Air conditioning not blowing cold air...

Have you tried adding coolant?


Ryan
iPad

 

Check the 10A ECU-B fuse located in the passenger compartment to the left of the steering wheel. What happens when you turn on the AC? Do the fans blow, does the AC indicater come on?

 

If you turn the air con on max cold fan full on doors open, can you hear the compressor running under the hood low down on the front of the engine block, if not it probably requires the coolant gas topping up.

If the compressor is running can you see frothing in the sight glass next to the high pressure charge point on the passengers side inner front wing (for you in the US) in front of the washer container. If yes the coolant needs topping up, if you see bubbles it is OK.

Do not top up with refrigerant that contains PAG oil or leak sealant made by EZ freeze (Interdynamics) nothing wrong with the product just not OK for the Prius system.

 

I am about to do a write up on topping up the aircon " having just completed my own" with I hope some useful guides on what to use and how, but I will not be able to complete it till the week end.

 

I have the same problem. Did the usual fuse checks, make sure I did not have any leaks. Fan works fine. Did not have any DTC error codes. The compressor simply would not run. I looked through the forums and the web for common problems, and strangely enough, this is not a common problem that people post fixes for, and most people do not tackle A/C repair on their own. They just pay the dealer to fix it and nothing gets posted. Well, I wasn't about to do that, so I spent the past couple of months studying the a/c system and wiring diagrams and pretty much discovered that the Prius A/C system's technical sophistication is unlike anything I've ever seen before. When the compressor doesn't turn on and no error codes are posted, it could be any number of things that could be the cause - some of which are very expensive to replace. Unlike an ordinary car A/C system, you cannot jumper a connector momentarily to see if you can force the compressor to run. Everything is computer controlled and the power going to the compressor comes out of the inverter/converter unit.

To make a long story short, my problem ended up being a bad compressor. I ended up buying a used compressor unit through EBay and will be replacing it shortly. I removed the plug from the old compressor, plugged in the new(used) compressor and ran it for an instant and it spun just fine. I wouldn't dare run it longer because I did not have the lines hooked up yet. I just wanted to confirm that I am getting power to the compressor from the inverter. The other hangup that I have is that all the local auto parts stores do not sell the ND-11 oil used by the compressor, and I did not want to buy the high priced version from Toyota. I had to have a local part store special order it for me. I can't confirm that my A/C is fixed yet because I'm waiting for the oil to come in, but I'm pretty certain I found my problem. Good luck on your repair.

 

I am in the UK and have been researching the problems of DIY aircon gassing the Prius. Over the weekend I hope to do a post on doing just that, after I completed the task on my own car this week with success at little cost.

After contacting the UK supplier of EZ freeze to ask about an ND11 version for hybrids, they said that that it will not be on sale till 2014/2015. However they did say was the PAG oil version was made by a US company that sells ND11 oil separately. The company name is Interdynamics so I would contact them for the ND11 oil.

I will in my post give details easy cheap sources of R134A and how to inject it.

 

translations for Americans who don't watch Top Gear to understand Brit's explanations:
Wing = Fenders
Bonnet = Hood
Boot = Trunk or Hatch
Saloon = Sedan
Zed = Z
Chips = Fries

 

The ND11 compatible oil made by Interdynamnics is the one I ordered. They sell a 3oz oil charge bottle for about $10 which is just about perfect. Replacing and recharging the compressor look pretty straight forward, but I was pretty surprised that none of the regular auto parts stores that I contacted carry or even heard of the product. They only offer PAG oil for R134a. The Toyota Prius is very common in the Bay Area where I live. It seems like only the dealer or the specialized a/c shops carry it, but I prefer to do my own work. Either people stick in R134a with PAG oil in the Prius' unknowingly or they just let their mechanics do the work. Most people probably do not have access to vacuum pumps or gauges to do the work either.

I look forward to seeing your writeup.

 

The dealership here said that sometimes, if the AC doesn't blow cold air it could be something as simple as the cabin filter needing replaced.

 

Two nations divided by a common language.

When I have done the write up you can do the official translation cheers.

John.

 

You wouldn't believe how much though. I didn't realise they reprint books like Harry Potter into American because they're not able to work out that Mum = Mom or colour = color.

That's half the fun of reading a book from another English speaking Country - finding out that there are slight differences.

You could have lots of fun;

"He slapped her fanny before she got in the car and screeched away along the pavement."

To an American he slapped his wifes behind and she drove off at a lively pace down the road. To an English reader he sexually assaulted her and she drove at speed along the footpath.

It's like that court case a decade ago about that English babysitter getting arrested in America for assault. The baby died and she told the police she "popped the baby down on the bed". To an English person that means she gently placed the baby down on the bed to sleep. To an American the word popped means to strike or hit!

I also got a telling off for the use of the word Jap on this website. In English that's actually just a friendly word for a Japanese person, in the same way Brit for British, Aussie for Australian etc. Yet in America where this website is based, it's a dreadful insult with negative connotations to WWII.

So indeed, we are divided by a common language. Tread carefully.

 

Grumpy I could not agree more with the paragraph at the bottom of your post. Surely even though we may disagree with a post there is no need for rude or abusive replies.

PS I like your summary of the your take on English UK/US.

 

Well I think the abusive members have gone now. I've been on here about 3 or so years and like it as the Americans are much more civil on their forums than the Brits on the British forums - generally. Unfortunately one or two of the abusive members have been making their feelings known with personal and abusive private messages. It's only happened a few times in the last couple weeks so perhaps it's just a few bad eggs slipped through the net?

Give it a couple days and I'll amend my signature back to tea

 

do not top off the prius with refrigerant!!!! It could cost you a compressor, a condenser, and more in the long run...

 

Never use the sight glass as a means to determine that the A/C system is full....

 

I had the same problem. When I would turn the a/c on, it would come out tepidly cool, but then sort of peter out. I procrastinated, worried that it was going to be a very expensive fix, but as summer is approaching, I made myself seek help. There was an independent mechanic in my area that someone here recommended, so I called him Fri and went out to meet him. Turns out there is a little leak near the second valve (where the little window, or scope, is), you could see where gunk had accumulated. The stuff that leaks out doesn't accumulate as it evaporates, but it does cause dust and dirt to accumulate around it. He didn't have the parts needed to replace it at the time, so he refilled the coolant (some special Prius brew) and it works beautifully now!

He is ordering the parts needed and I'll go in for replacement when they come in. It may cost about $200 - $300. I hope your issue is as easy to fix.

 

Just quoted instructions from official Toyota Prius workshop manual see below.

 

toyota not god, but in the ball park of being right most of the time. using the sight glass is temp sensitive and load on the ac will make the difference. DENSO makes the AC systems and Toyota adapts them to their cars so dose every other manufacture.
Toyota also says after a compressor burn out you can just replace the compressor and dryer shock and clean the screen in the condenser. *(NOT!!!) this will just get the customer out of warranty and they get to repair and make the customer happy for a short time. When the next compressor burns up, ( out of warranty now ) This time when the customer is paying you will have to replace the condenser, expansion valve, flush all lines, and another compressor. This should have been done the first time. The Denso electric compressor is good but by the customer letting the refrigerant run low and keep using it , the electric motor dose not like that!. This compressor relies on the return of cool refrigerant to keep it alive so do all compressors but the electric even more.