A/C not so cold!

As long as i don't have it in eco it's seems just as cold as any other car. I always leave it in eco and it still does a good job here, and it does get into the mid 90 for at least 30+ days a year with a heat index over 100 alot of the time. Gen II also didn't drive the ac with a belt so its nothing new.

 

My wife doesn't think the A/C is very good either. But as adamace1 wrote, in ECO it is a bit less aggressive with the A/C so if you're driving in ECO and feel it's inadequate you might want to try normal mode.

 

I don't think it's AC but rather movement of air. Yes, the AC is a bit slower to get going (though I want to be clear: it can handle cooling the car on a very hot day), but then I think it is for heat, too. The fan system just doesn't seem to gun out air like a jet engine as it has on my other cars.

 

This is interesting. I live on the coast with the 95 degree and 95% humidity days and my AC does fine. I have to turn the vents away from me at times it gets so cold. I use Normal mode all of the time and not Eco. I am wondering if Eco is causing some of these issues.

My wife does not like the fact that the fan is not blowing air as soon as you turn the car on. I like the fact, though, that the system waits until the air is either cool or warm before it starts blowing air.

 

ECO mode manages a/c differently than NORMAL mode. ECO turns a/c compressor on-off more frequently to enhance engine economy.

If you're using AUTO function on the air controls, flow adjusts according to inside cabin temps. So for those who like high air volume flow, you might want to manually adjust air speed.

With all that said, I'm surprised y'all notice so much temperature variation. I use ECO all the time, but do not use AUTO. I find the a/c coldness and air flow satisfactory. If anyone has warranty left, let the dealer check it out and let us know.

 

The A/C is rather weak in this car, but I've found that I don't notice it until the temperature and humidity tie in their race for triple digits down here on the Redneck Riviera.
Like some others, I don't use Auto and I keep the car in ECO most of the time, and so this may be a case of semi-imposed frugality.

I don't think anything is "wrong" with the car (inasmuch as I can tell from the OP's post) but rather some cars have really REALLY good HVAC systems and others don't.
My G3's HVAC system isn't as "cold" as my last work car....but I'm not begging my boss to give me my old car back!

 

A system designed for R-134a should not have any problem. Your perception may be colored if you had a vehicle where a conversion from R-12 to R-134a was done. In those cases, since the system was designed for R-12, the performance will be poor.

It's possible, for weight/space/cost reasons, that Toyota slightly undersized the GenIII system compared to other vehicles.

 

The A/C works fine on both of our Gen 3 Prii in sunny So. California. I wish A/C has less impact on FE, but you don't get something for nothing.

 

If you want a stronger response from the AC, drop the desired temperature to 68F.

 

Don't forget the 3 ft windshield staring down on an almost equally big -black- anti-reflective(yay) heat absorbing(boo) dashboard. You can feel the heat rolling off of the dash when the sun is beating down, regardless of outside temp or how much the ac is running.

 

I have no 3rd gen, but the the Prius has been using an electric A/C compressor since the 04 model year. The 3rd gen went beltless by moving the water pump formerly driven by a belt to an electric one.

 

did you set the the air to recirculate or to take in outside air?


recirculate will make it cooler quicker.

 

I have decided the AC sucks in this car. The first few days we had in the 90s, I knew I was in trouble. I can't wait for it to hit 120.

Good thing we still have the 99 Solar a for the summers.