Air Condition Problem

Check the sight glass first. For ex:
A/C - bubble in sight glass | PriusChat
Air conditioning gave up in Palm Springs, works in LA | PriusChat

 

Many do respond with results, although certainly more could. Many of the issues tend to cluster around certain themes, so that over time the causes become clear. However, A/C tends to be Terra incognito to many DIY's.

 

Unfortunately A/C not always that cut and dry. Many times it starts out with a minor underlying problem and is not noticed or the repair is put off for some time, then that will cause another problem that the owner can not ignore but buy that time it it may be expensive to fix. By this time it now has multiple problems to diagnose with one problem masking another.
1: it is a 2004, you did not state if the a/c has been recharged lately. If not did any one bother to suggest that after 9 years it just may be time. The sight glass is not always accurate if nearly never!. My photo album my guide you a little as what to look for as easy to see leaks. There are vary few shop that really know air conditioning and even fewer that know Prius a/c and the new hybirds A/C system. If you are in the San Francisco area I could suggest a shop.

 

And make sure whoever "recharges" your AC system has the correct Hybrid compatible AC equipment. They need to use ND11 compressor oil or they could destroy your HV electric compressor.

 

Air Conditioning Maintenance and Problems | PriusChat

HVAC, tools, a/c 101, tips, procedures, test | PriusChat

A/C Compressors non-Prius. A look at their complexity, just a few of many. | PriusChat

prius compressor after body shop serviced a/c | PriusChat

thees 4 links go to my photo albums about Prius air conditioning, im not finished with them, have much more to add. Little word of advice. Only go to a shop that has a( TOYOTA TECH STREAM SCAN TOOL ) this is a absolute must, 2ed I list what a shop repairing air conditioning should have both to properly diagnose your car and some tools are by LAW from the EPA in my photo albums. good luck

 

I'm in the SF area, what shop would you suggest?

 

Has the car ever been in a front end accident?

If so turn on aircon and stand at the front of the car. Do you feel air blowing out of the front grill, if the answer is yes the two cooling fans have been put on in the wrong possitions, "they counter rotate".

The fan blades must be taken off (not the motors) and exchanged with each other, they will then blow air in the correct direction. Another clue to this is the outside air temp reading on the mfd does not show correct temperature.

John (Britprius)

 

Janders your in luck to be close to Luscious Garage 475 9th st. SF Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists
its difficult to diagnosis a A/C problem on a cold day so it is best on warmer days 70F it can be done cooler if the problem is real obvious. Lately here in SF the days have been only 49F to 62F . Important to tell the service writer if your car has been in a front end accident? did someone try to recharge your a/c before? Was it a body shop that recharged the a/c or DIY? How long have you had the problem? is it intermittent or constant? If it was charged before with the little cans from a auto parts store did it contain LEAK SEALER? + OIL + any other ADDITIVE that dose not belong in a Prius A/C system? . There is a PLAGUE of bad Body Shops and unqualified Auto Repair Shops preforming A/C recharge and repair work causing poor performance and burning up Prius A/C compressors. I just got another car today from a body shop today and nearly every other day. Most causes by adding too mush refrigerant, too little refrigerant, too much oil, no oil added after replacing a condenser, wrong oil, PAG OIL, high moisture content contaminated refrigerant, Air % mixed with the refrigerant, and the list goes on!.

good luck, Tom from Lech Auto Air Conditioning

 

I've noticed my Prius has kinda an intermittent issue with the AC. I don't normally use the AC because I like driving with the windows down in this Texas weather. Well last night, my girlfriend and I were "talking" in the car with the AC running while it was parked. It just refused to get cold even at Max Cold.

Pulled out my shop manual for the Prius and went through the trouble shoot section of the Heater & AC portion. Didn't help much with the air bubble. The bubble was slightly visible before starting the car, after running it the bubble was gone completely and didn't come back when turned off. But, the AC got pretty cold during that time.
I had a front end collision before and had the bumper and radiator fixed, I didn't check to see if the radiator for the AC was replaced and I don't remember seeing any work order for AC components or fluids. Fans are blowing in the right direction (into the engine). There is a huge temperature difference between the input and output of the coolant flowing through the radiator.

Perhaps I have a faulty temperature sensor? That seems to be the only thing that makes sense unless I somehow have an excessive amount of refrigerant but I'll need to check that with a manifold gauge.

Any suggestions what to do next? Check pressures or somehow check other stuff?

 

Make sure that the radiator fans are blowing the proper direction. If the repair place reversed the fans, the air blows out, rather than in.

 

Already checked that. The problem is intermittent because sometimes when it's parked it works perfectly fine, and at other times it seems like it's not getting very cold.

 

I am having a similar problem. The fan will not switch into high speed, so the A/C turns off at a stop light or in traffic. Do you know where the temperature sensor is and can I replace it?

 

"Beyond these boundaries, there will be dragons."

Not really. I installed and aftermarket one in my first car when I was 19 in 1970. I bought one of those Comfy Kits out of an ad in Popular Mechanics.

The fan is wired to a connector block. You can reverse it, unless you've cut into the wiring harness.