Corroded AC wiring harness 2010 - anyone heard of this?

I was told that the same thing was starting to happen to mine at my dealership today when I took it in for its 5k oil change. I have a 2010 with 46,000 miles and it just started making a weird dull buzzing sound last week and it's normally so quiet. . I bought it certified pre-owned and have put on 10,000 miles driving in humid Washington, D.C. in the last 22 months. My dealer gave me an estimate as well to fix it but said to wait until it breaks and told me It will cost a lot. I'll update this post with both estimates. I agree with you that this shouldn't happen!

 

48,000 miles is not low for a 2010, it's average. why would it be so expensive? can't you just have a local mechanic or a/c electrical shoppe replace the corroded wires?

 

Most likely because dealer service departments don't repair, but remove and replace with a brand new wiring harness.

SCH-I535

 

agreed, not worth it imo, just fix whats corroded if possible. this has nothing to do with humidity either. must be defective somehow.

 

Hmm, now I'm going to have to go inspect our 2011 Prius with 38k miles in humid Hawaii.

Maybe take preventive measures by packing the connector with dielectric grease.

SCH-I535

 

My first thought was to try & repair/replace the corroded pins - but that may not be possible.
I went looking for pics of a 2010 compressor & found some on ebay.
iirc the compressor runs on traction battery power, ~201VDC.

Note to self: using a flashlight at night may not reveal the big picture.

The AC compressor is very hidden on the lower front of the engine, offset to the passenger side.
Initially I thought the HV connection was to the top of the compressor but now I see it is on the side.
I can barely see a piece of the orange cable connector on the drivers side of the compressor without removing parts.

The top connector on the compressor is for the control wires.
The HV connector comes from the drivers side of the vehicle & plugs into the side of the compressor.

Both cable connectors are very exposed being directly behind the radiator & inline with the airflow.
I would inspect the wiring harness connector & its waterproofing shield for problems.

Whatever the reason for the corrosion, when the compressor is replaced the wiring harness connector needs to be replaced also.
This area is directly behind the radiator & in front of the engine subject to 70+mph wind driven water/rain so quality workmanship is needed here!

 

sorry, i didn't realize the compressor was integrated to the wiring harness, what a pain. i still disagree with the mileage though, it may be a little lower than average, but if that was the issue, there would be a lot of cars with this problem. i drive mostly ev, when is it ever going to heat up my compressor wiring?

 

For the wiring harness repair I would go to a junk yard & cut off the end of a 2010 or newer Prius.
Pick out the newest/best looking connector if you have a choice.
A _good_ tech. can splice the pigtail onto your existing wiring harness & cover the connections with Marine Heat Shrink (has adhesive lining).
The connection will be as good as new if done properly.

The compressor is up to you - new is best but a used one can be just fine if you get somewhat lucky - both will cool equally well

Good luck & let us know how things turn out.

 

Wow, that sounds like a really poor design to have a connector and pins in an exposed area like that in a vertical orientation. Definitely better to have it pointed down, even if not absolutely straight down, angled downward so water or moisture doesn't sit waiting to get in.

Time to bust out the liquid electrical tape AKA brush on plastidip.

SCH-I535

 

+1 on getting wiring from a junk yard. I have seen some 2010s listed as parting out from accidents.

 

Could engine steam cleaning be a factor?

 

or pressure washing. I had a 1975 280Z that never was the same electrical wise after cleaning the engine.

 

Exposure to salt water/salt air?