I think I just messed up my AC Compressor

welcome! i think you need to take it to an a/c shop and have the lines cleaned, then add new ref ridge. all the best.

 

My (limited) understanding is the Prius takes the usual refrigerant, but a special oil. I'd agree, cut your losses, get professionals to look at it. Dealership safest bet?

 

Welcome to PriusChat! I'm so sorry to learn of your predicament, but I think you've come to the best place to get good advice! I'm sorry that I don't have the expertise to advise you, but I think I would have come here first of all, and asked a few questions before I opened my tool-box, or took out my credit-card! Good luck, and I'm sure you'll get it sorted out! (…I'm sure you're not the first to have been fooled (…damned amazon)) - hope this helps - Wil (…hang in there! )

 

Yep the Prius takes non conducting oil. No damage may have been done if you do not have a big red triangle on the dash. Thats a master caution alarm the car would throw if the compressor was shorted.
Stop using the compressor/ ac system leave it off and take it to an ac shop. The prius is a very common car and most ac shops should know about the special non conducting ND-11 it uses. Inquire.

Don't feel bad. Those home kits have ruined many a car ac system. What no one seems to understand is if the car is low on refrigerant its because it has a leak. if you don't fix the leak your just throwing more refrigerant into the atmosphere. That and it is really easy to overfill the system with the home bottle which is just as bad as it being low.
AC shop will flush the system and fill it back up with ND-11 and add a die to it. Then they will either try to sniff out the leak or use special glasses that enables them to see the leaking die. Sometimes its just a loose fitting. Sometimes its bad and the e-coil under the dash has a leak.
Sometimes the car has been in a front end accident and the op neglects to mention it in the post. We see many front end accidents that have poor installed front condensers or cheap china condensers that leak down the road.

 

Every time I have tried to charge the system myself -- including this year. I have regretted it. .... One of those things I hate to admit, but it is better to take it to the shop and spend the $125 to have it done "perfectly."

 

I save money by doing all of the maintenance that I can on my cars so that the professionals can deal with the stuff that I cannot do myself.

I'd find a good A/C shop and tell them what you did and see what they say.
If they immediately try to sell you a new compressor without trying to save the old one (which has not failed yet) then they're likely "dealer trained" and you might want to try another A/C shop.

Take the product that you used.
It might not zorch your compressor motor before they can get it replaced with the proper agent.
As stated above, they'll also be able to determine why you needed the freon in the first place.

 

Considering the Prius uses a proprietary lubrication oil in the lines, maybe best to stick with dealership? Or a place fully cognisant of this, able to get the proper oil.

 

…not to mention dealer's work done is usually warranteed, so I won't!

 

Can you elaborate? I know it's embarrassing but it could save a lot of headache for people as a warning.

 

So often, the "new" members post with a problem, get lots of replies and we never hear a word back from them. Thanks.

As for my latest problem, cold air was not very cold. I have a quality pressure gauge for this type of work, not the plastic thing you get on top of some of the refrigerant bottles. Refrigerant was down about 2/3s.

I bought refrigerant ONLY -- nothing else -- and hooked it up through the gauge, immediately upon cracking the can of refrig., the gauge red-lined.

I pulled off the can of refrig, got mild frostbite on one hand doing it and the rest of the refrig. can merrily went spewing into the atmosphere. My mechanic said that is common. They fixed me up for $125, including the proper oil and dye. No leaks that we can see....

Time before, someone (????) misidenntified the high and low lines -- this was about 20 years ago and they were not marked as they are now (mostly). Luckily the hose exploded and not the can....Again, mild frostbite....

There was another time before that, but I was 16....that was in the dinosaur days....

 

This post really makes me thank my sister who married an A/C mechanic and this is one thing I've never had to mess with.

Good to hear the OP got the mistake fixed before damage was done.

 

I have 1cc of the wrong oil in my system too, but its in there for 20.000miles so i dont worry any more...its running fine