vent not working

[yups]

Can someone link me to a thread where I might find info on the center vents not working. Is it a vaccuum that controls air flow or is it electronic??
Thx
WTF, just in case someone else runs into this problem when its 100+ out. Run the heat all the way up for @30 sec to a minute and then bring the temp down using the MFD. This seems to reset the vents from stuck on defrost to frontal A/C.

[Patrick Wong]

I suggest you consult techinfo.toyota.com which is a subscription website that provides official Toyota repair manual info. It sounds like your problem will not be easy to fix.

Any motors in the A/C system will be electric, not vacuum-operated. Since the Prius engine does not run a portion of the time, there isn't a continuous source of vacuum that can be relied upon.

[richard schumacher]

Originally Posted by yups

the center vents not working.

So, if you go to the Climate display and manually command the midlevel vents to blow, they don't? And the thumbwheel control below each vent is set to open, not closed? Just checking :_>

[yups]

Originally Posted by richard schumacher

So, if you go to the Climate display and manually command the midlevel vents to blow, they don't? And the thumbwheel control below each vent is set to open, not closed? Just checking :_>

Yes And Yes.
I edited the original post to say I fixed the problem by raising the temp to full heat using the MFD. I then let it run for a few(@30 sec) and then I lowered it to cool with the auto A/C on and it resolved. For some reason the center vents would not work regardless of my attempts to adjust them with the MFD. Its as if they failed to respond when using the MFD. I assume that was overridden when I adjusted the Temps thereby making the computer automation make the changes from heat/defrost to full A/C. And to think I started to pull the dash apart.

[pribor]

I hope somebody knows how the vents are routed in the Gen2 Prius. I just recently bought a used 2005 and discovered that the middle two vents next to the center stack are not blowing any air. The ones on the outside, next to the windows blow perfectly fine. The dial at the bottom of the vents are open and I even pulled out the middle right vent to inspect the mechanism and everything is working fine and there is no blockage at the front of the vent. There is simply no air coming out of the middle tubes at all.

Is there a valve somewhere within the vent tubes that separates the middle/center vents from the outer vents? If not, there must be something physically obstructing the vents at that junction (a mouse nest perhaps?). Can anybody post a vent diagram or explain how I can get at the valve or junction where the obstruction might be?

I did try putting the temp all the way up and down as suggested on this thread a few times for a few minutes each and it made no difference to get airflow coming out of those vents.

Thanks for your help!

[2009Prius]

Originally Posted by pribor

...

Is there a valve somewhere within the vent tubes that separates the middle/center vents from the outer vents? ...

Here is a diagram for 2009. I think 2005 should be similar. There is a damper (positions numbered 19, 20, 21 in the diagram) that regulates air flow out of the center vents. Good luck!