yarrh Junior Member

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    When mine is on AUTO and actively cooling, the AC light doesn't illuminate.
     
    #9 yarrh, May 26, 2023
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  10. mannymendez25

    mannymendez25 Member

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    I haven't used the Auto option. Last night I configured the custom setting to Eco drive with Eco AC disabled. I will give that a test to see if the Eco AC has something to do with the AC light turning off. I will update once I drive the car.
     
    #10 mannymendez25, Jun 1, 2023
  11. mannymendez25

    mannymendez25 Member

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    Ok, I have more details on the AC button light.
    • When I turn on the car, the AC button light is always off but blowing cold air
    • I press the AC button and the light turns on
    • I reach my destination, turn off the car
    • When I restart the car, the AC button light is off but blowing cold air
    So seems like the AC button light turns off each time I turn off the car. Is anyone else experiencing this? I disabled the eco feature in the AC settings but the same thing happens.
     
    #11 mannymendez25, Jun 3, 2023
  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Its starting to sound more like a fault in the button light.
    Still under warranty? Take it to the dealer. Right now, it's a minor quirk, but it could progress to the button failing.
     
    #12 Trollbait, Jun 3, 2023
  13. C313

    C313 New Member

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    I'm noticing a kinda similar situation but with the airflow button. First few days i drove my car I did not mess with anything relating to the air options. Then a few daya is when I started messing with it.

    At first neither light was on for either one of the two airflow buttons, now one of the air circulation buttons will stay on full time. I can switch between outside air circulation and inside air circulation, but I can not turn them both off completely. Pressing the air circulation button for the one already lit up will do nothing, stays lit, pressing the other button will turn off the previous buttons light and that one will turn on, but same deal here I can't actually turn it off. This is with my fan set to off as well if it helps.

    Is it supposed to be like this or am I overthinking this?
     
    #13 C313, Jun 3, 2023
  14. mannymendez25

    mannymendez25 Member

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    Ok, I was playing around with the Vehicle customization in the settings. I found a section called Climate, and in there, there is a setting called A/C mode with AUTO. It was turned on. I turned it off. I then pressed the A/C button so the light would turn on, I turned off the car, then turned it back on and the A/C light stayed illuminated. I searched the Owners Manual and the Quick Reference Guide but did not find anything pertaining to this setting. Does anyone know what this is? I am going to assume this Auto feature is different from the physical Auto button in the climate control on the dash.
     

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    #14 mannymendez25, Jun 3, 2023
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  15. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    What does the manual say about the AC light? It should say when it turns on/off and why.
    Surprised if it doesn’t say anything. Going to a dealer is probably a waste of time because they never know anything and if they do is to steal you money pretending it is a problem that needs to be fixed when in fact it is a feature not a bug…
     
    #15 pakitt, Jun 3, 2023
  16. mannymendez25

    mannymendez25 Member

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    I re-read the owners's manual just to see if I missed anything and it there is nothing about the "A/C mode with AUTO" feature in the multimedia display settings. All it states concerning the A/C button is the following.

    • If the “A/C” switch is not pressed,
      the system will blow ambient temperature
      air or heated air.

    • When the function is on, the indicator
      illuminates on the “A/C” switch.
    The owners manual does reference the Multimedia owners manual for additional information but when I reviewed the Multimedia owner manual, there is nothing about the "A/C mode with AUTO" feature.

    I did find other Toyota forums (Rav4 and Tacoma) that discuss the "A/C mode with AUTO" feature but many people are confused as to what it actually does. When this feature is ON, the A/C button does NOT illuminate but does blow cold air.

    I found this on the Lexus website
    Auto climate settings: A/C mode with AUTO
    When Auto AC is selected:
    On (Default) = It will automatically engage the air conditioner compressor to reach the set temperature
    Off = It will automatically achieve the set temperature, warm or cool, without engaging the air conditioner compressor**
    ** The A/C compressor will be engaged when the Auto A/C button is pressed a second time.

    I then found someone on YouTube that gave a brief overview
    MY22+ Tundra & MY23+ Sequoia - Climate Settings - YouTube
     
    #16 mannymendez25, Jun 4, 2023
  17. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Speculation on a Tundra forum was that the "A/C mode with AUTO" setting determined whether the HVAC system defaulted to Auto after a car restart, or kept the previous settings. Also seems setting the temp to Lo will turn on the AC without lighting up the AC button.
     
    #17 Trollbait, Jun 4, 2023
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    My understanding from previous Prii is that option is to decide whether to turn on the A/C (or rather, include the A/C compressor) whenever the AUTO button is pressed.

    In previous cars, if I was running AUTO in ventilation mode (so I manually turned off the A/C button), I would press AUTO to bring the HVAC back to full automatic mode, including automatic A/C compressor operation when I wanted A/C, rather than pressing the A/C light again.
     
    #18 Tideland Prius, Jun 4, 2023
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    cars shouldn't be this complicated
     
    #19 bisco, Jun 4, 2023
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  20. mannymendez25

    mannymendez25 Member

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    You read my mind. I have been in IT for over 20 years and make a living from technology but it's just an A/C. All I need is fan speed adjustment and temperature adjustment.
     
    #20 mannymendez25, Jun 4, 2023
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