Guys, When I took my 2007 prius to the local toyota dealer for a routine inspection and hybrid system diagnosis they told that there's a oil leakage from the ac compressor. They did'nt find any drop in refrigerant level (maybe a slight drop gone unnoticed). as I know the refrigerant and oil is intermixed in the system and if the oil is leaking so should the gas. Anyway I'm taking the car next week to the dealer, they said it might be a O ring or a gasket. Is it safe to run the ac in this condition? as it's always hot in this part of the world the AC is a very important component and I don't want to ruin it. Any experts please give some advice. Thank you in advance.
The time it would take before there was a problem would be dependent on the size of the leak. If it is "slow", then as long as there is refrigerant and oil in the system, and things get cold, you are OK. But if the refrigerant level goes low enough, then you will end up with a partial vacuum when running the system. That would suck outside moisture in, which is not good. That then requires a complete vacuum to service the system. So do not let it get to that point. It is not a good thing to repeatedly top off a leaky AC, but many do it as it is cheap and fast, at least in the US where a can of refrigerant+sealer+lube can be had at the auto parts store. If you can get it fixed at some point, that would be good as you obviously run it often in that climate. To do that will require opening the system, which again will require complete vacuum and refill. Some DIY types can do that, but mostly it is good to let the pro's do it right.
Do not run the A/C or defrost. Do not add any type of sealer product. You may be stuck getting a new compressor anyway, but you can avoid having to pay for a new condenser and evaporator core in case the compressor bombs due to lack of oil. Hopefully it is just an o-ring, but it is best to have someone work one it who has experience with this particular type of system.
The Prius air conditioning compressor is powered by an electric motor. The compressor contains a special air conditioning oil (ND11) which can withstand high voltages. http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/Hybrid18.pdf Was your car a used model that was imported from Japan, or is Prius sold by your local Toyota dealers? If your local dealers do not sell the Prius model then the service dept technicians may not be trained on the car, and may not be aware of this. If a standard compressor oil is used, that will damage the compressor and it will need to be replaced.
Looking at the picture of the compressor, maybe a first step would be to just insure that the case bolts are properly tightened?
My car was a used one imported. Anyway some of the service technicians here have undergone special training on hybrid maintenance at the Toyota training facilities in Japan. The reoson for such action is the hype in hybrid car imports to our country recently. In only three month period there were more than 3000 hybrid cars imported, mostly Prius and Honda insight. Anyway I will supervise the guys myself. Don't want to take a chance. I will ask them about there workscope before they proceed with the job.
If they recover the refrigerant with the intention of reinstalling it, don't. It is standard that all equipment used on high voltage A/C systems be separate from those used on regular A/C systems. What are the chances that your dealer would do this, have separate hybrid A/C service equipment, if they don't sell new hybrids? There's no guarantee that their equipment has not been cross-contaminated. Have them install brand new refrigerant.
That's a good point. If they use the same equipment for recovering and charging refrigerent to my car it can get contaminated. But what if they flush the system like doing a complete service on the AC system, then all the contaminants can get flushed including their charging/recovery equipment right? Now I'm a little worried if these guys will do the job properly.
Even though they should have a separate manifold gauge set, through which to install dry nitrogen for a flush, that sort of effect is second order. It's that 1.3 lbs of refrigerant with PAG contamination that would be harmful.
Ok guys, yesterday I took my car to the dealer and did the repair as you sugested. There was a drop in the refrigerant level, and they released remaining gas to the atmosphere without recovering!. Replaced both 'O'rings on the suction and discharge side flanges. There were signs of oxidation around the seating surface of the Orings and sign of oil /gas leakage. Did a full vaccum test and added 250ml(0.22q) of ND-11 oil. Recharged refrigerant 134a, added a little more after the bubbles disappear in the sight glass. The temperature at the vents stabilized at 5.8 Celcius(42F).So finally I'm satisfied with there performance. The cost including the labour was 10000 Rs(92$).
Heh. In the US, the fine for venting R134a is up to $25,000. Sounds like they did it right. I think you are very fortunate to have people that know what they are doing available to work on your car!
