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A/C Not Working after Disconnecting Battery

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by JayR2, Jul 29, 2024.

  1. JayR2

    JayR2 New Member

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    Location:
    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hello everyone! I’m new here and just recently got a 2010 with 196k mi. Doing some work on it to get it in tip top shape (seems like previous owners took it to the cheap shops or just diy) The AC worked with cold air but I could not turn it off with the button, so I opted to just turn the whole climate system off when I’m done with it. So no fan mode. Once I disconnected the battery for some other work (system reset) it never came back on. AC button doesn’t function. I ran the built in climate control diagnostic, no codes. It doesn’t come on through the defoggers, no luck with Auto. Fuses are checked (to my knowledge) but I’m unsure where to find that one fuse in the inverter. Last night I did my best understanding TechStream and came up with a code B1476 in the Air Conditioning code scanner. I followed the instructions for code B1476 and did see that the hose was bubbling a bit through the sight glass. The compressor got up to the desired rpms during testing. Could low refrigerant/a leak cause issues like this? What else should I check? Is there a way to get more info off of TechStream? I know that software is limited in regards to that. Im not too familiar with the prius platform so any tips on where to look would help.
     
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
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    Base
    Pretty much air conditioning is air conditioning this is mobile air conditioning so while all that's going on and you see some bubbles in the sight glass the fat hoes with the gray cap marked with an l which is low side when the system is running that's the low side that hose and aluminum pipe should be getting cold like refrigerated? Do you feel that We just want to ascertain that the refrigeration cycle is in fact happening there should be a button with an illumination above it stating that the air conditioning system is on the compressor switch is activated etc hear the compressor running even if it's a little low it'll try and pump the low fluid up with a little higher RPM and start making cold If this is what's happening turn it off and get it filled up and done however whether DIY or properly at the dealer it should still be full and not having to scream bloody murder and RPM just to make some cold ❄️
     
  3. JayR2

    JayR2 New Member

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    Location:
    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I ran the compressor on Techstream. The low side pipe got cold. Could i just be running low on refrigerant and in need of a recharge? I plan on taking it to a local hybrid mechanic and have it recharged and leak tested. Wanted to see all options before spending money on that.
     
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
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    Base
    Yeah it could be low refrigerant could be a slow leak but when you have it full even for the few minutes or whatever that it is it should run pretty normal get cold do its thing then you can shut it off check for leaks with the dye or whatever it is you're doing and go from there Just being a tad tiny bit low on refrigerant should not stop the whole show being excessively low can definitely stop the show but the switch that works this is not that greatly sensitive when it's pretty down it just doesn't come on The pressure switch won't let the compressor cut in and work so if it's working it should have gas enough to make cold especially just for testing purposes and what have you and then if you think you need to you can go pay a certain place to drain it and recharge it and all of that stuff Just keep in mind that your gassing up and charging up I don't know what 10-year-old at least compressor etc It's electric maybe talk to some air conditioning people and see what the consensus generally is on electric air conditioning compressor as far as longevity goes before you pay the 200 bucks to get it gassed up and then find out the compressor doesn't have enough ooomph to do the pumping required.