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2006 Prius A/C Fault Codes

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dschwartz1957, Sep 12, 2018.

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  1. dschwartz1957

    dschwartz1957 Junior Member

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    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    My 2006 Prius has 195,000 miles on it. In August, the A/C stopped working and only blows warm. There are no warning lights on the dash, but my mechanic downloaded several HVAC (and other) fault codes from the diagnostic port.
    • B1433 HVAC servo
    • B1421 HVAC solar sensor (which I read on PC is not a real issue)
    • C1241 ABS too low/high volt
    He also checked the coolant pressure which was under 50lbs. My mechanic has only worked on gen1 Prius A/C, which uses a conventional compressor. So this seems like a dealer or specialist job. Given the high mileage I am wary of spending a lot of money on A/C repair. The car will also need new tires before winter.

    Any ideas about the meaning of these codes and a ballpark range of repair costs?

    I have had mixed luck with Toyota dealer service departments in Massachusetts (west and north of Boston) and am open to recommendations.

    Thanks,

    David Schwartz
    2002 Prius - 196,000 miles
    2006 Prius - 195,000 miles
    2014 Prius - 34,000 miles
     
    #1 dschwartz1957, Sep 12, 2018
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    My recommendation is that you should add a little R-134a to the system.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Sep 13, 2018
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  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Agreed, Patrick. Sounds like low freon. Filling it won't cost much. Then see if it fixes it and if it leaks out again.
     
    #3 jerrymildred, Sep 13, 2018
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    What did he think it should be? 28 psi is the threshold where you get a low pressure DTC....

    -Chap
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Sep 13, 2018
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    My belief is that the 50 psi reading is with the system at rest. If that reading is on the low pressure side with the compressor running, then I agree that the system is actually overcharged.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Sep 13, 2018
  6. Al Bundy

    Al Bundy Member

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    the prius takes a special freon for hybrids only..
    my local guy didnt know this and it smoked the compressor with standard freon
    be sure they use the right stuff
     
    #6 Al Bundy, Sep 13, 2018
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  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The issue is NOT the R-134a. The issue is use of incorrect compressor oil. Use pure R-134a w/o oil and you will be fine.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Sep 13, 2018
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  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    To the best of my knowledge, there is only one pressure sensor in the system, and it's in the liquid line near the sight glass. The same sensor, I believe, is responsible for the high-pressure limit (which would never be seen unless the compressor is running) and the low-pressure limit (which would never be seen at that location unless the compressor is stopped). I think the purpose of the low limit is to prevent starting the compressor without some minimal charge present.

    I did find another spot in a (Gen 1, because it was handy) manual, that suggested checking for at least 57 psi when doing a leak check, so I guess I'm on board with this being a bit low.

    -Chap
     
    #8 ChapmanF, Sep 13, 2018
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