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No A/C! Please help! I'm Melting!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by 'LectroFuel, May 31, 2016.

  1. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    I got into my car about a week ago and I noticed the A/C said it was on, but there was no air coming out. I've tried everything I could except take it to the dealer. The A/C works OCCASIONALLY. Sometimes, when I turn the car on, the A/C works. Most of the time, it doesn't.

    When the A/C doesn't work, what I'm thinking is the compressor sounds like it's working very hard. It sounds like the normal sound that occurs when the A/C works, except it sounds like the compressor motor has a loose belt and is spinning and working uncontrollably at extremely high RPMs.

    Sometimes, the A/C turns on when I'm driving. Usually when I go over a pothole or a dip in the road. Please leave me suggestions on what I should do.:)
     
    #1 'LectroFuel, May 31, 2016
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Have you tried charging it?
     
    #2 JC91006, Jun 1, 2016
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I trust you're talking about the 2005 and not the 2016. :)

    Could you post any trouble codes from the A/C ? In Gen 2 I think you get them on the MFD, you should be able to find how with a PriusChat search.

    -Chap
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Jun 1, 2016
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  4. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    If there is no air coming out sounds like HVAC fan is dead or going and not AC. I've had that happen in my Corolla. AC worked fine but without air coming out, I felt nothing. However, if I drove fast on the highway with the vents open, the incoming air was able to push air conditioning in. Take a test drive on the highway with AC on, not on AUTO and see if it gets cooler. My HVAC fan didn't just stop working either. It was intermittent until one day it stopped working for good.
     
    #4 mmmodem, Jun 1, 2016
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  5. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    I recently recharged the A/C a couple months ago. Back then, the A/C turned on all the time, but it was blowing warm air before I recharged it.









    Merged.








    I have an OBDII reader. I'll check the codes when I have the time. Thanks.
     
    #5 'LectroFuel, Jun 1, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 1, 2016
  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    If you had to charge the ac initially that's because all the refrigerant leaked out. You still got a leak. Keep running the compressor with no ref and it will destroy it. Very $$$$

    Take it to any good ac shop.Only thing special about the Prius ac is it uses particular refrigerant that has no oil in it. if you bought an off the shelf charge it kit from a parts store the compressor is probably destroyed. You will know by all the dtc codes thrown on the dash.
    Before you spend any money on the compressor check and see where the leak is. The ac shop will inject dye in the system and find the leak.
    Thats about $100.
    From what we see its usually the condenser that sits in front of the radiator was damaged in an earlier accident and the op forgot to mention its a salvage title car.
     
    #6 edthefox5, Jun 1, 2016
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  7. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    I don't think the compressor is broken or low on refrigerant because when it works, it blows cold air. I'm guessing it's a loose fuse, which is anticlimactic.:D I'm the first owner and my last accident was about 8 years ago, so I don't think anything could be affected by that at this point.
     
    #7 'LectroFuel, Jun 3, 2016
  8. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    My suggestion is that you should pay attention to this comment:

    A very important question is whether the cabin blower fan is working or not. If it is not working then the obvious solution is to replace it. In fact, I am going through that issue with my 2004 right now, and ordered a replacement aftermarket fan on eBay for $40 (incl shipping from New York.)

    Replace AC Blower Fan | PriusChat
     
    #8 Patrick Wong, Jun 3, 2016
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  9. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    Thanks! I'll look into that. That could be the cause of the problem.
     
    #9 'LectroFuel, Jun 3, 2016
  10. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    The problem is you "recently charged the ac system".

    There's no reason you have to charge an ac system unless it has a leak. Those ac charge bottles you can buy at an autoparts store are ridiculous as they do nothing except damage your ac or at best maybe fix it for a few days or weeks. Doesn't fix the core issue which is loss of refrigerant.

    Don't put another dime in it till the leak is found see post #6. It may be as simple as a loose connector. Until you find the leak your just wasting your time.
     
    #10 edthefox5, Jun 4, 2016
  11. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    Wow! You diagnosed my car without even touching it! The blower went out and was $300 including labor. It's fixed now, but when I drove home from the shop, my battery was at 0 bars.:unsure:
     
    #11 'LectroFuel, Jun 7, 2016
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    zero?:eek:
     
    #12 bisco, Jun 7, 2016
  13. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    Yep, the car was loud and slow. Only happened once before. Five minutes later it was at 1 less than full battery.
     
    #13 'LectroFuel, Jun 7, 2016
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, i've never gone below 2 purple in my gen 2's, i'm surprised it started.
     
    #14 bisco, Jun 7, 2016
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